Cigars and Candy

When passengers exited the Edmonds wharf after arriving on a steamboat in 1902, one of the first establishments they would have seen was The Lotstrom Cigar and Candy Store located on the south side of George Street, two blocks up from the wharf.

In 1912, Fred Fourtner — who was a future mayor of Edmonds and who previously had attended Edmonds’ earliest schools — returned to Edmonds from Lynden and purchased the store. A month later Fourtner sold the business to C. F. Freese, but Mr. Freese died four months later, and Fourtner took back ownership of the business.

The following year Fourtner converted the building into a small eatery. The Edmonds Cafe served passengers waiting for or arriving off steamboats traversing Puget Sound, as well as loggers and mill employees who worked along the waterfront.

Over the next two decades, Fred Fourtner leased the building out as a local eatery to several owners including Mr. Pearce in 1915 and Mr. and Mrs. O’Neill in 1926.  The 1927 Edmonds Telephone book lists The Henson Cafe as the last eatery to reside in the building.

Paint and wallpaper replace the eatery.

In 1928, C.J. Hillebrandt, who had come from Poulsbo six years earlier, purchased the building and moved his paint and wallpaper store from Third Street into the new location.

The building was subsequently moved sometime between 1928 and 1932 onto a large lot, two blocks east of its original location. It wasn’t uncommon for buildings to be picked up and moved in those years. Unfortunately, due to the lack of public records and city directories during those years, we were unable to establish exactly when the building was moved.

However, in the 1933 Edmonds Telephone directory an actual numerical address was used for the first time as an identifier of C.J. Hillebrant’s paint and wallpaper store’s location: 304 Main Street.

The reason for the relocation is unknown, but it may have been that Hillebrandt wanted to combine the business with his residence. After the move, a two-story add-on was adjoined to the rear of the building. The lower floor included a living space, bathroom, kitchen, courtyard and cinderblock garage. A stairway led up to the top floor, where a bedroom, bath and large roof deck were available.

C.J. Hillebrandt ran his paint and wallpaper business from this location until his death in 1953. With his demise, the business and building were purchased by Frank and Eleanor Petrowitz. The Petrowitz family rebranded the business as The Edmonds Paint and Wallpaper Store and at about the same time the street addresses along Main Street were changed.  The 1954 Edmonds Telephone Book’s yellow pages lists the business as formerly C.J. Hillebrandt, but with the new address of 214 Main Street.

Author’s note: While living in the rear of the building, the Petrowitz family wallpapered and painted the interior of the residence to reflect their product offerings.  Remnants of the 1950s wallpaper still exist on the walls of the stairwell that once led to the roof of the building 70 years ago.

1953 Fredericksen Insurance and Real Estate opens in Edmonds.

At approximately the same time as the Edmonds Paint and Wallpaper Company was being established, Harry and Louise opened Fredericksen Realty Company at 312 Main Street.

Upon their arrival, the four children entered the Edmonds School District and subsequently graduated from Edmonds High School in 1952, 1954, 1956 and 1957 respectively while excelling in sports and popularity. Joan, the eldest, was homecoming queen in 1952, and Roy was senior class president in 1954. Each child’s yearbook lists a wide variety of activities in which they were involved.

With their four children busy in high school, Harry and Louise opened their own company, working as close partners in all facets of the business. According to their grandson, Bret, and other accounts, Harry was an excellent insurance broker and Louise was a very successful real estate broker. Louise was somewhat of a pioneer in her field, as women were not normally involved in real estate at the time.

In early 1954, the Fredericksens mailed a postcard to numerous Alaskan friends announcing their new business enterprise and invited them to come down and live in what they described as the “beautiful little city on Puget Sound.”

1954-1975: Simultaneous success for Fredericksen Realty and Edmonds Paint and Wallpaper

After their establishment in 1954, both companies were very successful in their respective fields. As the Fredericksen family business prospered, both Harry and Louise became involved in numerous civic activities, including the Chamber of Commerce and Lion’s Club, as the city went through some ups and downs in the 1960s through the early 1980s. Their eldest son, Roy also joined the firm as an associate broker in 1960 and worked beside his parents for over two decades.

Edmonds Paint and Wallpaper Company also expanded under the Petrowitz family as they broadened their product offerings to Edmonds’ growing population.

Fredericksen Realty moves to 214 Main St.

In late 1975, Frank and Eleanor Petrowitz decided to retire and sold their building to Frank and Louise Fredericksen.

Upon relocation, Fredericksen Realty had a new storefront sign designed, and permits for hanging the sign on the front of the building were approved by the city on Feb. 4, 1976.

For the next 16 years, Fredericksen Realty and Insurance remained at 214 Main Street and was expertly guided by Harry and Louise

During those years, Edmonds had begun rapidly transitioning from a modest town where people could purchase a home for $20,000, to a growing suburb where it was difficult to find a home for less than $100,000.

In a 1990 interview commemorating Edmonds’ Centennial, Harry stated: “Edmonds in the 1950s and 1960s was much slower paced. You could buy a cheap place with a great view.”  Then he added, “I think Edmonds has gone the way of Sausalito and Carmel.”

Fredericksen Realty closes

Sadly, and unexpectedly, Harry died of an aneurysm in his kitchen in the spring of 1992. Louise, who had been Harry’s close partner in life and in business, did not want to continue in business without him.

The office closed and the space remained empty for several years, although Louise continued to live in the area behind the office.

In 1993, the family had the building scraped and repainted although the family business’ sign remained.

Louise Fredericksen lived in the rear space until 1995, when she required assisted living care. She died in 1996. Upon her death, she turned ownership of the building over to her eldest son, Roy, who had worked in the family business.

Roy began renting the office space at the front of the building later that year to an Allstate Insurance Agent.  Additionally in 1998, Roy received permission from the city to remove the top floor of the original two-story addition and build a larger residential space on top of the ground floor and garage.  The new second-floor addition was to also include a small deck at the south end of the building.

Once the addition was completed, Roy and his wife Grace moved into the residential space.

In 2010, Roy was contacted by local artist Andy Eccleshall regarding the potential painting of a mural on the west wall of the original office building. The resulting mural, Edmonds 1893, was the first of numerous magnificent murals that Andy painted in Edmonds.

In 2015, Roy Fredericksen, like his father, passed away in the family home. His wife Grace remained in the family residence for seven more years until her passing in 2022. Upon her death, the ownership of the building was passed on to her children.

214 Main Street today

Today the office space is occupied by Allstate Insurance Agent Matthew Ulrich. Matthew’s office has been at this location for nearly 10 years. Prior to Matthew, Allstate agents Gail Welfringer and Mike McGinnis were in the space.

The rear portion of the building remains a private residence.

Built in 1902, the office at 214 Main Street over the years has been the home to a confectionary/cigar store, multiple eateries, two paint/wallpaper companies, a successful combined insurance and real estate company and most recently several Allstate Insurance agencies. Imagine if its walls could talk, what stories it could tell regarding the history of Edmonds and the events that occurred along Main Street during the past 123 years.

Author’s final note: Kahlo’s Cantina currently resides approximately where the original 1902 Confectionary and Candy store was located.

This story was researched and written by Byron Wilkes. Thanks go to the Fredericksen family, Colleen and her son Liam for the extensive help they provided in documenting their family’s history in Edmonds. Additional thanks go to the City of Edmonds Planning Department, The Edmonds Historical Museum, Sno-Isle Genealogical Society and Arnie Lund for their assistance.