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MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2013
Vol. CXXIII, No. 246
INSIDE:
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE CITY OF TACOMA Devoted to the Courts, Real Estate, Finance, Industrial Activities, and Publication of Legal Notices
Published Published Since Since 1890 1890
Visit our Web site at at www.tacomadailyindex.com
LEGAL NOTICES BANKRUPTCIES LIENS ORDERS FEDERAL COURT AUDITORS OFFICE NEW BUSINESSES editor@tacomadailyindex.com
Year In Review
Earthwise Architectural Salvage Article and Photo By Todd Matthews, Editor For more than two decades, Seattle-based Earthwise Architectural Salvage has been a destination for DIY homeowners, interior designers, contractors, architects, carpenters, and artists looking to buy or sell salvaged building materials. You might have even seen some of the company's salvaged lumber, iron work, and vintage light fixtures in many Seattle shops, restaurants, and bars, including Starbucks-owned Roy Street Coffee and Tea, Grim's Restaurant and Lounge, Oddfellows Cafe and Bar, Rudy's Barbershop, and The Kingfish Cafe. The company expanded to Tacoma's East Side last year. In May, the Tacoma Daily Index featured the company and its owner Kurt Petrauskas (pictured). "We've been up in Seattle for over 20 years, so we're pretty embedded there," Petrauskas, who graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in biology before moving to Seattle and finding work as a general contractor, told the Index. "I [thought about] Tacoma because there's nothing like it. Tacoma's got a great history. It's actually older than Seattle. I said, 'I think Tacoma has the market and the surrounding area.'" Petrauskas got into the salvage business after high-end home renovations and demolitions sent him to the local landfill one too many times. He was so sure the materials he was throwing away were perfectly salvageable that he decided to buy an old house and completely gut and renovate it using the scraps he scavenged and scrounged from demolition job sites. Sometimes he would even drive around the city scouting for home demolitions and ask if he could haul the old lumber, doors, and windows away. Other times he would go to the local landfill, scope out building materials other contractors were getting ready to toss, and ask if he could haul some of it away. During our interview ("A New Life For Old Homes: Seattle's Earthwise Architectural Salvage expands to Tacoma," May 30, 2013), Petrauskas discussed the company's early history, his decision to open in Tacoma, interesting items his company has salvaged (a rare needle-nosed shower dating back to the late-1880's and salvaged out of a North Slope Tacoma home, for example), his interest in historic preservation, and changes within the industry over the past 20 years. "Everybody who comes in the store really enjoys it and likes it, so we're starting to gain a little bit of traction in the area," he added. "There are very creative people in Tacoma. Some of our really good clients in Seattle are actually Tacoma residents."
NOTE TO READERS
In observance of Christmas Day, the Tacoma Daily Index will not be published on Weds., Dec. 25. Publication will resume on Thurs., Dec. 26.