It’s been more than six years since Nick Echelbarger and Salish Crossing LLC took over the old Waterfront Antique Mall and associated buildings between the Edmonds train station and Sunset Avenue and began the renaissance that transformed it into Salish Crossing.
“We took an area that was like a little black eye on our town, and over the years worked with some absolutely outstanding tenants, architects, landscape architects and leasing agents to turn it into a grand front door for Edmonds,” said Echelbarger, who grew up in Edmonds and is part of a family with deep local roots. “In addition to some amazing local businesses that are real success stories in themselves, Scratch Distillery and 190 Sunset to name only two, it’s home to the Cascadia Art Museum that draws visitors from the Puget Sound area, outside the state and internationally.
“I’ve really enjoyed working on the project, and I believe in keeping it reflective of our community and hometown values,” he continued. “Over the years I’ve turned down a number of potential national tenants in favor of local ones who understand the Pacific Northwest and Edmonds.”
With the success and stability of Salish Crossing now a fait accompli, Echelbarger — a problem-solver by nature — is looking for new challenges.
“Now that the problem is fixed and we’re 100 percent leased, it’s time to move on,” he said. “I’ve been noodling on finding a new owner for Salish Crossing for about a year now. For myself, I’m definitely on the lookout for other projects like this in the Puget Sound area and Washington state. It’s the kind of thing I really enjoy — solving problems.”
The property is listed with West Coast Commercial Realty for $18.8 million.
But will a new owner bring changes that could adversely affect the local flavor and ambiance of Salish Crossing?
“Nothing here will change,” he said. “For Edmonds residents, the switch to a new owner will be transparent. All our tenants have leases locked in, and no one is going anywhere.
“Both Brigid’s Bottle Shop and 190 Sunset have plans to expand,” he continued. “But these are already in the works and won’t be affected by any change in ownership.”
And he promises “zero change” in commuter parking beyond removing the fence that currently separates the Salish Crossing lot from the train station. “This will make access to the station much more direct, and avoid making commuters walk around the fence to get to the train platform,” he added.
Regarding when a sale might happen, Echelbarger indicated that it’s all dependent on finding the right buyer. “We’ve had lots of interest,” he said. “Most inquiries are from local Puget Sound-area buyers who understand our conventions and community.”
— By Larry Vogel
This rebirth has been amazing to watch. Hopefully with the sale will come a renewed interest in adding to our community. There are several areas in town that could use some new thinking and upgrades to enhance the community. Our direction has been to identify areas that could become walkable neighborhoods with access to public transportation and to add amenities that would make “villages” within town. Many of these concepts have been discussed before and received much public input. The studies launched by the Economic Development Commission several years ago to “study and think about” 5 Corners and Westgate serve as good examples of community thinking and discussion.
When Edmonds embarked on creating a Strategic Action Plan several years ago more that 2500 citizens and stakeholders of all ages and from all around Edmonds participated in thinking about our future. The City Council, Planning Board, and Economic Development held several, well attended retreats to work openly and on ideas that will make Edmonds a better place for our citizens. Much of that initial work has been completed but there is more to do.
One key discussion points in the SAP was to figure out if we have areas in town that could become “villages”. While each of these area pose different opportunities and challenges they all should be honestly and openly discussed with an eye on the principles originally endorsed by the citizens who participated in the SAP. Among the potential “villages” were: Perrinville, Firdale Village, Hwy 99, 5 Corners, Westgate, and Harbor Square.
With the sale of Salish Crossing, it would be nice for the current owners to “work their magic” on one of the “villages” My vote is for them to consider Harbor Square. They know the area, know how their work has revitalized the area, and can bring that expertise and understanding to HS.
Whatever they may do, as a community we should first thank them for what they have done and encourage, persuade, cajole and even consider incenting them to work on one of our potential “villages”!