New wine bar coming to Tumwater, eat a pretzel in south county and a daycare changes hands
The Nocturnal Hound Wine Bar & Bottle Shop is set to open in Tumwater in early February, said owner and first-time business operator Stephanie Brown.
For those who follow the local wine scene, the Nocturnal Hound address at 324 Custer Way might sound familiar. That’s because the site used to house wine business Uncork and Unwind, which closed in September after 13 years of business.
Nocturnal Hound’s invitation-only soft opening is planned for Feb. 1-2 with a grand opening for the general public set for Feb. 3, Brown said.
Why is Brown opening her first business? Because she loves Washington state wines and wants to bring them greater recognition.
“I want to bring Washington wine to them,” she said about her customers, adding that it’s not easy to drive to Woodinville or Walla Walla, two areas of the state known for wineries.
She also plans to offer wines from Italy, South America and France, so that consumers can compare and contrast those wines with what “our winemakers are doing compared to the rest of the world,” Brown said.
Brown also plans to sell local beer, mead, cider and non-alcoholic options, plus have a limited menu of panini sandwiches, salads and items that people can share, such as charcuterie boards, typically a sampling of meats and cheeses.
“I want to do something I truly enjoy,” Brown said about her business.
Nocturnal Hound’s hours will be 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays, when Brown plans to highlight a smaller winery or wine from the retail section of her business.
Other business happenings
Great Beginnings Child Development and Day Care Center, which got its start 45 years ago in west Olympia at 703 Rogers St. NW, has been sold, former co-owner Pat Sarmento announced.
The building and business were sold to Polly Ceccanti, owner of Sandbox Playschool, which has been a home-based daycare in the same neighborhood. Ceccanti will now operate Great Beginnings under the Sandbox Playschool name, according to Sarmento.
Originally a teacher from Hawaii, Sarmento and her business partner first moved to Pittsburgh in the late 1970s. Not quite to their liking, they learned there was a need for childcare in Washington state and moved to Olympia, sight unseen.
They found the building on Rogers Street, formerly the Grace Bible Church, and turned it into a daycare.
“It was our dream to open a quality Child Development Center for the community,” Sarmento said in an email. “Our dream was fulfilled. After 45 years, a new owner has bought the business and building and is trying to live her dream.”
In south Thurston County, Pretzelmaker, known for its soft pretzel bites and breakfast sandwiches on pretzel rolls, has opened a location at Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound. It also serves all-natural lemonade, smoothies and specialty coffees, the business announced.
The business was founded in 1991.
“Pretzelmaker will bring a new snack element to the current dining options at Grand Mound, which we see being well received as families take in the exciting twists and turns that Great Wolf offers with their water slides,” President Allison Lauenstein said in a statement.
Great Wolf Lodge’s other dining options are Buckets, Hungry as a Wolf, The Watering Hole, Freshwoods Market, Lodge Wood Fired Grill, Bear Paw and Starbucks, according to the Great Wolf website.
Great Wolf Lodge offers day passes to its indoor water park, the website shows.
Van Dorm Realty — which for more than 40 years was located on Olympia’s west side, including 25 years in a shopping center near Cooper Point Road at Black Lake Boulevard — has moved downtown.
Managing broker Steve Pust said the new site at Percival Plaza, 606 Columbia St. NW, Suite 106, provides just 2,500 square feet of space, down from more than 6,000 square feet at its previous office.
Pust said the business has evolved and now is largely brokers working from home and online. “It’s a mobile world,” he said.
Still, 92 brokers work for Van Dorm, Pust said.
Real estate
The city of Tumwater has issued a mitigated determination of non-significance (MDNS) for a 445-unit Liberty Leasing Self-Storage building at Old Highway 99 and 84th Avenue Southeast.
The decision means an environmental impact statement is not required, but the business will have to make some transportation improvements.
“Additionally, the city will continue to evaluate the transportation network and make any changes necessary to promote safe traffic patterns,” city officials say.
The MDNS can be appealed to the city of Tumwater Community Development Department no later than 5 p.m. Feb. 2. All appeals must be in writing, signed by the appellant, accompanied by a filing fee of $175, and set forth the specific basis for the appeal, error alleged and relief requested, according to the city.
People news
Vanessa Dolbee is the city of Lacey’s new director of community and economic development, the city announced.
Her first day on the job will be Jan. 29. Dolbee replaces Rick Walk, who was named Lacey city manager in 2023.
Dolbee has been working in the Community and Economic Development Department for the city of Renton since 2008.
Over that period, she was a planning manager, planning director and most recently served as Renton’s interim community and economic development administrator.
“Vanessa possesses the knowledge, skills, and experience to be successful in this role,” Walk said in a statement.
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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.
