The national recognition is starting to pile up for Olympia, the unpretentious capitol city of Washington. The latest recognition came from the American Public Transportation Association, which awarded Olympia with the prize for best transit system for its size in the nation. This came on top of Olympia’s ranking by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine as the sixth Best City in the Nation. In 2008 Forbes ranked Olympia #8 on their Best Places for Business and Careers list. Olympia’s Evergreen State College is listed among the “best Buy Schools” in the 2010 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges, and Readers Digest has named Olympia’s annual Procession of the Species as the top of its “can’t resist” parades and processions list. The most significant nod comes from Sperling’s Best Places to Live, which ranked Olympia as the safest mid sized city in the nation, not just once, but these past two years in a row. I’d like to award Olympia with my own personal recognition, naming it the most beautiful mid sized city in the nation. What other city can compete with this?

This is my 4th blog post about Trader Joe’s. It started years back with activating people to petition Trader Joe’s to open a store in Olympia, through the confirmation of a planned store, to the progress, and finally the grand opening. I really should stop writing about Trader Joe’s, as people who google the store inadvertently come across my blogs and call me for information about opening times and the store phone number.

Being a big Trader Joe’s fan, I couldn’t miss the grand opening of the store today. I thought arriving 45 minutes before the doors were supposed to open, I would be one of the first shoppers, but apparently there are a whole lot of people more dedicated than I. Shoppers waiting in line were entertained with a live band, playing island music.

After the store finally opened its doors, shoppers clogged the aisles and all the shopping carts were quickly gone. I planned to just get a few of my favorite things and be on my merry way, but how can one rush through a store that’s so nicely decorated with large murals of Olympia’s beautiful sights and its shelves loaded with its popular goods. 

The cheerful mood and colorful shirts of the store’s crew took away from the long check-out lines and crowds. I’ll wait a few days before I come back for more shopping and hope the crowds will have subsided by then. Olympia now has one attraction more and I hope the Trader Joe’s store remains a big success.

Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com

                                                                                                                 Every summer when lawn chairs start to line Capitol Way Boulevard, that’s a sure indicator that Olympia’s Capital Lakefair is in progress. The fair has been an Olympia staple for over 50 years and is still an immensely popular event bringing the community together and bringing visitors to Olympia.

My favorite event is the Grand Parade down Capitol Boulevard. It is lead off by a military color guard and includes imaginative floats, marching bands, drill teams, horse riders, classic cars and more. There’s just something so typically American to a main street parade that makes me think of apply pie and Disney Land.

Some of the other events include boat races, a car show, kit car races, rides, games, amusements and food. This year’s Lakefair was blessed with exceptionally good weather and attendance.

The crowning and closing Lakefair event each year is the firework show over Capitol Lake

and every year my kids and I agree ”this year’s fireworks were the best ever”.

Inspired by an annual event in Brussels, Belgium, Mathias Eichler, owner of the hippest store in Olympia, and community organizer, put together an innovative, yet simple community event in downtown Olympia called: A Table for Olympia

It took place early evening on Friday the 10th of July on Washington Street. The street was closed to traffic and one block-long line of tables was lovingly set with white table linens and vases with fresh summer flowers. The residents of Olympia were invited to come to town to share a pot luck dinner together, and plenty of people followed the invitation. The weather couldn’t have been better. There was sunshine, live music and singing. Delicious Olympia artesian well water was served, people sampled each other’s food, sat together, ate together and got to know each other.

 I wouldn’t be surprised to see this type of event being copied in other cities nearby. I only hope it will become an annual tradition in Olympia. 

With a city as pretty as Olympia and with such stunning views, why are utility poles still tolerated?

No modern city has above ground power lines any more, and you won’t see them in new subdivisions. Why then does the Capitol City of the State of Washington still look like a throw-back to the fifties, or like a third world country town when it comes to the utility poles?

I understand that placing these lines underground is a costly affair, but what’s the alternative? Are we waiting until every home and business runs on alternative energy?

Not only would underground utility lines improve the look of Olympia’s street scape and help give  us unobstructed views, they would require less maintenance and fewer power outages in inclement weather.

Olympia is growing up and developing and should have the infrastructure to go with it.

How much nicer would this view be, if there were no utility lines ?

Have you come across the term “New Urbanism”? Not sure what it means? It refers to the new concept that is actually an old concept, of living in close proximity to the city. Communities used to naturally develop around a city core, but then extended into suburban sprawl. With land getting sparser, traffic getting denser and the cost of gas going higher, the idea of living in the city is gaining popularity again. The city offers amenities that are easily reached by public transportation or by foot, smaller yards with low maintenance, and close proximity to neighbors. Since lots in the city are small and priced at top dollar, “urbanism” almost always means smaller homes and multi level building. The advantages of this are lower energy costs and less home maintenance. Other positive side effects are re-energized town centers with a vibrant economy, because going to town for dinner is only a short trip by bus, versus a 20 minute drive from the suburbs, and it means not having to worry about parking. New urban housing doesn’t just have to mean town homes, condos and apartments.

These homes in Tumwater show what urban living can look like.
The “Overlook” homes come in several floor plan styles and are around 2000 sq. ft. They offer 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a 2-car garage. The yard requires next to no maintenance and is landscaped with drought resistant plants. The intelligent lay-out takes advantage of every nook and cranny and makes these homes seem much larger than they are. The ecological design includes a high degree of insulation, bamboo and linoleum flooring, locally produced cabinets, no VOC paint, high energy efficient appliances and much more. The best aspect of these homes is the rooftop deck that takes advantage of the fantastic views of Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, the Olympic Mountains and the capitol dome.

Views of Mt. Rainier

These views are unmatched anywhere in Thurston County. Shopping and dining are just a 5 minute car, or 10 minute bus ride away. South Puget Sound Community College is within walking distance, and access to I-5 and Hwy 101 is less than 5 minutes.

Tumwater is currently the only place where this type of housing exists in Thurston County. I would welcome seeing more innovative and urban design options for housing being developed in Olympia, where a multi faceted city center is just waiting for more inhabitants.

Olympia is a quirky town. You’ll encounter cars with expressive bumper stickers, unique houses and interesting public art.

In Olympia it’s okay to be expressive, unique and to stick out. Diversity is welcome and is encountered everywhere. That’s what makes Olympia so welcoming and interesting. One example is this car that I keep seeing in different places across town. I can’t help but smile whenever I come across it in a parking lot, or see it pass me on the street.

It literally screams “happy” and “fun”. I just wonder how it holds up in a car wash.

Signs are finally showing that Trader Joe’s is actually coming to Olympia. No, I have not heard a ship’s bell ringing yet, or seen a bunch of hip people in Hawaiian shirts, but I did recently notice the construction work under way.

The old “The Good Guys” store is being remodeled to make room for Olympia’s Trader Joe’s store on Black Lake Boulevard. It should open for business sometime in the third quarter of 2009.

The Trader Joe’s website has the Olympia store already listed:

With the boating supply store in the same building going out of business, it’s good to see new businesses filling the empty spaces. My suggestion for filling the boating store space is a Panera bakery. In my opinion, Panera Bread and Trader Joe’s go perfectly together.

The Spirit, the Imagination, the Joy

Every year since 1995, in correlation with Olympia’s Arts Walk and in commemoration of Earth Day, the Procession of the Species parade makes its way through downtown Olympia to delight the thousands of spectators and visitors who line the streets, hang from lamp posts and perch on windows. Although it rained throughout the morning, the sun came out just in time to highlight the parade, making the bright colorful costumes appear even more brilliant. Each year the parade seems to get better, and this year’s procession topped it all. I love the sheer excitement and delight on the faces of the children. This creative and inclusive event typifies Olympia for me.

All photos copyright of Sandy Nelson 2009

What do these structures have in common?

You’ll probably note the brick facade and the verdigris copper pyramid hip type roof. People from the greater Olympia area will quickly recognize that these structures all resemble the Old Brew House.

These buildings are all located in the small city of Tumwater, and if you drive around Tumwater and pay attention, you’ll discover many more buildings with the same style. They all pay homage to the original historic Tumwater landmark: The Old Brew House.

The Brew Houses is a five-story Italianate building, constructed from Chehalis brick and Tenino sandstone. The Old Brewhouse is the oldest industrial property in the South Puget Sound region. It was the home of the famous Olympia Brewing Company and is listed on the National Historic Register.

Since the Olympia Brewing Company closed its doors, the property has gone through several owners and is currently owned by Well B Ng LLC, All American Bottled Water Corporation.

The structure is in a sad state of disrepair and is unsafe for occupation.

I became enchanted with the building on my first visit to Olympia years before I moved here. It reminded me of the many dilapidated castles and villas one can find in Italy. Situated on the shores of where the Deschutes River flows into Capitol Lake, the iconic Brew House is visible to thousands of drivers on Interstate 5 every day.

The Brew House is a significant landmark and is on the list of “Washington State’s Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties”. 

I can visualize a dozen uses for a structure of this iconic stature. Its close proximity to the freeway, to the cities of Olympia and Tumwater, as well as its position on the lake abutting Tumwater Falls Park, could make this a top destination point for tourists and locals alike. It could be used as a convention center, a spa retreat, as hotel, an apartment building, or a mixed shopping and dining venue.

In the mean time the building is being infiltrated by curious explorers who are attracted by abandoned buildings and post their adventures on this site:

http://www.uer.ca/forum_showthread.asp?fid=3&threadid=43474

The cities of Tumwater and Olympia have a great opportunity and a special duty to preserve this historic gem. In return the restored Brew House would enrich the region with a unique attraction and an economic oportunity. With no preservation program and no plans for its future, the old building will decay and eventually disappear. The only thing left to remind us of its existence would be the buildings that echo its design.

Learn more about the Brew House here:

http://www.trpc.org/programs/historic+preservation/historic+properties/oldbrewhouse.htm

http://brewerygems.com/olympia.htm

http://www.oldbrewhouse.org/

Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, associate Broker, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com