Flounder Bay Cafe owners buy La Conner restaurant

Kari and Jason VandenBosche, who own Flounder Bay Cafe, took over La Conner Seafood & Prime Rib House March 1.

“I think we can bring what we brought to Flounder Bay here,” Kari VandenBosche said. “We saw the opportunity to take a great location, a great spot, and put some TLC into it.”

The couple wasn’t looking to add another restaurant to their plate, but everything fell into place. Kari worked at La Conner Seafood before the couple bought Flounder Bay Cafe three years ago.

The couple doesn’t plan any changes to the business until after the Tulip Festival. They want to incorporate more made from scratch food and take advantage of the 130-seat banquet room upstairs overlooking the water.

Kari said La Conner, like Anacortes, is a tight-knit community. They plan to provide the feeling of a small-town restaurant and a face customers will recognize.

“Things always run better when you have someone there all the time,” she said.

Business has been going well at Flounder Bay Cafe. Kari said Taste Anacortes, a monthly restaurant walk, has drawn people to the Skyline eatery.

“It’s one of best things done to get people out to see the different restaurants,” she said.

CompuMatter owner Jay Lepore looking to add more stores

Could there be CompuMatter stores across the country?

That’s exactly what owner Jay Lepore plans. He and Robert McCord, a business consultant, are looking for investors to expand the store to other cities.

Lepore said when he first opened CompuMatter his plan was to create a Starbucks-like business that could be easily replicated.
“I spent a considerable amount of time defining what I felt to be the look and feel of CompuMatter,” he said.

The Anacortes business offers training, computer repair, Web site design and new system sales.

To keep costs down, Lepore plans to have one tech “guru” offer support for multiple stores staffed by less experienced technicians. The first planned expansion locations are Oak Harbor and Victoria, British Columbia. Others include cities in Arizona, Oregon, Idaho and Nevada.

Island Medical Spa expands space, service offerings

Island Medical Spa is moving to an expanded space at 3110 Commercial Ave., Suite 103 later this month. The business, run under the direction of dermatologist Dr. D. Russell Johnson, will also be adding new services after the move, according to Trish Archibald, medical spa manager. The space used to house Windermere Real Estate.

The medical spa is able to do cosmetic treatments, such as botox, but also laser treatments because they are working under the guidance of a physician. The 3,000-square-foot space has allowed the business to add body therapy offerings, such as massage. It features a wet room, changing rooms and steam showers.

“It’s really is state of the art and very beautifully designed,” Archibald said.

The business has three estheticians and plans to add two more to the staff. It also plans to bring in three body therapists.

Archibald said they draws clients from Anacortes, the San Juan Islands, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley and surrounding areas. Island Medical also has an office on Whidbey Island.

She said people are looking for a way to get good cosmetic results without doing a complete surgery.

“There’s a lot of people who are looking for this type of service. People are shying away from more invasive treatments like face lifts,” Archibald said.

Fidalgo Dermatology will remain in Suite 105 and will expand to the space where the spa used to be.

An open house at the expanded space is planned in late April.

For more information visit http://www.islandmedicalspa.com.

Dakota Creek Industries vessel featured in magazine

An Advanced Electric Ship Demonstrator, Sea Jet, built by Dakota Creek Industries was featured in an article in the March 2008 edition of “Marine Technology Reporter” magazine.

The vessel delivered by DCI in December 2005 is used in naval testing in Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho.

Funded by the Office of Naval Research, Sea Jet is a 120-ton vessel about a quarter scale of a destroyer, according to the article. It has a crew of two, a driver and an engineer, as well as a test director when it is doing evaluations. It is being used to study advanced propulsor concepts, electric ship power distribution, new hull shapes and stealth characteristics on war ships.

The magazine covers the latest news, discoveries and technology in the fields of oceanography, marine sciences, offshore drilling, underwater exploration and survey, diving, construction and undersea defense.

Visit http://www.dakotacreek.com/Vessels/seajet.html.

Zap Pro Lube breaks ground at new location

Construction is moving along at 23rd Street and Commercial Avenue on the new home of Zap Pro Lube and Brake.

The business is moving from 1014 26th Street. Island Hospital bought the land and Zap can lease the property for up to a year.

The new brick building will include a four-bay shop.

The Island Hospital commissioners voted to acquire land at a meeting in mid-November. The hospital paid $728,000 for the property.

Property management company opens on Commercial

Anacortes Property Management opened earlier this month at 3005 Commercial Ave. Owners Peggy Curtin and Alice Bickey offer property management services — including helping people find rentals, finding tenants and managing rental property.

“There’s a lot of rentals here in town,” Curtin said.

They deal with houses, apartments and condos in all price ranges. Curtin said the lowest rental is $395 a month.

Curtin said they opened the business after being in the industry for 19 years, including at John L. Scott and Windermere real estate companies.

“We’ve been doing it for along time,” she said.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturdays by appointment.

Call 293-4735. The Web site, http://www.anacortesrentalproperties.com, is planned to be up by the end of March.

Liquor store lease expires later this year

The 10--year lease for the liquor store at 1005 Commercial Ave. will expire on Nov. 30, according to the Washington State Liquor Control Board. The Washington State Liquor Act says the board can lease stores for a maximum of 10 years with an option to renew for 10 years.

The announcement was made following the board’s policy.

Suzanne Lewis, store leasing manager, said at this point the plan is to renew the lease. Board members plan to visit the store in the next couple months.

If the lease is not renewed, she said members will look for a relocation space.

Rent being paid for the 4,200-square-foot facility is about $5,930 a month. Gross sales for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, were nearly $2.95 million. Anacortes’ share of liquor taxes for the same period was about $27,500.

Other business news:

• Doug Burton, owner and president of Burton Jewelers, was recognized with the Skagit County Lifetime Achievement award by Northwest Business Monthly. A story on the business is featured in the March 2008 edition. Also in the issue is a business profile on Deception Pass Tours, which received the Skagit Startup Business of the Year award. Visit http://www.nwbusinessmonthly.com.

• North Harbor Diesel and Yacht Services plans to build a 21,900-square-foot pre-engineered metal building to replace a building damaged by fire at 720 30th St. It will be used for boat repair and maintenance.

• The Supreme Bean coffee shop opened at 1502 D Ave.

• Anacortes Brewery’s Anacortes IPA and Broadsword beers were featured at the ninth annual Washington Cask Beer Festival March 22 in Seattle.

• A Better Night’s Sleep, 501 Commercial Ave., is scheduled to reopen in mid-April. The business is closed due to the owner’s health concerns, according to a sign on the door. During the closure it is being renovated and undergoing a brand changeover.

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