NPB Advertiser Archery Bistro (located at the Normandy Park Towne Center), would like our Readers to know about their latest food specials and events.

Here’s a letter from Chef Brandon about this week’s offering:

Hello!!! Chef Brandon here! This will be my last blog of the summer. I can’t believe September is almost here! Fortunately, September means that football season has arrived! Archery Bistro is your pro and college football headquarters!

Come down and have a burger and a brew, and cheer on your favorite team(s) all season long!

As I said last week, people are already booking their holiday parties with us. I would recommend you giving me a call, or stopping by in person to ensure you can book the date that you want!

Until Next Time,
- Chef Brandon

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NPB Real Estate Sponsor Prudential Northwest’s featured Open House for this week is a spectacular Sound view 2-bedroom condo just across the street from the water, next to Salty’s Restaurant in Redondo.

With a great covered patio/deck to enjoy, Redondo’s views and the beach, this unit offers a great, easy location, along with a club house big enough for wedding and family get-togethers.

Hardwood floors are only four years old, and there’s lots of storage and covered parking.

This unit is very clean and has fresh paint throughout.

Here are the details:

WHEN: Open House will be this Sunday, Aug. 29th, from 1pm – 4pm.

WHERE: 28120 S Redondo Beach Dr Unit 210, Des Moines, WA 98198

INFO:

• List Price: $249,900
• Listing #: 119453
• Beds: 2
• Baths: 1.00
• Year Built: 1962
• Approximate House SqFt: 815
• Home Owners Dues: $310

Appliances that Stay:

• Dishwasher
• Microwave
• Range/Oven
• Refrigerator

Unit Features:

• Balcony/Deck/Patio
• Skylights
• Top Floor

Marketing Remarks:

VIEW, VIEW and beach life!!

Spectacular Sound view 2 bedroom condo with a great covered patio/deck to enjoy.

Redondo’s views and beach, just across the street from the sound and next to Salty’s Restaurant.

This unit offers a great, easy location, club house big enough for those wedding and family get-togethers.

Hardwood floors are only 4 years old, lots of storage and covered parking.

This unit is very clean and has fresh paint throughout.

Click here to see the full, detailed listing.

Click here to view all of Prudential Northwest’s Open Houses.

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We’d like to welcome back NPB Advertiser Michael O’Neill Interiors, who want us to share the following information with our Readers:

CHOOSING YOUR DESIGN PROFESSIONAL

Designer or Decorator?
The technical definition of a designer often used is one who reconfigures the space i.e. moving or eliminating walls, windows and architectural elements; adding or changing built-in elements such as cabinetry and fixtures. Interior decorators’ forte is usually construed to be finishes, furnishings, accessories and artwork.

You are looking for professional results when designing your project. Some professionals only do interior design and some do only interior decorating, but there are many who overlap and do both. In reality most professionals will call themselves either interior designers or interior decorators even though in essence they are an interior designer decorator because they do both designing and decorating. For our purposes we’ll use the term interior designer to be all inclusive.

Interior designers serve as artisans for clients looking to cultivate a certain type of look and or solve problems for their space. They advise clients on how to think out of the box and allow their creative ideas to synchronize with the realities and possibilities of the space being designed. They help to set overall design concepts and incorporate budget-saving ideas that still allow the space to reflect a certain level of taste and function. A good designer will take stock of the resources you already have in place and help you determine how those resources should best be allocated to ensure that your design goals are met within your budget.

A degree or professional organization affiliation does not guarantee a designer’s abilities or creative talents. Their portfolio, work history and references are the best gauge of their qualifications. Interior designers who have many years experience may not have a Bachelors in Interior Design, but usually are well educated and have learned their craft in the real world.

Considerations
You should consider a few things before deciding on an interior design company. These considerations include:

1. Personality

Are you compatible?
Get a feel for the person or firm. Do you feel comfortable working with them? Do you have confidence that they can manage the task of designing your project? Being able to work closely with your designer is important because clear communication between client and designer is what will ensure a great result. Pay close attention to how well they receive your ideas and whether they are willing to take the mix of your ideas and their expertise to create a beautiful space.

Ask what size projects the interior designer has worked on, where, and what the budget range was.

Competent designers will a have many questions for you about you and your project. Be prepared to talk freely about problems and concerns.

2. Vision

Does the designer understand your aesthetic vision for the project?
Peruse the interior designer’s portfolio, but remember that the designs will reflect other people’s tastes, not necessarily the interior designer’s, and possibly not your own. Look instead for overall effect – use of color, composition, dramatic appeal – wow factor.

It always helps an interior designer when his or her client has some ideas in mind before beginning the design process. Pulling pictures out of books or magazines helps to give the designer a visual of the direction you want to take with the decor in your space. While you shouldn’t expect to get the exact look of your examples, your designer should be able to get a feeling for the style you are after. However, your reason for hiring a design professional should be to tap their creative juices and achieve a unique, personal and outstanding look.

After they have seen your site, how well do they understand your project? Listen to the types of ideas they have. Do they seem to understand your point of view? Do they seem organized and remember points you brought up?

3. Budget

Can the designer work within your budget?
Establish a budget. Work out details. What can you afford? Many companies specialize in working with people on a budget. However, before you hire a designer, you do need to figure out exactly what the limits of your budget are. The designer may be able to give you rough guidelines, but budget ultimately needs to come from you. Remember, it is not the amount that is important (because the best designers can work with any reasonable size budget), but rather that you understand your monetary limit before you hire an interior designer.

Ask how the established budget will be handled, and the kind of payment schedules the interior decorator requires.

4. Time Frame

Can the designer commit to the deadline you need?
Discuss time frame. What are your time constraints? Estimate how long the project will take. Will the project be phased? If so determine priorities. What should be accomplished in each phase? Bear in mind the more work that can be completed in one phase the more economical the whole project will be. How long can the space be “under construction”?

5. Fees

How do designers charge for their services?
Hourly Rate: The interior designer bills a per hour rate.

Per Diem: The designer bills a daily rate.

Flat Design Fee: The client pays a flat fee for the professional interior designer’s services based on the design plan, time required, and scope of services.

Cost Plus Method: Professional interior designers charge a set percentage on all merchandise purchased and tradesmen’s services rendered.

Mixed Method: The client pays both a set percentage on purchases and a base design fee for hourly rate.

6. Role

Exactly what is the scope of the designer’s involvement?
Ask about the types of services the designer can provide. Will you require construction drawings and or renderings? Who will purchase product? Who will hire subcontractors? What do you expect as far as project management? This later consideration is of utmost importance. Some clients feel a designer’s job is done once the specifications and drawings are done and product ordered. Releasing the designer at that point is a recipe for disaster! In order for a designer to best serve their client they should be on board until the project is completed. Cost, quality and maintained vision invariably suffer if this is not the case.

Michael O'Neill

Misconceptions
The most common misconception that exists about the interior design industry is that the process of using professional design services is expensive. The converse is usually the case. Without a designer you could likely end up spending much more money because of the process of trial and error or avoidable mistakes and end up with a mediocre project. Particularly in today’s budget-conscious economy, interior designers are working with clients on how to get the best interior design concepts for less. The best way to navigate the process is to bring this topic up during the interview stage to ensure that the company you choose has some experience designing and sourcing on a budget.

Finally, if an interior designer, or anyone for that matter, tells you the process is easy, stress-free, and will be complete in two weeks, they’re either lying or naive. Don’t hire that person! It should be, however, an adventurous, fun and definitely rewarding experience.

To learn more about Michael O’Neill Interiors, click here, or call (206) 290-3303.

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NPB Advertiser Archery Bistro (located at the Normandy Park Towne Center), would like our Readers to know about their latest food specials and events.

Here’s a letter from Chef Brandon about this week’s offering:

Happy Thursday Loyal Blog Readers! The best thing about Thursdays, besides All You Can Eat Fish and Chips at Archery, is our August Car Show Event! Every Thursday of this month we have designated front row parking for you and your classic car or motorcycle! Come show us your ride and receive drink specials! We plan on having some great cars tonight, come see if yours is better!

Since we talked last, I have added a couple new items to our menu. We switched up our Clams and Mussels dish to Clams ONLY and it comes with a Smoked Tomato Butter with white wine and ginger. We also added a Grilled Chicken Penne Pasta with Pesto Cream sauce. It is selling like hot cakes! It started off as a dish I made for our after work staff meal and turned into a sensation! And if you’re one of our bar customers, don’t worry, we haven’t left you out. Introducing Cheese Fries!! Inspired by my brother “because he doesn’t eat “Normal” food,” our cheese fries come with Apple Bacon and White Cheddar Cheese. Come down and have some fries and watch some Pre-Season Football tonight!!!

Always,
Chef Brandon

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We’d like to welcome our latest Advertiser, Shawn McEvoy, running for King County Council, District 8.

Here’s what Shawn would like us to share with our Readers:

Thank you for taking the time to learn about me. I’d like to share a little about myself with you; perhaps you’ll gain some insight into why I’m running for King County Council and why I care so much about good government.

Shawn McEvoy

I grew up in Normandy Park and pretty much have lived here all of my life. I’ve seen when things didn’t work in this city and community and how things deteriorated. I’ve been involved in my community and city government because I care and because I feel I can make a real difference and I have. Whether it’s been serving as the Mayor and Council member for the city of Normandy Park, or as President and board member for the Normandy Park Community Club (Cove), I have always made great strides in improving the quality of life for my community and city. I’m proud of the many accomplishments and honors I’ve received for our successes.

The proof of my commitment to good leadership and government is easy to verify. During my twelve years on the board of trustees for the Normandy Park Community Club as President and Board member, add to that, eight years as Mayor and Councilmember for the city of Normandy Park, my service was completely voluntary. That’s right, even though elected, we are not paid a thing for our services. In volunteering I believe it is perhaps the truest form of leadership and democracy.

Our success is because we act in a non-partison fashion. I’m here to tell you non-partisanship works. I believe one of the problems we have today is that politics is getting in the way of solving problems and making progress. Career politicians at the County level are the problem not the solution. That is why our citizens of King County voted to have a non-partisan Council. Instead of career politicians, we want council members that work together on the problems of today and are focused on our future, not theirs.

I can make a difference at the County level. I have the experience, skills and the abilities to help solve the problems of political bickering, as well as help solve King County’s other problems. I can bring real change to the County Council. I’m endorsed by the 11th District Democrats, many Independents and Republicans. I’m rated Very Good by the Municipal League of King County. Because you want a moderate with an excellent environmental record, great leadership skills, strong council experience, and impressive regional involvement, I’m asking for your vote and I’m looking forward to earning your trust.

More information on Shawn is available at his website: http://friendsofshawnmcevoy.com.

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NPB Real Estate Sponsor Prudential Northwest’s featured Open House for this week is a beautifully-maintained, spacious 5-bedroom home, right on Glen Acres golf course.

Charming landscaping boasts a park-like setting. There’s also an attached garage, 12×16 shop and updated kitchen. Downstairs features generous family room with fireplace.

Two huge bedrooms with his and her closet space and a full bathroom – A MUST SEE.

Here are the details:

WHEN: Open House will be this Sunday, Aug. 8th, from 1pm to 4pm.

WHERE: 11011 14th Ave South; West Seattle, WA 98168

INFO:

• List Price: $278,000
• Listing #: 103612
• Beds: 5
• Baths: 2
• Year Built: 1961
• Garage-Attached
• Approximate House SqFt: 2,080
• Lot Square Footage: 8,142

Interior Features:

• Dble Pane/Strm Windw
• Dining Room

Site Features:

• Cable TV
• Deck
• Fenced-Partially
• Gas Available
• Outbuildings
• Patio
• Shop

Marketing Remarks:

Beautifully maintained home, right on Glen Acres golf course.

Charming landscaping boasts park like setting.

Come home to your spacious 5 bedroom home with attached garage, 12×16 shop and updated kitchen.

Downstairs features generous family room with fireplace.

Two huge bedrooms with his and her closet space and a full bathroom.

A MUST SEE!

Click here to see the full, detailed listing.

Click here to view all of Prudential Northwest’s Open Houses.

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NPB Advertiser Archery Bistro (located at the Normandy Park Towne Center), would like our Readers to know about their latest food specials and events.

Here’s a letter from Chef Brandon about this week’s offering:

Hello August! And hello blog followers! It’s been really hot in the Archery Bistro kitchen and it has us thinking about ‘Hot August Nights,’ the annual car show in Reno. Starting TONIGHT and EVERY Thursday in August we will have our own version! We are fortunate to have a large parking lot for you to show off your classic cars and bikes to the public and we will offer food and drink specials for all participants! Call your friends, bring your cars and bikes and enjoy a fun evening with us!

This past Tuesday was the one year anniversary of the First Avenue construction that I am properly dubbing “The Fiasco on First.” We are celebrating (or not celebrating) this fantastic date by offering a free appetizer with your entrée purchase. Just say “Fiasco” and the appetizer is yours! This offer is good through this Saturday August 7th.

I wanted to give you all a heads up about a super delicious dinner special that we are going to run this weekend; Bacon Wrapped Eastern Sea Scallops. These will make a return to our special menu because of their popularity! Come on in and have a little taste of love this weekend!

Until Next Time,
Chef Brandon

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BTB Advertiser Archery Bistro (located at the Normandy Park Towne Center), would like our Readers to know about their latest food specials and events.

Here’s a letter from Chef Brandon about this week’s offering:

Hello again from the lovely Archery Bistro Kitchen! I’m just enjoying a quick break from answering some telephone messages. I have been getting many phone calls from people wanting to book our private dining rooms for company parties, birthdays, All-Star baseball parties, and even a private wine tasting! It’s a lot of fun working with each customer to plan their party and menu. You can do it too! Give us a call at (206) 421-3145 and ask for me, Chef Brandon!

Our July 25th Wine Dinner featuring Waterbrook Winery is just around the corner and we still have some spots available. Waterbrook Winery is in the heart of Walla Walla, a place so nice they named it twice! Wine dinners are not only a great place to learn about the wineries and the wine itself, but also to learn about what food to pair with wine. I love these dinners and enjoying mingling with our guests in the dining room to talk about where I was when I thought of a certain dish, or why I decided to pair this with that. Stop by Archery Bistro or give us a call to secure a spot at our July 25th Waterbrook Winery dinner.

Recently I have been taking some heat from some Moms from the neighborhood about our kid’s menu. So I fixed it! Kids are just as important to us as adults at Archery. My new kid’s menu has more to offer and is now more affordable! We also have an art competition for kids where they can win a gift certificate to bring their family into Archery PLUS ALL OF OUR KIDS MENU ITEMS ARE ONLY $6.00! That’s right, $6.00 and each entree includes a dessert! It’s been so cool getting to know some of the kids who enjoy coming in for cheeseburgers and deep fried candy bars and I’m confident they will love our new items I developed just for them!

Don’t forget to mention my Normandy Park Blog note when you come in and receive a FREE APPETIZER with the purchase of two or more entrees, kids entrée’s count, but only one appetizer per table please!

Hope you are having a great week and we hope to see you soon at Archery Bistro!

-Chef Brandon

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We’d like to welcome our latest Advertiser to The Normandy Park Blog – DealPop – a new online and mobile social buying site from WhitePages that offers consumers up to 70 percent off the best places to eat, shop and have fun in greater Seattle area.

To learn more, as well as sign up, just click here.

Here’s what they’d like to share with our Readers:

WhitePages (www.whitepages.com), the largest and most trusted online directory, today announced it has entered the social buying category with the launch of DealPop (www.dealpop.com) in its hometown of Seattle. With the official launch, DealPop will leverage the more than 100 million local and business searches conducted monthly at WhitePages.com and 411.com to determine the most popular places to eat, shop, and have fun. This knowledge as well as picks by DealPop’s local insiders will allow the company to work with merchants to provide the most relevant deals for consumers at local favorites and hidden gems. DealPop is immediately available in Seattle and will launch with popular local favorites such as the Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company, the Alibi Room, Twist, Mad Pizza, and Unexpected Productions. DealPop will expand to major metropolitan areas in the coming months.

“With the emergence of social buying sites, I refuse to pay full-price when trying a new restaurant, bar or even a spa,” said Cindy Locke, a deal-seeking sales consultant who lives in Seattle, WA and subscribes to Groupon, LivingSocial and now DealPop. “I’m excited to use a service from such a trusted brand like WhitePages – one that truly knows the Seattle market and will provide the real inside scoop on new restaurants, stores, salons, and entertainment venues in my hometown.”

WhitePages, a top 50 online and mobile website where more than 20 million people per month visit for personal and business contact information, will offer deals of up to 70 percent off, with each deal available for purchase for a set number of hours. Seattleites can sign up for DealPop at www.dealpop.com and immediately start receiving a daily email with fantastic deals. DealPop customers will receive the following benefits:

• Discover cool things to do and hot places to go based on popular local business searches on WhitePages as well as picks by DealPop’s local insiders;
• The ability to share via Facebook, Twitter and email, turning the deal into a social activity that can be enjoyed with friends or family;
• The opportunity to receive DealPop points that can be applied to a future purchase by sharing a great deal with someone who then signs up and purchases that deal;
• Access to helpful customer service representatives to answer any questions about each daily deal;
• Unlike other daily deal sites, everyone gets the deal at DealPop because there isn’t a minimum number of people who need to purchase before the deal goes through;
• Email reminders before the expiration date of a voucher to encourage consumers to use their purchases

“DealPop is about discovery,” said Kevin Nakao, chief operating offer at WhitePages. “Not only will we find the neighborhood gems – the cozy little bistro in Ballard with great food, the hilarious comedy show that everyone is talking about, or a great spa to relax and rejuvenate at – but people will be able try these places without having to pay full price, a combination that consumers won’t want to pass up and share with their friends.”

About WhitePages
As the largest and most trusted online people and business directory, WhitePages offers a suite of free mobile and Internet services that makes it easy for people to find and immediately connect with anyone in the U.S. Only WhitePages offers one-click access to more than 200 million adults and powers more than 2 billion searches on over 1,500 partner sites including MSN, Ask.com, SuperPages.com and the United States Postal Service. For more information, please visit www.whitepages.com or check out the WhitePages blog at blog.whitepages.com.

Click on their Ad to learn more and sign up:

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Hi there loyal Normandy Park-ites (that can’t be right, can it?). Leonard the goldfish here, with INCREDIBLE BREAKING NEWS!

I’m not usually one to type shout, but seriously, this is B-I-G big. After three long years of bugging the heck out of the Seattle Aquarium, they’re finally giving me a chance to get my own exhibit. I just have to prove that people (i.e. you) actually want me there. So I need to get 30,000 votes and I’m in. You can vote and find out more about my plight at VoteLeonardIn.com. Or follow me on my Facebook page.

Hopefully someday soon you’ll be able to follow me at the actual Seattle Aquarium, along with the otters, wolf eels, and moon jellies.

So please, Normandy Parkians (ok, that sounds better), help me prove to the Aquarium folks I’m not too common to get my own exhibit.

Remember, a vote for me is a vote for goldfish everywhere.

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