This spring we moved from Downtown Bellevue (where we have been since 1961) over to the Northup neighborhood. We looked for almost 2 years before we found the right place to call ‘home’. But it was worth the wait!
We love our new digs and our new neighbors. What we weren’t sure about was how moving a business that had been on the same corner since 1978 would transpire.
Luckily, no major disasters occurred. Well – we lost one of our tint machines because the movers tipped it over while unloading it. Oops.
But we kept our sense of humor and got the new store up and running. The worst part? Cleaning up 30+ years of crusty tint room build-up in the old place!
What a roller-coaster ride it is to relocate a store. Of course, our ‘perfect’ location required a change-of-use with the City of Bellevue – to the uneducated, that means more permits. Previously, the space housed a Safeway Training Center. Our use is retail, not office, so the changes need to be very carefully addressed.
I never knew it could take sooooo many different permits to get a place remodeled. However, we are almost through that knothole, and it looks like we are getting so close to having everything signed-off that this move might actually happen.
The fire alarm installers (also known as The Major Holdup In The Project) are finishing today, maybe even with their final tests. Then we get the Bellevue Fire Department in for final inspection, then the Building Inspector, then we can close up the ceiling in the warehouse and start moving in product.
Luckily, we are hiring a moving company to help with the project and it’s a multi-day gig. I can already tell it is going to be well worth the inve$tment!!!
It look like this Memorial Day weekend will be very memorable for Daly’s.
We are getting sooooo close!!!! You are looking in towards the new decor department. The wall of shelves you see in the back will display wallpaper books. Next to those will be our color centers for both C2 Paint and Pratt & Lambert paint.
It looks like we will be fully functional in our new space by the middle of May. The store is really starting to take shape, and I gotta tell you, it looks GREAT!
The sign was installed on Friday. It was interesting to see the process, of course it had to be raining, poor guys…
I just fielded a great question (the customer was actually referred to us by another paint store!) – in a 1950′s house, is it better to strip and refinish the base trim or repaint it?
While there is never a one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to aesthetics, the caller had some interesting value choices to ponder.
Would the trim be worth the effort of stripping? Being a 1950′s era house, the trim is most likely Mahogany, but not that cheapie 1970′s Mahogany we are still trying to erase from memory.
How would the caller determine if it’s the good stuff? Remove a piece of trim from as inconspicuous an area as possible, and see what’s under five decades of paint. If it’s good quality wood, then the choice can be made to remove the paint layers and refinish. If not, no harm done – re-install the trim, patch the wall if needed and repaint.
When it comes to the ‘look’, which is better? In this case, I’d suggest stripping and refinishing because the caller is painting his walls a pale white. This means the exposed wood trim will add some architectural detailing to a potentially very plain room.
If painting is the option, I suggest a color that adds some depth and richness to the trim. Perhaps a rich mushroom color or even a velvety cream – anything to add some interest without becoming distracting. In very few instances should trim become the room’s focal point, but it can go far to add character and interest.
Here is an exterior shot of the new Bellevue store. Last week was when demo started, so now the space inside is very open (and somehow manages to look both larger and smaller at the same time). This week, the guys are busy chipping off the old vinyl tiles. We are hoping the concrete is in good enough shape to stain and polish… keep your fingers crossed!
And I don’t mean the tanking economy… and although the economy is cause for concern, decorating must go on!
So to enable our Eastside clients in their design pursuits, we are in the midst of negotiating a lease for a new store in Bellevue. Did you know that there’s been a Daly’s on the same block since 1961? That’s a long time. We’ve relocated 3 different times since then, but always on the same block. Way back when (or so I’ve been told…), there were 5 different paint and decorating stores within a 3 block radius.
Both the industry and the neighborhood have changed. Many of our earlier competitors are gone and downtown Bellevue is COMPLETELY different. Where there was once a small outdoor mall, there is Bellevue Square. Arby’s is now the location for a huge apartment complex. Safeway – gone. Etc, etc, etc… The face of downtown Bellevue is lovely, cosmopolitan and simply no place for a paint & decorating store these days.
But far from being upset at the prospect of moving, we are so excited! We will be moving near some great retailers like Pande Cameron, Ambiente Tile, Fireside Hearth & Home, ecohaus and others. So shopping will be more convenient with more options in the neighborhood. Even more paint stores (but we won’t go into THAT!)
Once we get the legal paperwork out of the way, I will let you know where we will be located, and I’ll be giving you regular updates on our build out. We are estimating the new store to be up and running around May 2009.
There is an old saying that the more things change, the more they stay the same. I think about that sometimes as I drive through the neighborhood where our Seattle store is located.
I grew up less than a mile away from here, so I’ve witnessed a lifetime of evolution and change of this locale. I remember when walk/don’t walk lights were installed on 45th street in Wallingford. I wrote my first check at Fuji’s 5 and Dime (and I remember contemplating the idea of stealing a piece of candy there, too! Never could, never did. But I remember entertaining the thought…)
Stone Way Avenue is evolving. So many more residential units are being built on upper Stone. My business partner Herb recalls hanging off the end of the trolley on his skates and getting a ride up the street when he was a kid.
So things change. Others never seem to. Like our store being on this same corner since forever.
It looks like Daly’s will be making some changes in Bellevue. The downtown core had transformed to a point where the rent is almost doubling. Wow. Who’d have thought?
Daly’s has been on the same street (although 3 different addresses) since 1961. When we moved in to Bellevue, the Evergreen Floating Bridge wasn’t even built, yet. Bellevue Square was a small outdoor mall. There were 5 paint outlets within that many blocks.
Change is good. The more we flex and adapt, the better we are at keeping up with the times. Small changes are easier than large ones.
So, we are going to get serious about finding a new home for our Bellevue shop. Ironically, even with all the annoying construction and traffic – we’ve have some great business in Bellevue.
