Family owned businesses in the Rainier Valley continue to hang on through all of life's changes. I've chosen a few local family owned businesses that have been excelling in the Rainier Valley. They each have their own unique story and are definitely worth our community support.
Burdick's Security was established in 1959 by Daryl Burdick. He began his small business like many other entrepreneurs, working from his home. The business started to grow and the Burdick's moved into a small office off of Alaska and Rainier Avenue South.
In 1982 Daryl's son Tim bought the business and continued the family tradition of bringing quality service to the community. Burdick's Security supplies locks, door knobs, safes, security systems and they also provide the service of duplicate keys.
In the 1960s Burdick's moved into a larger location at Graham Street and Rainier Avenue South. Today Burdick's is nearly back to its original location in Columbia City at 4700 Rainier Avenue South and Alaska.
Over the years Burdick's Security has supported community events, student scholarships and the Rainier Rotary to mention a few. With owners that live and work in the neighborhood there is a connection to the community that can't be manufactured.
Vince's Italian Restaurant has a great romantic story that would melt anyone's heart, and their pizza is quite good as well. In 1957 Enzo (Vince) & Ada Mottola, childhood friends from Naples and now a married couple, followed Vince's sisters to America to find something that Italy couldn't offer at the time. They settled in "Garlic Gulch" a traditional Italian farming area in the Rainier Valley.
Vince and Ada worked many odd jobs while trying to establish themselves in the community. With food always a passion, Vince and his wife Ada finally opened a small restaurant in Rainier Valley serving great Italian food at an affordable price. The original restaurant was located at Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and South Othello Street. Today the tradition continues as their son Vince Mottola Jr. and his business partner Fred Martichuski now run the organization with four locations around the Pacific Northwest.
When you step into Vince's Italian Restaurant in Rainier Beach, located at 8824 Renton Avenue South, you feel like you are truly in Italy. With the red and white checked table cloths and the fantastic minestrone soup you can step into Naples without traveling to Italy.
One thing most people probably don't know is that for the past five years Vince Jr. has coordinated a private tour of Italy that includes himself and one of his children as the tour guides. If you've ever really wanted to see Italy from an Italian who knows all the great places to eat and stay, you should check in with Vince. The tours are generally in March and April.
With their 50th anniversary nearing, Vince's Italian Restaurant will have a big celebration planned. Keep an eye out for more publicity coming soon. If you want a great picture story of the business, check out Vince's website at www.vincesitalian.com, you'll get a great tour of Italy and enjoy a few family photos.
Emmanuel's Rug and Upholstery was established in 1907 by an Armenian immigrant from Turkey. In 1904 John Manoug Emmanuel moved to New York from Turkey and was selling rugs from the street. With his wife and two sons they moved West to Seattle.
John continued selling rugs while traveling around Seattle on the street cars. He was given a $1,000 unsecured loan from one of his customers to get his business started.
During the depression John quit selling rugs and went more into the cleaning and restoration business. The business has moved all over Seattle but has been established in the Rainier Valley since the 1970s. Today Emmanuel's offers rug and upholstery cleaning, textile cleaning and restoration, rug sales and consignment.
A fourth-generation owner and operator, Thea Sand, continues to run the business with quality service and dedication to the craft. I toured Emmanuel's awhile back and was able to watch the craftsman repair a hanging rug that was actually woven with gold. It was truly a masterpiece and was artfully being restored.
Community support is still one of Emmanuel's passions, including their generous support of the Rainier Valley Heritage Parade this year. Without support from community businesses, local events in Southeast Seattle would not happen.
With their 100 th Anniversary approaching Emmanuel's will have something to celebrate. heck out their showroom for some fantastic deals on quality rugs.
Their web page, www.emmauelsrug.com, now has a catalog of rugs for sale that are both consignment and new.
Upcoming events
Don't forget to mark you calendar for the Rainier Valley Heritage Parade where we celebrate the diversity of the Rainier Valley. The parade will be held this year on Saturday, August 19 at 11 a.m. in Columbia City.
Volunteers and parade participants are always welcomed. Please contact the Rainier Chamber of Commerce for more information 725-2010.
Tiffany Crosby is the manager of the Rainier Chamber of Commerce. She may be reached at editor@sdistrictjoural.com.[[In-content Ad]]
