Category Archives: Business Beat

I don’t rent DVDs during the summer so I was probably one of the last people to notice that Total Video on Kitsap Way is closing soon (see photo). The store stopped renting movies and games a few weeks ago and is in the last stage of selling off its stock of DVDs and VHS tapes. Everything that’s left is on sale for $2. Yesterday I picked out a couple of DVDs to zero out the small balance in my rental account.
Continue reading →

The Mattress Ranch, which has two stores in Kitsap County, has been around for years. Until today though I didn’t know that the company is doing mobile marketing. That’s when I spotted their mascot, complete with the chain’s domain name, loaded on a trailer (see photo) at the south end of Silverdale. Although I can’t resist giant animal statues, the big bovine didn’t make me want to buy a mattress.
Continue reading →

I’m not sure of the exact duties assigned to the driver of a Hostess Twinkies van (see photo). Even so, I would consider coming out of retirement if offered the job. The vehicle doesn’t look big enough to keep up with regular deliveries of the delicious snack cakes. Perhaps the job is just to spread good will and respond quickly to random spot shortages. I wonder if anyone flags the van down for a roadside purchase like it’s a Good Humor truck.

I took a quick look at the Hostess Cakes web site before posting this photo. They recommend trying Twinkies deep fried.

I don’t completely understand Trader Joe’s cult-like following, but this morning I observed it first hand. A couple of hours after the company’s newest store (see photo) opened at 8:00 AM in Silverdale, there was gridlock in the parking lot and inside.
Continue reading →

Arnold’s (see photo) has a Translux, Reid Realty a Watchfire, Walgreen’s a Daktronics Galaxy. That’s three outdoor LED signs (or electronic message centers as the sign industry calls them) in the quarter-mile stretch of Kitsap Way near Rocky Point. All three have been installed in the last couple of years.
Continue reading →

I’m a big fan of loyalty punch cards. There may be a better name for them, but I’m referring to paper cards that you get punched or stamped each time you buy a product or service. When the card is full, your next purchase is free. I have cards from sandwich shops, North Mason Fibre, the Lyon’s Pride (my barber), and numerous espresso stands. Today I got a card for the unlikeliest of products and one that will take years to fill up.
Continue reading →

Flowers to Go, a florist with several stores in Kitsap County, hands out a free rose to anyone whose name is on their sign that day. Like the people who assign names to hurricanes, they alternate between girls and boys. This morning when I was in Silverdale buying paint I noticed that the sign on the local Flowers to Go said to come in for a rose if your name is Rod (see photo). So I did. A nice blonde lady named Julie gave me a pink long-stemmed rose. She didn’t even ask for an ID. Perhaps I should have done more shopping today. I had a great response if anyone had asked me how my day was going.