Nordstrom Rack opens, restaurant receives award, local baker to appear on Food Network

Thurston County’s first Nordstrom Rack opened Thursday morning to a line of shoppers waiting outside.

The 32,000-square-foot store at 1200 Cooper Point Road SW that employs 64 people opened at 9 a.m., but shopper Michelle Schiller of McCleary arrived two hours earlier, making her the first person in line.

“I’m a Nordstrom shopper and it’s close,” said Schiller about the Olympia location. She used to drive to either Westfield Southcenter mall in Tukwila or the Tacoma Mall every other month to do her Nordstrom shopping.

Schiller said she’s loyal to Nordstrom for its quality and customer service and that both are “just as good” at the Rack, the off-price division of Nordstrom.

Adrienne Puccio of Lacey also was there early Thursday. She regularly drives to Tacoma or to Nordstrom’s flagship store in downtown Seattle.

She praised the variety of brands at the Rack and said the store works hard to keep things fresh. Puccio said it’s no longer the days of Nordstrom featuring a stuffy piano player inside its stores.

“It’s definitely a store for everyone and I dig that,” she said.

Before Thursday’s opening, Nordstrom held a special event at the store Tuesday afternoon, inviting 10 “littles” of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Washington to do some back-to-school shopping, Nordstrom spokeswoman Meliz Andrioglu said. Each got a $400 gift card, she said.

Bryanna Selders of Olympia, who recently relocated from Anchorage, Alaska, was there with her daughter to take part in the event.

What does the Rack mean to her?

“It has nice things that Nordstrom has, but cheaper and different,” she said. “But it’s still Nordstrom quality and Nordstrom clothes. We like it.”

So why did Nordstrom Rack finally come to Olympia? One reason is that after the business opened a Rack in Tacoma, they began to hear from Olympia shoppers who wanted them to come further south, spokeswoman Andrioglu said.

Other business happenings

Chicory Restaurant in downtown Olympia has been awarded a Snail of Approval from the Slow Food Greater Olympia chapter, the chapter announced.

What does it mean to receive the Snail of Approval?

“The Snail of Approval recognizes food and beverage establishments that pursue and practice slow food values,” a news release reads. “It’s about more than making good food, though awardees such as Chicory certainly deliver on flavor. It’s about committing to the environment, local communities, employees and purveyors, and our core values of anti-racism and anti-oppression.”

The Slow Food Greater Olympia chapter is part of a larger organization called Slow Food USA.

Phoebe Martinson, who runs two cafes, including Phoebe’s Pastry Cafe on Division Street in west Olympia, is about to be a TV star, according to the Food Network.

Martinson is among a dozen bakers who will appear on Season 9 of the Halloween Baking Championship. The season premieres Monday, Sept. 11, on the Food Network.

“Phoebe is the owner and chef of two pastry cafes and a long-time veteran of spooky dessert making,” a Food Network description of her reads. “After a recent health journey, she’s excited to take on the competition with a fresh perspective — and an abundance of scary sweets.”

New developments

The city of Tumwater has announced two new land-use applications it has received.

One is for The Rookery, which would be a mixed-use building, including two offices and six apartments, at 6504 Capitol Blvd. SE, near Eagan’s Drive-In, according to city information.

The 14-day comment period on the proposal ends at 5 p.m. Sept. 21. Send your comments to Alex Baruch at abaruch@ci.tumwater.wa.us.

The city also has received a land-use application to convert existing manufacturing warehouses into marijuana processing facilities at 9630 Blomberg St. SW, south of 93rd Avenue.

The applicant is Blomberg LLC of Tukwila.

Comments on this project must be received by 5 p.m. Sept. 18. Send them to Tami Merriman at tmerriman@ci.tumwater.wa.us.

If you know of a retailer, restaurant, coffee shop or other business that is opening, closing, expanding, remodeling, or changing its focus, send an email to reporter Rolf Boone at rboone@theolympian.com.