Dispatches from Ravenna, a neighborhood in Northeast Seattle
We’ve heard from one of the homeowners on Candy Cane Lane (NE Park Rd) that their annual holiday light extravaganza is set to start on December 10 this year.
Looking festive now — Imagine what it will look like at night!
Here’s a story on the history of this annual neighborhood tradition from the Seattle Times last year.
We received the following email from “The Zoo Keeper,” owner Bruce Stern, this afternoon, saying that The Shoe Zoo (2920 NE Blakeley St # B) is closing:
Well, I certainly hoped I wouldn’t have to write this letter, but I must. I was optimistic when we gave it one more try last year. I thought maybe we could survive with everyone knowing how tough of a time we were having. I am afraid to say it was a mistake. I just prolonged the inevitable. I couldn’t have imagined it getting so much worse, but it did.
I want to thank you for your support, not only during this last year, but for the past 24 years as well. It’s been very special watching your kids grow up over the years, from fitting your children with their first pair of shoes, then, in a blink of an eye, outgrowing our store. I felt a little bit more special than just your average retail store owner, maybe because you treated me that way. And for that, a heartfelt thank you.
Now, I don’t want to get into too much detail, but after the going-out-of-business sale last year, I had to re-stock the entire store. Let’s just say, The Zoo Keeper really needs your help. I have to try and pay for all of these shoes. So please come in and take advantage of some great savings on your shoe and boot purchases.
Starting today, everything in the store will be 20% off. Everything must go, so if you see something that isn’t marked, please make an offer. I will be selling stockroom shelves, which are perfect for your garage, classic children’s movies, stuffed animals, pictures, equipment, tools, benches, and much more. Over the next few months, I will be sending out email notifications with updates and such. I really hope to see you, it would mean so much to me.
Thank You,
The Zoo Keeper
Here are links to our previous coverage of The Shoe Zoo’s rebirth (May 21, 2011), and the first closure sale (January 30, 2011).
Have any holds at the Northeast Branch of the Seattle Public Library? If so, you have until Sunday, August 22 to pick them up.
As of Monday, August 23, the branch will be closed…until early October. No no, not just closed Labor Day week like the rest of ’em (for fiscal and BBQ reasons), but for MUCH. LONGER.
But FEAR NOT! The closure is for a good cause (or three):
I first noticed the monstrous piles of materials on hold after last winter’s snows. I just figured that the books were getting to the library, but patrons weren’t. Turns out that this branch of a mere 15,000 square feet process more holds than nearly every other branch in the system. The aforementioned switcheroo refurbishing will make room for all of that.
Yes, I’m sure that the library folks are aware that the branch underwent a doubling of size only five years ago, and now, here were are, already needing to close things down and rework it again. But I imagine that many of us were hitting the bookstores more back then, in the heady economy of the mid-2000s. *sigh*
Your holds will be transferred to the Lake City Branch during the closure, unless you choose otherwise. I’m going to switch to the Green Lake Branch and go for more walks. Or just visit Chocolati a lot, to try and cope with the change. We’ll see.
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