Sequim Shopping

IS SEQUIM BECOMING THE SILVERDALE OF THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA?

Not too many years ago, folks wanting to do some serious shopping had to drive across the Hood Canal Bridge and down the Hood Canal to the town of Silverdale, but that's all changing as our small town of Sequim continues to grow. Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula seemed so far away from the big city life of Seattle, with its fantastic views of the Olympic Mountains and Straits of Juan de Fuca and some of the friendliest people in the state of Washington.

So what is changing you ask. Surely we still have the views and Sequim residents haven't gotten all of a sudden grumpy. No, what's changing is the growth of Sequim BIG BOXES, in addition to the already established Retail Stores of Costco, Home Depot, JC Penney's and Walmart. On the west end of town, new BIG BOXES are sprouting like mushrooms in the Olympic National Park.

By this summer, two new BOXES, 'Grocery Outlet' and 'Ross Dress for Less' should welcome shoppers from around the Peninsula for serious Sequim shopping, to buy less expensive clothing and household goods and discounts on food. I have also heard that out current Sequim Walmart will change into a SUPERSTORE!

Where and when will it stop? I sure don't know, but somewhere up there in corporate offices plans are being hatched for the next big Sequim shopping attraction. Will it be Trader Joe's? We would not mind!

Tags: Sequim Shopping, Big Boxes in Sequim

Goodwill Grand Opening in Sequim July 15

Goodwill selects July 15 opening date for new Store

Four-day grand opening sale will be community introduction

After we had shared with Sequim residents in April that Goodwill is coming to Sequim, Goodwill's PR manager asked SequimTownBlog again to publish the more information about this Sequim event. This is a press release and no advertising. As we expect this to be useful to Sequim residents and visitors, here is the entire info about the grand opening of Goodwill in Sequim.

"The new Goodwill store will open July 15 in Sequim, filling a former empty retail space with 32,000 square feet of great values and a convenient location for donations of gently used clothes and household items.

A store-opening ceremony will take place that Thursday at 8:45 a.m. at the store, 680 C W. Washington St. The event will include Sequim Mayor Ken Hays, Goodwill CEO Terry A. Hayes and others. After the short event, the store will open to the public at 9 a.m. with a grand opening sale through Sunday.

"We’ve always looked forward to opening a store in Sequim and we're very excited to see this take place," said Hayes, who as CEO of Tacoma Goodwill oversees a 15-county service area including Clallam County. "The store represents an opportunity for jobs in the community while donors and shoppers can support our job training and placement services for people with disabilities or disadvantages."

There are several events taking place during the opening weekend July 15-18, including:

- The opportunity for shoppers to win a DVD player, iPod and $50 gas cards during the event. Other, free giveaways will also be available at the store.

- Live radio broadcasts throughout the weekend, including: KMPS 94.1-FM featuring "Today’s Country: KONP, 1450 AM and 102.1 FM; and KSQM, 91.5-FM.

- Hot dogs and soda, for $2, will be available from Healthy Families of Clallam County. The organization combats child abuse and domestic violence.

"Goodwill is looking forward to a great relationship with the community over a long time," said Jane Taylor, Tacoma Goodwill Board of Directors president. "Besides jobs, it’s a convenient place to drop off gently used clothes and household items."

The store will be located in the former Rite Aid building, 680C W. Washington St., in the Safeway shopping center. Architects BCRA and Mountain Construction remodeled the store improvements, including expanded space for donations. Goodwill hired about 40 people, including donation attendants, cashiers and supervisors.

Tony Anderson will be the new store’s manager. Anderson has been with Goodwill since 2008, working in a variety of positions in Goodwill stores in Lacey and Olympia.

"I’ve always wanted to live up here on the Peninsula since I first visited," said Anderson. He said he hoped shoppers would feel welcome in the store, where families could find great values.

The store will be the second located in Clallam County and the 26th for the agency, headquartered in Tacoma. Other Goodwill stores in the region are located in Port Angeles, 603 S. Lincoln St., and Port Townsend, 602 Howard St. Store hours are Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Goodwill has already been providing job training and placement services for Sequim-area residents through a program giving older workers experience to get back into the workforce. For a list of donation or store locations or to find out more about Goodwill programs and services, go online to www.tacomagoodwill.org"

Tags: Goodwill store opens in Sequim, Sequim shopping

Goodwill coming to Sequim

Sequim residents and visitors, especially those who are seriously interested in moving to Sequim, paid close attention to the introduction of builders impact fees for new homes in Sequim. The future will tell how this decision will affect the number of application for building permits. Our opinion: If somebody wants to move to Sequim, then he will do so, with or w/o impact fees.

A few days ago, Sequim Town Blog received the following interesting press release about a new store opening in Sequim soon. We decided to publish the complete press release, as it is of interest for our residents and Sequim visitors alike. Press release by Goodwill:

Goodwill coming to Sequim - New Store will provide jobs, donation site and great value!

SEQUIM – A new Goodwill store will open this July in Sequim, providing local jobs, a donation site for gently used clothes and household items, and great values for families to stretch their dollar in tough economic times.

The store will be located in the former Rite Aid building, 680C W. Washington St., at the corner of West Washington Street and North Fifth Avenue. Signs announcing the arrival of Goodwill at the site should up this week with Mountain Construction providing store improvements. To staff the 32,000-square-foot store, the agency is hiring about 30 people, including donation attendants, cashiers, supervisors and a store manager, with forms available at www.tacomagoodwill.org.

"Goodwill provides the community with a variety of services and our stores are long-term investments," said Jane Taylor, president of Goodwill’s Board of Directors and an agency volunteer. "In these tough economic times, Goodwill can help families and be a place for people to get that first job or second chance."

The store will be the second located in Clallam County and the 26th for the agency, headquartered in Tacoma. Other Goodwill stores are located in Port Angeles, 603 S. Lincoln St., and Port Townsend, 602 Howard St. Goodwill has already been providing job training and placement services for area residents through a program giving older workers experience to get back into the workforce.

Tags: New store in Sequim, Sequim shopping

Best Shopping in Sequim

This post is long overdue. It's about best shopping in Sequim when on vacation. However, before we get into shopping details, let's make sure that all of our Sequim town blog visitors read about the Hood Canal Bridge being closed entire May and half of June 2009, a time when we normally welcome visitors back to the Olympic Peninsula. Read our Driving to Sequim post before thinking about shopping in Sequim.

When visitors come to Sequim and stay at a fully equipped vacation rental with kitchen they want to know where is the best shopping, for bargains and for quality food. Let's first list what food places are available for shopping in Sequim:

Safeway Store - We love their Meat loaf Fridays $5

QFC Quality Food Center - Fresh Alaskan Sockeye Salmon is our favorite.

Costco Sequim - Best price for buying bananas in Sequim.

WalMart - has a food section but not the complete produce list

All these Sequim markets and stores are in town along Washington St., just a short drive from our house. Not like in Hawaii where we had to drive an hour to Costco for our favorite things to buy. We love all the shops being so close and easy to reach. With QFC in walking distance, we even combine a walk through Carrie Blake Park with shopping at QFC.

Here is what we do. At least, once a week we get our shopping done at Costco like organic flax seed bread, fish, meat, beer and whatever else we were running out and usually buy at great discount prices at Sequim Costco. No question, top quality food can be purchased at Safeway or QFC but you also pay accordingly for top quality. So, we mostly check the specials and coupons of the week at those places - and share those with our monthly vacation rental guests as well - for special buys. WalMart we only buy a few produce but we like their garden section for all our gardening needs.

We feel the best shopping in Sequim for fruits and veggies is available at 'Sunny Farms'. You will have to drive about 2 miles out of town on Hwy 101 in the direction of Port Angeles. But let me tell you great prices and wide selection for fruits and veggies make that drive all worthwhile. I read in the newspaper that Sunny Farms started as a simple roadside stand in 1970.


The business has grown to include a farm store and a supplements store. The owners definitely listen to their Sequim community customers' needs and wants and try to find a way to get it at affordable prices. Sequim residents and tourists love shopping at Sunny Farms.

Tags: Sequim shops, Shopping in Sequim