Story and photos by Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Alki Lumber will make its final sale in West Seattle sometime this Friday afternoon, after more than 100 years as the peninsula’s only full-service lumber yard. Preparation for the move to their new building in South Park has been under way since last month, but they’ve been open for business at 4422 36th Ave SW even as the shelves continue to empty. They will reopen as Alki Marine Lumber on Monday morning at 558 S. Kenyon Street.
(Alki Lumber’s retail area has little left on its shelves in West Seattle)
“It’s an odd mix between sad and exciting,” says Korey Love, Alki Marine Lumber president. Love has worked for Alki Lumber for 18 years, and says the goal at the new location is to keep things as they have always been—just in a new place. “We’re going to do our best to not change anything: Same service. Same product.”
Love says the new location has 2,500 sf of office and retail, a 17,500 sf warehouse and the lumber yard, for a total of 2 acres. In comparison, the West Seattle location, essentially the same size at 1.98 acres, is made up of multiple buildings and lumber storage yards with a street in between them following the angles of the triangle area. That means the size of the new location will be familiar, just consolidated and more efficient.
(Charlie moves fixtures bound for South Park using a forklift)
There’s a lot of history here, most of it far beyond even the longest employees’ memories. That’s what happens with a business founded in 1921. Charlie, who was hired for his first job at Alki in 1980, points out the building just east of Alki’s retail entrance that looks like a house. He says it was moved from across the street to its current location many years back. Alki Lumber’s website identifies that as the building it operated out of on 36th and Avalon after leaving its first location on Harbor Avenue. It was subsequently moved to its current location in 1957. Just as Alki Lumber moved again and again in its early years, Charlie sees Alki Lumber’s move to South Park as part of the inevitable change that happens with growth. “The city wants progress. The city doesn’t want a lumber yard. It’s a key development area — the writing was on the wall.”
After owning it for 110 years, the Sweeney family sold Alki Lumber to Marine Lumber in late 2021. “The plan was always to merge the two into one location,” says Love. That plan was spurred along by the Sweeney family’s plan to develop the West Seattle acreage into hundreds of apartment units called the Sweeney Blocks. Despite Alki vacating the property this year, there is not yet a projected date for demolition or groundbreaking for the development, family spokesperson Lynn Sweeney told WSB last month. Alki’s new building is right next to Marine Lumber’s longtime location with an address on S. Chicago Street. Marine Lumber’s operations will stay where they are, but the office staff will join Alki’s in the new building. “Come Monday, everyone will be under one roof.”
(Alki Marine Lumber President Kory Love at the West Seattle sales desk)
As Love took a phone order today, framed photos of 3 generations of Sweeneys still hang above the counter, along with vintage tools on the nearby wall. Some of it will go to the new location, and some will become keepsakes. Practical fixtures, like the drawer system for specialty nuts, bolts and other hardware is being wrapped up on pallets, ready to move to the new space. Other things won’t be making the trip. “We purged some of the inventory we’ve had for 20 years and haven’t moved,” Love said, smiling. Jerry, who’s worked at the store since 1999, quipped, “We’ll have a clean store this time.”
(Blue-wrapped fixtures ready to be moved to South Park location with Alki’s original building from 36th & Avalon in the background)
Moving all of the inventory will be a monumental effort, and Love says some of their vendors are offering up their own delivery trucks to help make it happen. He’s aiming for the middle of April to have it all cleared out. While Alki Lumber has a lot of loyal West Seattle customers, they only make up about 30% of sales, so they will actually be closer to the majority of their customers and to their own employees’ homes in the new location. Love says he hopes West Seattleites will find the trek down the hill worth it. “We’re bringing the coffee pot and we’ll still have doughnut Wednesdays,” and he says if the 10-minute drive is too much, “We deliver.” A grand-opening celebration will be planned for late spring.
Meantime, the West Seattle location was not noticeably less busy two days before it is permanently closed. Love says the new space will be an improvement for operations, but the old location won’t be forgotten. “This has 70 years of dirt and dust and all the other good stuff.”