From the Chamber of Commerce: In 1957, fisherman Tom Savidge and his wife Marie built a backyard smokehouse and began selling smoked wild salmon to local taverns here in Anacortes. With that Specialty Seafoods was born (later renamed SeaBear after a Native American legend).
Business
City coffers are taking a hit due to lower sales tax revenue this year, particularly in the second half of the year. But, Mayor Dean Maxwell says he’s confident the city can weather the storm.
The first phase of San Juan Passage, a new housing development that will eventually grow to 100 units, has won the City Council’s approval.
Food Pavilion got a new name this week: The Market at Anacortes. It's part of an effort by owner Brown & Cole Stores to spruce up the supermarket.
Flounder Bay Cafe, Skyline's only restaurant, has closed it’s doors to regular dining, leaving only one other restaurant open on the West end of the island. Rumors of the impending closure had been circulating for a couple of months.
Homes continue to sell in Anacortes. The number of homes sold edged up in September over a year ago. Prices were also up, but homes took twice as long, on average, to sell.
The Business, an Anacortes fixture at 1717 Commercial Ave. for 30 years, has moved downtown, into the former home of the Red Snapper.
The Washington State Liquor Control Board has selected the Anacortes Food Pavilion to participate in a yearlong pilot program that allows on-premise wine and beer tastings, starting October 1, in a limited number of stores.
Anacortes’ European-style bakery, La Vie en Rose, will shut down at the end of next week after 16 years in business. The culprit: rising prices of natural gas, fuel, wages and ingredients.