Dispatches: Six developments in Bremerton

1. A new convenience store has opened downtown.

On Friday, A&L Pacific Island Minimart opened next to Boston’s Pizza & Deli. Owner Lola Maae (pictured) is still getting settled in, and plans on selling cigarettes and beer once the licenses come in.

But the main goal of Maae, who’s from American Samoa, is to have specialty Pacific Islander products she says you can’t find anywhere outside Seattle right now.

Maae’s lived in Bremerton for 12 years and still works for Yak’s Deli on Kitsap Way. She hopes her new 1,100 square-foot store becomes a tradition.

“It’s a little family business,” she said.

2. The garage door is hip downtown.

Garage doors appear to be all the rage these days. Der Blokken and the Manette Saloon already have them (and there are probably more that are escaping me right now). Seems a good idea as an effort to expand the ambiance past the front door.

South Pacific near the ferry terminal just installed one (above). And Carlos Jara at Toro Lounge says one’s coming there too.

3. An Irish restaurant may just open on 15th Street.

An Irish restaurant called “Bualadh Bos” (means clap your hands in Gaelic) may open soon on 15th Street. The owners are working their way through the permitting process and developing the place at the same time.

It’s hard to say as yet when they’ll open, though the sign indicates early April. I say we give it some time given all the requirements businesses must meet with permitting and regulations.

4. Starbucks by the ferry is getting a remodel. 

Not to be outdone by the announcement of new Starbucks’ stores in Silverdale and in Kingston, the Starbucks by the Bremerton ferry terminal will soon get a makeover.

I don’t have many details yet but I will keep you posted.

5. The Manette Trading Company bows out.

Sad to see Stewart Wilson has closed the Manette Trading Company.

Wilson had told me a few months ago business in the vintage and antique world was a struggle. The location displays prominently on East 11th, so we’ll see if a new tenant lands there soon.

6. Bremerton’s Kitsap Sun headquarters is officially a part of Journal Media Group.

And finally, on the personal side, the Kitsap Sun formally changed hands as of April 1. We’re no longer owned by E.W. Scripps in Cincinnati and are now a part of a newspaper chain based in Milwaukee.

The good news is we’ll still do what we do best — keep you up to speed on what’s going on in this town, and this region.