Archive for March, 2008
March 19, 2008 at 1:12 pm · Filed under Bites of Buckwheat
Every Thursday morning at 8AM, Yours Truly, and Buckwheat (aka Mark Flanders) hook-up for some wonderfully strong fresh brewed Java at The Global Bean here in Silverdale WA. If you haven’t been there, you owe it to yourself to check it out. It’s quickly becoming THE destination of choice for community connections.
We share a kicked-back informal time discussing all things Web 2.0 (blogging, social networking, etc.) and how it is affecting our culture, and the way we approach the market today.
Anyone who reads is welcome to join us! Hope to see you all there!
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March 13, 2008 at 10:26 pm · Filed under Bites of Washington, Bites of Kitsap, Silverdale Real Estate, Sparks from Sparky, Business Bites
Living in the Pacific Northwest, and being a stone’s throw across the Sound from Seattle, we are literally inundated with coffee shops & espresso stands on nearly every corner. From the major players like Starbuck’s, Tully’s, and Seattle’s Best, to the smaller venues like “Natte Latte,” we have a wealth of choices to get our caffeine quick fix.
In his book “The Purple Cow,” Marketing Guru Seth Godin states that Starbucks was ‘remarkable’ a few years ago. Now, he says, they’re boring.
Well, I wouldn’t necessarily call them ‘boring.’ Just recently, they intentionally closed all of their stores early so they could conduct training sessions for their employees. Supposedly it was to send a message to us consumers that Starbucks truly cares about improving their products/services. I watched a video clip on MSNBC where they were interviewing regular Starbucks customers outside one of the ‘closed’ stores. Boy, were they ever upset! Most of them simply headed down the street to the nearby Dunkin’ Donuts store! …..But I digress….
We have a new ‘player’ here in Kitsap County WA - The Global Bean. They occupy 1st floor space in the Cavalon Place II Office Building, part of the new Highland Business Park on Myhre Road in Silverdale.
As a long time Starbucks customer, I initally thought this venture was headed for a tough go. I mean, who can compete with Starbucks? During my first visit, it took entirely way too long to get just a simple tall brewed coffee with an add shot. I had become spoiled by the Howard Schultz java assembly-line.
As I was waiting, I met one of the partners, Joel Skellie. Great guy, very personable, down to earth. He said straight up,…
“We’re never going to be fast. We’re not going to compete against Starbucks, or any of the others. This is a place to slow down and connect. And we’ve got live local musicians three nights a week - from Celtic to Bluegrass, Jazz or Acoustic. Our vision is to be a place where our community ‘happens” and becomes more intimate.”
Wow! Stop the Press! ‘Slow down’ and ‘Connect?” Gee, what a concept!
So, I’ve been back. A lot. My wife and I go just about every week for coffee and a friendly game of Scrabble over Jazz. My blogging buddy, Buckwheat (aka Mark Flanders) and I meet there every Thursday morning at 8am with other area blog enthusiasts. We met some friends of ours there a couple of Sundays ago, and enjoyed wonderful conversation and great eats. As we were talking, we noticed that the place was empty except for us. We asked the barrista why there weren’t more customers, and he said that they had closed 2 hours ago! We were mortified! But they had been so busy cleaning up and had simply allowed us to continue our conversations!
The Global Bean is the vision and reality of partners Joel Skellie and Lance Gilbert. Joel has been a Kitsap County resident for over 19 years, served as a worship pastor for nearly as long, and is heavily involved in community music. Lance moved here in 1995 bringing a very successful software company along with him from Southern California. He is also involved in area music and theatre, enjoys graphic arts, music & video production, software design, and consulting.
Okay, so maybe when you’re in a hurry, you can do one of those ‘other’ drive-thru assembly line places. But as crazy and hectic as life is these days, it sure is a nice change of pace to ’slow down’ and ‘connect’ every once in a while!
The Global Bean… “Where Community and Coffee Connect!”
2021 NW Myhre Road, Suite 101 ~ Silverdale, WA ~ 360.892.9582
Hours: M-Th 7am-10pm ~ Fri 8am-Midnight ~ Sat 9am-Midnight ~ Sun 8am-7pm
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March 6, 2008 at 9:01 am · Filed under Bremerton Real Estate, Silverdale Real Estate, Real Estate Bites, Buyers, Sellers, Sparks from Sparky
As I travel throughout the Real Estate Blogosphere these days, I see a lot of articles being published by agents with the positive-spin headlines,….
…..”It’s a GREAT Time to Buy!”
I wonder how much of this is simply hopeful optimism? Wishful thinking? Or an attempt by those in the real estate industry to counter the incessant media bombardment of ‘Doom & Gloom?”
Well, let’s face it, in most markets across the country, existing homes sales have declined significantly. There’s no way to sugar coat that reality. And as much as we’d love to see things turn around soon, there is no substantive indication of that happening anytime in the near future.
But I suppose, if enough people say that it’s a good time to buy, then maybe some innocent and unsuspecting consumer will actually decide to ‘buy’ something? Just like Peter Pan, we could collectively think ‘Happy Thoughts’ about the market, and magically, home sales would fly!
Buying a home is a HUGE decision, by far one of the most important financial investments you’ll probably ever make. Certainly not something to be rushed into based on the overly zealous opinions of someone who doesn’t get paid unless YOU buy!
So, is it TRUE or FALSE? Is ‘Now’ a good time to Buy?
Well, the answer is TRUE. And FALSE. It really depends on each individual situation. What’s your current financial status? What are your goals? Where do you want to buy? How long do you plan on living in the home?
Here in Kitsap County WA, many of our clients are Active-Duty military. A good number of them are typically on orders to be stationed here for 2 to 3 years. In the past, with home valuations appreciating nicely, investing in a home purchase made sense in most instances. But with the current market decline, it may be better for some people to take advantage of on-base housing, or rent.
If you’re considering a home purchase, find a real estate professional who knows the local market intimately, and can give you reputable counsel, based on your particular needs.
And if the first words out of their mouth is, “It’s a Great Time to Buy!,” then give me a call.
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Yours Truly was interviewed and quoted at length in the March 2008 issue of the 
