Cal Wiseman turned 80 on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

The popular West Seattle icon started Wiseman's Appliance near the Admiral Junction in 1960. He moved to 4525 California Avenue in the Alaska Junction, then back to its current location at 2619 California Ave. S.W. in 1976 His son Dan then purchased his business when he retired in 1981.

Cal could be seen grinning ear to ear at his birthday party with his wife of 59 years, Joyce, their five sons, Dan, Scott, Steve, Mark, and Craig, and daughter, Paula by his side.

About 20 other family members and friends also congregated in his Harbor Avenue home, spilling out onto his balcony facing the Sound.

“Dad’s first name was Austin, and that’s my real first name,” Cal revealed. “Calvin is my middle name. So to avoid confusion people have called me Cal.”

Cal said he learned appliances from Earle (and Barb) Addis.

“Earl worked for General Electric and hired me,” Cal recalled. “Then I went into business myself. There used to be nine appliance stores in West Seattle like Penny’s and Montgomery Wards.”

Wiseman keeps active managing his properties and investments, and loves to travel.

“I loved Amsterdam the most, seeing all the bicyclists.”

Four of Cal’s five sons are in appliance-related professions. His daughter, however, works for the Boeing 737 program in Renton.

“My brothers used to tease me that I had the oldest appliances because they’d always come and fix them,” said Paula.

“This is the only job I ever had,” said Dan, 56. “We’re from the south…South Dakota.

Dan lives in his father’s condo building on Harbor Avenue.

“Dad has been a great role model for all of us. He showed us the way. Mom has always taken care of us, all along the line.”

Sons Mark and Scott have their own West Seattle-based appliance repair businesses.

“I make seven or eight house calls a day,” said Scott, 49. “You never know what you’ll see when you walk through their front door,” he said. “One common drama I see when I make a repair is the wife tells the husband she wants a new refrigerator because she hates the color of the one they have. The husband says ‘No. Let’s get this thing fixed.’ One might be upstairs and one downstairs, and their yelling. And I’m caught in the middle.”

Scott said that the rule of thumb is that if the repair cost is about half the price of a new appliance it makes more sense to buy a new one.

"The Wiseman brothers are great," said Sam Chapin who owns a 10-unit apartment building on Alki. The Wisemans service and replace refrigerators and other appliances in his building. "I was tempted to buy my new appliances at a big chain store to save a little money, but walked into the shop and Dan showed me his prices are competitive with the chains. And you have somebody who takes care of you."

Wiseman’s Appliance Store: 2619 California Avenue SW. (206) 937-7400.

http://www.wisemanappliance.com/