The new Barnes & Noble Booksellers store at Westwood Village is scheduled to open Oct. 26 with about 200,000 books, magazines, compact disks and DVDs.

Visible from Barton Street, the Westwood store is Barnes & Noble's 819th in the U.S.

The best sellers will be arrayed near the entrance, with Barnes & Noble's brand of inexpensive classics and a large romance section nearby.

The large children's section in the northeast corner of the store has fiction and nonfiction sections along with educational aids for parents and teachers.

Story time readings will be done two or three times a week from a tiny stage in the children's section. Plans are in the works for Spanish as well as English readings.

Store manager Martha Flor, who's lived in West Seattle for several years, said Barnes & Noble managers can adjust their inventory to satisfy local interests. She's already widened the selection of children's books in the store because of the number of families with children in southwestern Seattle.

She's also increased the gardening section, she said, knowing how popular gardening is in West Seattle. Flor plans to order more books about crafts and home fixups.

There will always be a display table devoted to books of regional or Washington interest, Flor said.

Reading chairs are scattered around the store's fiction and nonfiction departments. There are also maps, study aids, calendars, stationery, blank books and reading glasses.

Teachers get 20 percent off purchases for educational use in their classrooms.

The store is planning a children's book drive in which customers would be able to buy and donate books to White Center youngsters, kindergarteners to high school seniors, by giving them to librarians to distribute, said Robin Ennis-Cantwell, community relations manager for the Westwood Barnes & Noble.

Can't be a Barnes & Noble without an espresso shop. This one bakes four kinds of cookies and scones in the store every day and offers sandwiches, soup, pastries and cheese cake. There's Starbucks coffee, tea and wireless Internet hookups with seating for 44.

Restrooms are on the store's west wall.

The new store also has a music department where customers can sample individual songs by passing the CD under a scanner.

West Seattle singers and musicians can sell their CDs through the new store too, said music department manager April Clark

The new store has a staff of 80. Most of the employees live in West Seattle or White Center, with others from Beacon Hill, Flor said. Many part-timers are students at Chief Sealth High School.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Address: Westwood Village, 2600 S.W. Barton St., Suite E-1.

West Seattle Cellars

expansion has wine bar

Wear a sweater when you go to the new West Seattle Cellars wine shop now under construction near Morgan Junction. The indoor temperature in the new store is planned for a year-round 64 degrees to benefit the liquid inventory, said principal owner Bear Silverstein.

"Fifty-five degrees is perfect for wine storage, but we all need some creature comforts," Silverstein said.

The new building is going up on the south side of the 10-year-old wine store. It has a pad under the floor to absorb vibration from passing buses and trucks, so as not to disturb the bottles. Some broken bottles are ceremonial parts of the new concrete slab. No fluorescent lighting will be used in the new store either because ultraviolet light is bad for wine, Silverstein said.

The new space will have a high ceiling with a mezzanine and double the retail space of the current location. The wine stock will be about the same but more convenient to find, Silverstein said.

West Seattle Cellars also plans to offer classes about wine in the shop.

The current store is planned for conversion into a wine bar, tentatively to be named Bear's Lair. If regulatory agencies issue the necessary licenses soon, the new shop and wine bar could be open by mid-November, said Silverstein.

Business partners include Tom DiStefano, Jan Martindale and Dave Egan.

Address: 6026 California Ave. S.W.

Phone: 937-2868

New Luck Toy

dynasty ending

Three generations of the Louie family have owned and operated the New Luck Toy Cafe in the Junction but the 55-year-old eatery and karaoke bar is being sold.

Last day for the New Luck Toy is set for Oct. 22, said Dan Louie, current owner. A new company bought the restaurant with plans to put more emphasis on the bar than the cafe, he said. It's planned to reopen in early January, Louie said..

The New Luck Toy originated in the 1940s on Southwest Spokane Street, near the Blue Eagle and the Chelan Cafe, Louie said. His grandfather, Shang Louie, bought the business and moved it in 1950 to its current location in the Junction.

In 1951, his father, Alan Louie, bought out the original owner and became business partners with his father.

Shang retired in 1967 and Alan ran the restaurant until 1988. That's when Dan took over the business.

In 1976, the family bought the China Gate restaurant in the International District but sold it in 1994.

After 30 years in the restaurant business, Dan Louie said he wants to explore new business options, but not before taking a month's vacation, he said.

Dental center opens in Westwood Village

Reflections Dental Centre is readying to open in early November.

It's located next to the new Barnes & Noble bookstore, above the new Chico's clothing store next door.

Dr. G. Glenn Buchanan is a general practitioner dentist who attended dental school at Georgetown University.

From the University of the Pacific, Dr. John Y. Kim also is a general practitioner.

Dr. Timothy A. Bachman's specialty is endodontics. He did his graduate work at the University of Texas in Houston.

The dentists are equipped to treat dental emergencies.

They also offer tooth straightening through use of clear trays that snap over the teeth. The trays are subtly changed every two weeks to realign crooked teeth.

The waiting area of the new dental center will have display cases where community members will be displaying collections. The inaugural exhibit will be displayed by the staff of the Log House Museum.

The new center is affiliated with Gateway Dental Center downtown. Patients can visit either clinic.

Hours: By appointment Monday-Saturday. Flexible hours.

Address: Westwood Village, Suite E-20.

Tim St. Clair assembles this column on a regular basis. He can be contacted at tstclair@robinsonnews.com or 932.0300.

temp_date_for_import: 10/19/2005 12:00pm Author(s): GuestOctober 19, 2005