The former Allen’s Furniture space, at 131 Front St. N., will be the new home for a bicycle shop and restaurant. By Warren Kagarise

The former Allen’s Furniture store — a vacant space in downtown Issaquah — will be remodeled and reopened as a bicycle shop and a restaurant.

City Senior Planner Jerry Lind said the 7,795-square-foot former furniture store would be repurposed. Crews will add restrooms and a dividing wall to separate the bicycle shop from the restaurant. The developer will be required to adhere to Olde Towne design standards in order to blend with the quaint downtown surroundings. Lind said the revamp would be accomplished with “more of a light touch.”

The plate-glass windows will go, and workers will add windows with smaller panes, Lind said. City planners received the site development permit request in mid-October. The building, at 131 Front St. N., was built in the 1950s and needed updates, Lind said.Bicycle Center of Issaquah will move into half of the old Allen’s Furniture space. Lind said the move for the bicycle center would occur because the store needs more space. The proposed restaurant next door will likely serve Italian cuisine.

DownTown Issaquah Association Executive Director Greg Spranger said he welcomed the addition of a new building to Front Street. The building occupied by Bicycle Center of Issaquah, at 111 Front St. N., is “a great old building,” Spranger said. He said the building would make a fitting space for a gallery.

Spranger said he hoped the businesses would be ready by the time the next ArtWalk returned in May.

“Having a new restaurant downtown, that’s always a plus,” Spranger said.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

The Gilman Antique Gallery, under new ownership, is changing its name to Gilman Antique and Design Gallery.

Assuming ownership are John Ovenell, a longtime antique dealer of other antique malls in the Puget Sound area, and Darlene Cohen, a dealer of fine Asian art and antiques. The new name reflects their emphasis on both fine antiques and collectibles, as well as quality art and interior design.

The facility is undergoing a major remodel in its look and space enhancement. Dealers will represent a broad variety of American, Asian and European antiques and art.

The gallery at 625 N.W. Gilman Blvd. is open from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily.

Goddard School now enrolling

The Goddard School in Issaquah has received its certificate of occupancy and is now enrolling children in anticipation of its opening this week.

The new state-of-the-art 9,800-square-foot building, at 5716 E. Lake Sammamish Parkway S.E., has been designed to accommodate about 150 children from 6 weeks to 6 years old. The new school will offer flexible year-round schedules, including a summer program, for children from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Each classroom is arranged in learning centers of math, music, creative art, blocks and puzzles, science and computers. The new school also has two playgrounds.

Curves raises $1,793 to fight cancer

During November, Curves of Issaquah participated in breast cancer awareness fundraising to benefit the American Cancer Society and breast cancer awareness.

Staff and members collected $1,793 with a recipe contest, silent auction and raffle at its second annual Girls Get Together fundraiser.

Rowley Properties receives state business honor

Secretary Sam Reed honored Rowley Properties last week for the company’s commitment to giving. The company received honorable mention for the Corporations for Communities Award, a recognition program within the Secretary of State’s Corporations & Charities Division.

Rowley Properties, along with other honorable mention recipients, received certificates from Reed during a Nov. 4 ceremony.

Citizens were able to nominate any Washington business demonstrating a commitment to giving and a drive to improve local or regional social conditions.

Rowley Properties, based in Issaquah, is a family-owned and operated property management and development firm that purchases, develops, leases, and manages property throughout Western Washington.

Issaquah sales rep earns honor

Lia sophia recently announced top honors for its Excellent Beginnings Program Achievers for their outstanding sales accomplishments and professionalism in the fashion jewelry business. Nicole Fitzgerald, of Issaquah, has earned this honor in her first 15 weeks by attaining certain sales levels and by sharing lia sophia with other new advisors.

“This immediate success is a result of Nicole’s hard work and dedication,” said Bonni Davis, vice president. “Lia sophia is fortunate to have her as part of our team.”

Lia sophia provides ongoing opportunities for recognition including monthly, quarterly and annual awards.

Issaquah firm makes scientific breakthrough in growing roses

Issaquah company Rose-Buddy Industries Inc. has discovered how to grow roses and other plants by stimulating photosynthesis.

That means the plant feeds itself with sunlight, using no chemicals or toxins. Rose-Buddy is the first company that has a product that can make this claim.

Rose-Buddy tested at Molbak’s Nursery in Woodinville and confirmed the good health of the test plants was due to increased photosynthesis. Learn more at www.Rose-Buddy.com.

HydroPeptide wins national beauty award

Issaquah-based company HydroPeptide’s product Polish and Plump Peel has been named the winner of Fitness Magazine’s 2009 Beauty Award for “best skin refresher.”

Fitness Magazine’s awards are highly selective. First, a panel of experts helped narrow 1,100 nominations to 129 finalists. Those products were then shipped to reader testers. For weeks, testers used the products to find 42 standouts.

Based upon consumer evaluations after just one use, 100 percent of participants said the Polish and Plump Peel left their skin smooth, 93 percent said it left their skin polished and refined, and 91 percent said their skin looked healthy and vibrant.

This award comes after the firm’s famous ale was awarded a Goal Medal at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival.

Evergreen Ford wins President’s Award

This summer, Issaquah’s Evergreen Ford received the President’s Award from Ford Motor Co., for outstanding customer relations, marketplace representation and superior customer service.

Shirey Contracting owner named Remodeling Advocate of the Year

Donna Shirey, owner of Shirey Contracting Inc., was named the remodeling advocate of the year by the National Association of Home Builders.

The award honors individuals who promote green initiatives, and advance sustainability in building and development strategies in their community.

Tutta Bella wins Hot Concept Award

Tutta Bella, serving authentic Neapolitan pizza in four locations, including its new Issaquah location, was awarded with the Hot Concept Award by the Nation’s Restaurant News publication.

The award recognizes the entrepreneurial spirit of the foodservice industry and honors Tutta Bella for its innovation and high quality products and service.

Rowley Properties Inc. recognized for recycling and community giving

King County’s Solid Waste Division has named Rowley Properties Inc. to the third-annual Best Workplaces for Recycling & Waste Reduction.

The firm is being recognized for strong internal recycling programs and for its commitment to waste reduction.

Secretary of State Sam Reed has announced that Rowley Properties Inc. is receiving the 2009 Corporations for Communities Honorable Mention, honoring the company for its extraordinary community involvement efforts.

Current installed hydropower capacity is 100,000 megawatts and will see 60,000 megawatts of capacity added by 2025. This amount is enough to serve 17 million households — the equivalent of every home in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Much of this added capacity can come from existing dams where no powerhouse currently exists.

In addition to providing clean, affordable water-powered energy, hydropower also leverages other renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind by providing large-scale energy storage.

The full study is available at www.hydro.org.

Prior to purchasing The UPS Store, Graham was in the hotel and restaurant business, most recently with Starbucks, and brings his passion for customer service to his new business.

He is a lifelong Washingtonian and has been an Issaquah Plateau resident for the past 15 years. He has two daughters who will be assisting him with his new venture.

The store is open from 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. Monday – Friday and 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday.

Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria will open its Issaquah restaurant June 15. The pizzeria will be the Seattle-based chain’s first expansion to the Eastside.

The restaurant, at 715 N.W. Gilman Blvd., will open for dinner June 15. Lunch service will begin June 22. Hours will be 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 

The 6,000-square-foot restaurant will seat 210 with 40 seats on the outdoor terrace. Tutta Bella occupies a space last filled by Chili’s Grill & Bar.

Pizzas will be baked in two five-foot round marble-clad wood-burning ovens under the supervision of chef Anthony Ferrara. A local priest will bless the ovens June 13.

The ovens will be named Maria and Carolina, after the owner’s mother and Italian grandmother, respectively. Washington apple wood will fuel the ovens and generate an average cooking temperature of 850 degrees.  

The menu will also feature calzones, antipasti, salads, house-made desserts and gelato.

Test drive new car  to support Booster Club 

The Booster Club at Issaquah High has teamed up with Michael’s Chevrolet of Issaquah to allow drivers over age 18 to test drive a new Chevrolet at the dealership, 1601 18th Ave. N.W., from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. June 13. 

For every driver, Michael’s will donate $20 to the school’s booster club.

Drivers must have a valid license and proof of insurance.

Zeeks Pizza opening June 16

Zeeks Pizza will open in the Issaquah Highlands June 16, the second Eastside location for the Seattle-based chain and the first Zeeks to feature a full bar. 

The Highlands restaurant will open at the intersection of 25th Avenue Northeast and Park Drive Northeast.

Owner Mark Mullet said he plans to hire about 30-40 employees. Zeeks will have seating for 100 patrons and include an outdoor patio.

Mullet said he was inspired to open a Zeeks after visiting the Belltown restaurant with his family. He said the neighborhood feel and mix of customers reminded him of the years he worked in the London financial district, where local pubs serve as gathering places for families and friends.

Zeeks is known for toppings-laden pizzas such as the Tree Hugger (sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, broccoli, Roma tomatoes, garlic and olives) and the Texas Leaguer (olive oil glaze, barbecue sauce, mozzarella, chicken, red onion and fresh cilantro).

Chipotle dishes up Northwest produce

The next time diners sink their teeth into the massive burritos at Chipotle Mexican Grill, chances are they’ll be eating produce grown in the Northwest. 

The Issaquah restaurant, 775 N.W. Gilman Blvd., and eight other Seattle-area branches will receive green bell peppers and jalapenos from Fewel Farms in Prosser, oregano from Herbco in Duvall and red onions from River Point Farms in Oregon.

Chipotle also plans to serve hot burritos to farmers during a farmer appreciation day at area farmers markets, including the Issaquah Farmers Market. After each farmer appreciation day, Chipotle will host a fundraiser at the local restaurant to give back to the farmers market.

In 2008, the restaurant chain committed to buying at least 25 percent of at least one ingredient from small to midsize farms within 200 miles of each restaurant. Chipotle increased the percentage to 35 percent this year.

Talus building is finished

Talus Village Center, Building 4, an eight-unit single-family attached building, has received its final certificate of occupancy.

The building is at 2211 Talus Drive, and was constructed at a cost of $1.5 million.

WaMu banks become Chase

The tenant improvement at the former Washington Mutual Bank, 6100 E. Lake Sammamish Parkway (inside Fred Meyer), has been completed, and the bank is now rebranded as Chase Bank. 

The WaMu bank at 1195 N.W. Gilman Blvd. has completed its signage change and is also now a Chase Bank. 

Kumon opens in highlands

Kumon Math and Reading Center has opened its doors in the Issaquah Highlands at 1036 N.E. Park Drive, directly across from the new pond and walking area.

Kumon, an after-school math and reading program for children ages 3 to 18, works with families from the Highlands and Klahanie communities, as well as greater Issaquah, Bellevue and Sammamish.

Kumon of Issaquah, recently awarded Gold Elite status for student academic performance, opened its first Eastside location in 2004. Kumon was founded in Japan in 1958.

Dr. J. Michael Schweitzer was honored by the Washington State Chiropractic Association with a Distinguished Service Award. at the association’s Spring Conference on April 25.

The 1,000-member association represents the chiropractic profession in Washington state. Schweitzer served as president of the association in 2007 and as District 8 representative for several years.

Schweitzer operates Precision Chiropractic, in Sammamish and Maple Valley. He is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, and has been in practice for 12 years. 

He is very active in his community and is a 2006 Sammi Award recipient. 

Schweitzer has worked with Hopelink’s toiletry drives and a wheelchair program for children in Peru. He has served on three missions to Panama and the Dominican Republic, providing chiropractic care for those who would otherwise have no access.

A native of Woodinville, he lives in Maple Valley.

Chamber hosts ribbon cuttings

The Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce planned two ribbon-cutting ceremonies this month to welcome two new businesses to chamber membership. 

The first was May 12 for Massage Envy, 735 N.W. Gilman Blvd. 

The second the public can still attend is at noon May 29 for Yoga Barn, 660 N.W. Gilman Blvd., Suite C6. For more information, call 392-7024 or e-mail tbarry@issaquahchamber.com.

Overlake Hospital Medical Center has been honored as one of the recipients of the 2009 HealthGrades® Patient Safety Excellence Award™. The top five percent of all hospitals in the U.S., 242 hospitals, were recognized with this award in a report issued by the leading independent healthcare ratings organization.

“It’s kind of like getting an Oscar in our industry,” said Craig Hendrickson, president and CEO of Overlake Hospital Medical Center. “HealthGrades looks at 40 to 50 million hospital records and compares safety standards, processes and outcomes at 5,000 U.S. hospitals. We’re listed as among the best for overall patient safety.”

Autoworks of Issaquah    named top shop

AAA recently recognized Autoworks of Issaquah as a AAA Top Shop. 

Before being eligible for a Top Shop Award, Autoworks of Issaquah met the precise standards needed to be part of the AAA Approved Auto Repair network. For customers, AAA approval signifies guaranteed, quality service from an auto repair facility that upholds strict requirements and offers a full range of services. 

Each year, AAA Washington evaluates the quality of repair work, courtesy of employees, and the shop cleanliness of each AAA Approved Auto Repair facility in Washington and northern Idaho. Measured by customer satisfaction surveys and feedback, the “best of the best” earn a AAA Top Shop Award. 

The facilities that earn this honor typically have received customer satisfaction rates close to 100 percent during the past calendar year.  

New storage facility opens     in Issaquah

Urban Self Storage Inc. is putting the final touches on Issaquah Newport Way Self Storage, a 3-story building located at 795 N.W. Juniper St. 

The company plans to open for regular business within the next 30 days. It will offer storage spaces from five-by-five feet up to 15 by 20 feet.

For more information, go to www.urbanstorage.com.

RE/MAX Integrity expands personnel

In April, RE/MAX Integrity welcomed the following real estate professionals to its Issaquah office: Nona Adams, Susie Allsup, Tara Andersson, Albert Baeza, Shauna Barnes, Rick Branchflower, Rae Anne Catron, Dorey Gibbs, Kevin Isaminger, Gina Lincoln, Geoff Mayo, Janice McNeal, Jeff Mohn, Adele Piro, Cami Price-Baker, Eric Skoglund, Amie Sprague, David Sprague and Anna Whitfield.

Danielle Lyon Carson was brought on as director of operations and Marti Chapman was named director of finance.

Eastside Baby Corner    receives award

Eastside Baby Corner received the 2009 Bellevue Chamber of Commerce Non-Profit/Community Impact award at the 20th annual Eastside Business Awards luncheon April 29 at the Meyenbauer Center. 

Eastside Baby Corner, based in Issaquah, provides immediate assistance to children by supplying essential goods for children, ages birth to 12, through a network of family-assistance providers. The organization fills an average of 700 orders each week.

Karen Ridlon, founder and executive director, accepted the award for EBC’s commitment to making the Eastside a better place to live through its service to the children of the community.

Swedish partners              with Polyclinic

Swedish Medical Center recently signed a contract with The Polyclinic to partner with the multispecialty clinic in its implementation of Epic, the same electronic health record system that Swedish uses at its four campuses (First Hill, Cherry Hill, Ballard and Issaquah) and roughly 40 specialty and primary care clinics.

Once Epic is available to The Polyclinic’s physicians, who are all on the Swedish medical staff, it will provide them real-time access to a patient’s medical history, eliminating the need to physically transfer medical records from one facility to another.

JEKM Enterprises Inc. 

(dba Tuckerbags)

Online retailer

1125 12th Ave. N.W., Suite 35

369-9809

Faith in Action

Nonprofit supporting seniors

1121 229th Ave. S.E.

www.faithinaction4seniors.org

Remmy’s Catering

Catering service

212 Front St. N.

392-5041

Naturo Medica

Naturopathic healthcare

2830 228th Ave. S.E., Suite C

557-8900

Issaquah Networkers 

Business networking service

P.O. Box 3361, Redmond 

417-7334 

Cascade Water Alliance 

Nonprofit

11400 S.E. Eighth St., Bellevue 

453-0930 

Shanna L. Tomko, CPA 

Accountants, CPAs, bookkeepers, tax preparation

1186 N.E. Park Drive 

681-6416 

State Rep. Marcie Maxwell      41st District 

P.O. Box 2048, Renton 

466-8000 

Havens Administrative  Services Inc. 

Administrative services 

7199 Terrace Ave. S.E., Othello 

509-346-9269 

Gilman Medical LLC 

Healthcare staffing

270 Dorado Dr. N.W. 

392-8075

Berkeley Smith, an eight-year veteran employee of AtWork!, stands next to a mountain of recycled cardboard while throwing pieces onto a conveyor belt to a compactor, which compresses the pieces into 1800-pound bales. By Greg Farrar

 With market prices for recyclable goods dropping along with everything else, local recycling centers have struggled to maintain the status quo.

Hardest hit has been AtWork!, which saw its revenue drop by about 75 percent in the first quarter of the fiscal year.

Still, both AtWork! and Waste Management are accepting all recyclable goods, though AtWork! is holding onto shredded office paper until the markets improve and it becomes profitable to sell it.

Waste Management, which handles the recycling for all of the city of Issaquah except for South Cove/Greenwood Point, has seen the cost of recycling inch close to the cost of disposing garbage and waste, but that hasn’t and shouldn’t affect its recycling practices in the future, Community Education Director Rita Smith said.

Formed in 1998, AtWork! employs people with disabilities for work in three commercial enterprises: landscaping, packaging and assembly, and recycling. The AtWork! Recycle Center in Issaquah provides free recycling and pays for turned-in aluminum. 

The recycling center employs 16 people with disabilities. Normally, their combined wages are $4,000 to $5,000, but in December, with $903 in sales, their combined wages were $1,100.

“This is a big reduction in pay and very hard on the people with developmental disabilities who work in recycling,” said Christine Brandt, chief executive officer of AtWork!. “They get paid when there’s work to do, but there hasn’t been as much work to do.”

Brandt said the reason for the sharp drop in revenue is not due to a decrease in how much recycled goods they receive, which remained constant or increased during the first quarter of the fiscal year, but solely due to the crash in market prices.

Smith said officials at Waste Management are concerned about the prices for recycling, but they have still managed to find markets for their commodities.

“We experienced a honeymoon the last several years with exceptionally high markets,” she said. “That’s just what the market does, though. It goes up and down.”

What may help offset the loss in revenue for AtWork! is the inclusion of electronic recyclables to its list of accepted items. 

Beginning this month, AtWork! became the local drop-off location for the state’s Covered Electronic Products Program, which pays companies like AtWork! for recycling electronic goods.

Brandt said she expects the company to make $18,000 on electronics this fiscal year, which ends in September.

“This came at the perfect time,” she said. “It’s one of our goals to expand in the future, so we’re really trying to stay strong through this.”

Ultimately, the goal of recycling is to keep the commodities out of the landfills, and that is still happening, Smith said.

“Recycling, in the long term, still makes a lot of economic sense,” she said. “People shouldn’t assume that material has no value when it has little value.”

Reach intern Jeff Richards at 392-6434, ext. 236, or isspress@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.issaquahpress.com.