Columbia Citizens

More information is here.

Now enrolling with 2-5 day options. Please see website for more details

http://www.bodiesinbalanceseattle.com/50_hour_fitness_challenge

Spring Session runs from April 11-June 12th!

Date: Thursday, March 18, 2010

Time: 6:00 p.m. (refreshments will be served)

Location: Southside Commons, 3518 South Edmunds Street

Admission: $2 suggested donation

Sponsors: NWFCO, Social Justice Fund NW, and Washington CAN

Film summary:

With both humor and outrage, Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story explores a taboo question: What is the price that America pays for its love of capitalism? Years ago, that love seemed so innocent. Today, however, the American dream is looking more like a nightmare as families pay the price with their jobs, their homes and their savings. Moore takes us into the homes of ordinary people whose lives have been turned upside down; and he goes looking for explanations in Washington, DC and elsewhere. What he finds are the all-too-familiar symptoms of a love affair gone astray: lies, abuse, betrayal…and 14,000 jobs being lost every day. Capitalism: A Love Story is both a culmination of Moore's previous works and a look into what a more hopeful future could look like. Written by Overture Films

Visit www.southsidecommons.org for more information.

Another one? Is the line out the door at Empire Espresso too long for you?

An independent coffee shop

It is a policy restriction adopted by Chief Kerlikowskie (sp?) years ago. There was some concern about possible corruption - i.e. off duty cops being paid off by establishment owners to look the other way on liquor law (and other) violations. The policy ended any of those concerns.

Rachel,
Thanks for the info. Very interesting. Seems kind of backwards to me, but I assume they have their reasons. Any idea why the double standard?

We used to have a shoe repair shop. The space is currently the northern half of Geraldines.

Yes. Ping me offline for Deborah's email address.

• A craft store with a classroom for knitting and beading classes
• An East Indian vegetarian restaurant
• A walk-in medical clinic open evenings and weekends
• A Trader Joe's

Does a knitting group exist in the neighborhood?

I need some maintenance to mine too….

"Support A Student" Scholarship Fundraiser

Arts In Motion students who have experienced the thrill of accomplishment are now giving back, helping other kids feel that same sense of accomplishment. All AIM students are actively involved in raising funds for our "Support A Student" scholarship drive. "Support A Student" will provide many eager students in the Rainier Valley the chance to study music and the arts, a precious gift!

AIM's goal is to raise $10,000 for the scholarship fund. March 20 is the "Support A Student" deadline. Participants collecting donations will also enjoy the spirit of fun and community associated with this scholarhip fund drive. Participants may win valubale prizes befitting art students. Plus, each participant will have a chance to perform on camera for an AIM promotional video on Sunday, March 21, 2010.

AIM is making great things happen right now. Make your kind donations to Arts In Motion by March 20 and "Support A Student"!

Free Classes Offered-Week of March 8

DON'T MISS OUT - Call AIM today to reserve your spot for a free trial class.

Regular classes will start the following week (March 15) with sufficient enrollment. Invite a friend, tell your neighbors, call your cousins, we would love to accommodate everyone interested in these great classes.

We will be offering free classes in the disciplines of Filmmaking, Musikgarten, Cartooning, Painting, and Chamber Ensemble.

Call 723-3131 or email us at gro.loohcsmia|ofni#gro.loohcsmia|ofni

Spring Break Camp-Now Enrolling

This camp's theme is: Spring Fever! Celebrate the arrival of spring through poetry, song and art. Create a spring haiku and paint flowers as you are inspired by the music of Vivaldi's Spring. Garden art projects will provide opportuni­ties for urban dwellers to bring gardening indoors.

AIM Arts Adventure Camps are where creativity and fun unite! Music, art, drama and movement become the elements that make our camp weeks come to life with new adventures led by highly qualified and specially trained teachers. There will also be plenty of time for outdoor play. All supplies and snack included; students bring their own lunch. Before and after care available from 8:00am-5:00pm for an additional fee.

Spring Break Camp Grades K-4

March 29 - April 2, 2010
Monday-Friday, 9am-3pm

$135.00 per full week
$10/day before and after care

Need my gas furnace looked at. Who does affordable, quality work?

A video shop like Rain City. A bookstore. A deli/grocery store like those in S.F.

And of course a decent live music venue with family friendly hours.

"Garden Shop / Nursery … a Swansons / City Peoples for the southside."

That would be really useful indeed.

More nightlife options wouldn't hurt: seems to be the demand…

A credit union actually IN the neighborhood would be great. Unless you're driving (and we have a high concentration of car-free households), something north of Safeway doesn't do any good.

Older ideas:
"More outdoor dining…. An art supply store would be good. An Apple store would be better. …A comic book store? I don't think there is one in the South End… A hospital or at least neighborhood clinic?"
"would love to see more coworking spaces in the city - especially ones that managed to pair up daycare with coworking."
"Columbia City could really use a little bodega that's a step above Shola or the busy bee."
"Another live music venue. Perhaps even a musical instrument store, with practice rooms and lessons? A tool library. More Flex Car stands. A Korean BBQ place, with good Bi Bim Bap. (Mmmm…) A better Pho place"
Also still good ideas.

It's encouraging to see so many wishes being fulfilled since this thread was birthed: independent coffee shop, ice cream, sushi, thai food, women's consignment clothes.

My two cents:

• Cobbler
• A small but well curated International/Cultural Magazine Shop (could partner with Empire Espresso perhaps? a la Cafe Presse)
• Vintage/Consignment Furniture Shop - with the discernment of the good folk running GATHER. Something similar to The House in Interbay or Space Oddity in Ballard.
• Men's clothing
• A simple but overachieving Sandwich & Soup shop. Fresh. Seasonal. With Columbia City Bakery's delicious breads.
• Garden Shop / Nursery … a Swansons / City Peoples for the southside.
• Small Indoor/Outdoor Swimming Pool where all the school portables are.
• I would have said a cheaper pizza by the slice shop, but Tutta Bella's happy hour $6 margarita pizza is working just fine now (and my wife has mastered pizza dough).
• Cheese shop
• Northern European food importer (preferably with some Dutch treats). I had to go to Poulsbo last December to get proper Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) chocolates and cookies.
• Straight Vegetarian Restaurant.
• And I do like the idea of a kid-friendly cafe. Little Nest in Vancouver BC was great with ample space for kids to play (can't find photos that do it justice - these will have to do: one, two).

Just an FYI - bar owners cannot hire off duty police officers. Yes, they are held to a different standard than the Safeways of the world. Bouncers, yes. Off duty cops, no.

Make Way by Maria Isabel Velez

Brendan Kiley at the Stranger reports the Columbia City Theater closed suddenly, after its latest owners finalized a sale last weekend.

The sale happened on Saturday, after a few months of negotiations.

The new owners, Robert Hillman and C.B. Shamah, are shutting down the venue for at least three months for renovations and many of the acts scheduled to play there—including the popular monthly cabaret by Tamara the Trapeze Lady—are scrambling to find new homes.

"We're trying to help them out," said Shamah. He indicated that the theater was having major financial trouble: "Let's just say this," he said. "The gas to the theater got turned off. The water got turned off today. They didn't have a dumpster—apparently the garbage just disappeared to some garbage heaven. I wish I knew where that was."

Shamah said he and Sur just want to "bring some good music and good vibes to South Seattle." Some regular acts, like Tamara's, will return after the renovation.

There are more details in the comments under Brendan's post.

Well, I started this thread with what I now admit was a quick, not-that-well-thought-out post. Although I agree with some of my original sentiment, I didn't expect it to catalyze such an interesting and somewhat divisive conversation. I am impressed with the quality of discussion this wiki generates. I underestimated it. Had I known I would have put a bit more thought into the original post.

Having thought a bit more about the subject, I do believe Angie's serves a very real and underserved element of the Rainier Valley. Businesses should never be discriminated against due to their clientele, and I don't think they are in C City. I do believe the outrage against Angie's is not because of the ethnicity or socio-economic status of its clients but is due to the outright dangerous and criminal element it often attracts. This element is unacceptable, and I do not believe it really makes up the core business of Angie's. If the criminal element was not allowed to operate freely in and around Angie's I don't believe they would lose business. In fact, they may gain additional customers.

It is an easy fix, the management of Angie's needs to hire (at least on the weekends) a qualified staff of bouncers who know how to manage elements that are found in all bars. Experienced bouncers exist and can go a long way in keeping an establishment safe for its patrons and the neighborhood around it. Initially Angie's will also have to hire an off-duty police officer who is in uniform. I am not an expert in the rules surrounding off-duty police officers, but I am 99.9% sure that it is an off-duty police officer in uniform that is paid to be at Safeway. A uniformed police presence will eventually drive the criminal element away.

All this is predicated on the ownership wanting to make a change. If they owner is a good business person then they will know that this change will be necessary to protect their business. This is also where folks active in the neighborhood business district can help. Instead of being confrontational (I'm not saying they necessarily are, I don't really know), they need to support and encourage all the business owners in C City. Helping Angie's thrive as a business helps all members of our community.

Keep up the engaging discussion.

Brian

Hi all,

To add one more voice to the chorus: My wife and I just moved into a house on S. Edmunds Street that we've been renovating for months and months. Things were getting down to the wire—inspectors, appraisers, and in-laws were all about to show up—so I called Keith for help with hauling. Then for help with the deck. Then for help with a new fence. On all the jobs, he was fast, focused, on time, efficient, and wonderful to deal with. His prices are fair and transparent, his skills wide-ranging, and he apparently owns every powertool in the universe. But what matters most is this: The guy's a crazy perfectionist. He wants to do the job right because he wants to. Especially after the construction crew we'd been dealing with, it was a pleasure to watch him at work. Our deck and fence look great. We can recommend him in full.

Mac and Jenny