Seeking history of old store at Corners Park

By Kay F. Reinartz

Continuing with the history of the place which has become the new Ballard Corners Park, today we look at the story of the original usage of the land. The site is being transformed into a delightful Ballard neighborhood "pocket park" through the efforts of Groundswell NW, a citizens' grassroots organization dedicated to creating parks in Northwest Seattle, and the Seattle Parks Department.

From early in the 20th century the site was the location of a popular neighborhood grocery store. The business address was 6219 17th Ave. N.W. and it was owned and operated in turn by Sever Thompson, Nils O. Hawkins and William J Boutin. These men, and their wives and children tended the store that provided green groceries and dry goods within convenient walking distance in the area a bit northwest of 15th and Market streets. This area is mostly multi-family housing now, but until the 1960s it was a single-family home neighborhood.

While the basic historical record shows that there was a grocery store at the location from 1905, my research, which is moving from the present backwards, sheds insight into the era when William and Lillian Boutin were the storekeepers. As usual, the historic resources provide more information on Mr. Boutin since he was the family breadwinner up to the time of becoming a grocer.

The Polk's Directory tells us that between 1919 and 1943, when he and his wife purchased the store at 6219 17th Ave. N.W., Ballard, from Nils O. Hawkins, Boutin worked as a shipping clerk, general office clerk and then a department manager at the Bon Marche. One of the lucky ones, he managed to stay employed through the Great Depression by working for United Parcel Service, first as a temporary helper and then a dispatcher. He and Lillian made their home at 1742 NW 58th from the late 1910s. In 1938 he was an inspector with the CG & C Co. (if anyone knows what this company was please contact me). The next year he went to work for Nils O. Hawkins, clerking in his grocery store at 6219 17th NW. Between 1940 and 41 he bought the Hawkin's store and changed the name to Boutin's Grocery.

In response to my call for information and stories about the Boutin Store, Geraldine Hansen has sent her memories. Ms. Hansen tells us that she grew up in a home at 17th and 63rd. She and her brother remember the Boutin's Store well. Her brother recalls "buying candy from Bill (Mr. Boutin to the children). A lot of kids came to the store and of course made a bee line to his candy counter near the back of the store. Bill was always kind to us kids. I can almost picture Bill with a pipe in his mouth. I believe he got lip cancer."

The Boutins sold the store to their neighbor, Marvin Brandt in 1955. Sophia Brandt and her husband Marinus already had bought the lot next door at 1702 N.W. 62nd - probably back in the 1920s. Son Marvin bought the store property. Further research will reveal more about the Brandt's as well as ownership from 1905 to 1938.

This week as you greet your older neighbors or are talking with your parents or grandparents who lived in Ballard in the first half of the 20th century ask they if they ever shopped at this grocery store or know anything about it. Please call me, your historian, with a referral to that older person or tell me what they shared with you. You may contact me through the Ballard News Tribune e-mail or phone number. I look forward to hearing from you. Many thanks to David Folweiler for providing the volunteer leadership for Ballard Corners Park and Geraldine Hansen and her brother for sharing their memories. We look forward to hearing more. If you would like to see more parks in Ballard contact David through the Ballard News Tribune, bnteditor@robinsonnews.com or 783.1244.