For Sale

Currently, there are several commercial buildings for sale on Vashon. The most recent addition is the Red Bike, which was listed last week for $1.5 million.

Both the building and the business are for sale and listed with Keller Williams Realty in Bellevue. The currrent owner, Mag Choi, lives in Anchorage and plans to keep the business open until sold, according to the Keller Williams agent Kaye Kim.

Public records show that Choi bought the building through her LLC Vashon Investments in 2008 for $1,050,000.

Additional buildings for sale include the Mitchell Building at Center, the Burton Inn, the Steneker building and The Landing Building, which is the former home of Nirvana at the four-way intersection. Zombiez business is for sale, and sales are pending for the Kimmco building and the building on Gorsuch Road that houses Le Oustiti preschool and the VYFS Family Place.

Windermere is moving

Windermere Real Estate plans to consolidate its office and move into the former location of Vashon Physical Therapy, which Windermere bought and closed on earlier this month.

Windermere co-owner and management broker Beth de Groen said the new building will better suit their needs than the two buildings they are currently in.

“This is a small building. It’s not enough space for our agents,” she said. “We want to be all together because it just has a different feeling when you’re all together in one building.”

The company has occupied its main space farther up Vashon Highway since 2011, according to de Groen, but due to crowding was forced to lease additional office space in Vashon town soon after moving in.

De Groen said the former physical therapy office is well equipped to serve as Windermere’s new home despite an unusual layout.

“It was amazing that it fits our needs perfectly because of all of the little rooms,” she said. “It’s got treatment rooms; it’s got a big space where we can have a morning meeting. From the logistics of it, it was perfect.”

De Groen remarked how surprised she was to discover that husband and co-owner John de Groen, along with business manager Denise Katz, had made arrangements to purchase the building while she was away. She soon arrived to the conclusion that it was the right choice.

“We’re very happy that we’re going to be closer to the main part of town and the four-way stop. That’s advantageous as far as tourism goes,” said de Groen. “A lot of tourists walk in the door and are interested in buying a house because they’ve never been here before, and they’re excited, so that’s going to be much better for the business. We still get a lot of walk-ins now, but to be just a little bit closer? Good.”

De Groen said that the move will happen sometime in June, with hardly any need for renovation.

“There are just a lot of things there that are going to fit our needs a lot more,” she added.