Oh, dang! My husband and I attended most of their classes before our son was born this January. And I got my post-birth massage there (which was TOTALLY AWESOME).

If there's anything folks can do -- besides having another baby right way -- let us know!

This is a shame. It was a great resource for pregnant women and new parents. When my daughter and I were having trouble with breastfeeding they were and invaluable resource to us.

Hopefully they can work something out...

What a bummer! They will be sorely missed.

Absolutely! We miss them big time, Me and my husband were one of the regulars there! It still feels as if it was just yesterday we attended!

Debra

This is very bad news for my neighborhood. My cranial sacral therapist is located in the building with Gracewinds/Pea Pod and may now have to move. Bummer.

How exactly does a business win the SBA award for Women in Small Business, the Seattle Mayor’s Small Business Award, the Homestreet Bank Great Business award, and the SBA Blue Ribbon Small Business Award, and go bankrupt just seven months after winning that last one? It'll be interesting to get the full story on such a remarkable nosedive.

How do they go bankrupt? Maybe by offering voodoo to insecure white folk in search of any kind of religion to fill the void in their lives?

At least that's what I think my cranial sacral therapist said, it was hard to hear with the bone through her nose.

I'm with mountainer, espousing an ideology that appeals to one percent of the population probably isn't a good business plan.

T*t Nazis......

Oh cute! Trolls! I've heard there's a cave for you out in Redmond!

hopefully feng shooey will also go the way of this voodoo medicine

Biff sounds like just the sort of name they like in Redmond. Why don't you move in with the Mountaineer that can't spell and you two can let The Boss run your show. You can drive your SUVs individually to the mall and buy mass-produced crap. How fun to be you.

Amy-- you really need to put your last comments through Mail Goggle before posting. Looks like you'd been hitting the bottle. How fun to be you!

Just because I happen to think that it was not a workable business plan long term, doesn't make me a troll. It means I live in the neighborhood, have an opinion and have every right to express it.

While they did offer some "alternative" services (I don't even know what Cranial Sacral Therapy is!) their main focus was providing relatively mainstream services for pregnant and post natal women.

They offered birthing and parenting classes, pre-natal massage (prescribed by my very non-voodoo doctor), prenatal fitness classes, breastfeeding classes and a place for the lactation consultant nurses from Northwest Hospital to do nursing and weight gain checks. They also hosted support groups for new mothers. Their Peapod store offered slings, baby clothes, breastfeeding supplies, books and skincare.

I think most of their services were pretty mainstream and think there were other factors at play here. Like maybe in this economy pregnant women skipped things that they deemed non-essential like massage and classes, or that with the addition of the book store and cafe they grew too fast. Who knows?

1% of the population?! Take a look around, there are babies and preggers everywhere in the Ballard and Greenwood areas.

Gracewinds provided excellent services. We took our birthing class there and took advantage of their weight checks. I think they could have handled their retail section a little better. Not only was the store not open during my evening birthing class, I tried to go there many times after work to find it closed. When I did manage to get in there I was under whelmed. I had my baby last year when the whole BPA leaching problem came up and I figured of any place the pea pod would have a good selection of non BPA products. They had nothing and said the born free bottles were on back order and wouldn't be in for a few months. I went home and ordered them from Amazon and got them within a week.

I think its pretty easy to see that this is a perfect example of what the republican economy, of letting the criminals get bailed out while the small business goes belly up, is what happened to gracewinds. The financial problems this administration created has left a huge gap in the lives of the community. Gracewinds was a great asset to Ballard and will be sorely missed. Their street parties, their sold out classes, and all of their services which people loved. As far as the people saying it was a bad business model, they were operating the same way as all the big coorporate businesses are too, borrowning money, except they are being punished by not being repersented in the efforts to save this struggling economy and so are being ignored and left to die. The evil cronies of the financial empires who always made sure to pay themselves before their clients and employees can afford to whine at the senators feet and get saved right now while the rest of us just scrape to get by.

it's always hard to see a local business close. Not everyone who excels i their craft/talent necessarily is also good at financial planning for their business...it's not a requirement, so sadly businesses who begin with lots of enthusiasm and great talent cannot make it financially...even under the best of circumstances it takes 3 years for a business to be profitable...

There are indeed a lot of babies in Ballard and Greenwood (mine is one of them), why wasn't that enough to sustain them? Because their services did not suit the bulk of these parents. Oh well.

As for the BPA free thing, well, you are misinformed, the science behind the scare was bad:
http://thestatsblog.wordpress.com/category/bpa/. You just spent a lot of money to prevent something that wasn't there.

a lot of good people worked there and it is sad that they are gone and having to look for work in this crazy economy

Mmmm, I have to disagree with your statement that their services didn't suit the parents of our area. Prenatal yoga, birthing classes and lactation consulting are fairly common services sought out by new parents. And the fact that they won all the small business awards... I think there might be more to the story and could even be related to the credit crunch. Unless we know exactly what happened we should probably just agree to disagree about the popularity of their services.

About the BPA thing, I think the jury is still out and I'd rather be safe.

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/heart/...

Does this mean they'll be petruli smelling, pregnant ladies with unshaven legs wandering the streets of Ballard looking for cranial sacral therapists and new yoga masters to fill the emptiness in their lives? Oh my, how did our grandmother's survive without such things.

They remind me of La Leche League b**b nazis with their glass breast milk bottles and pumps squirting in your face as you walked past. As if everyone has the time to worry like college educated, neurotic, upper middle class white women. Some folks actually have to work for a living.

Mountaineer, perhaps you would be more comfortable in Eastern Washington - what with their far fewer numbers of unshaven and comfortable women.

Neglect, deceit and bad business practices will ruin any business, no matter how many awards are won.

Wrong again, Chris, the JAMA study notices a correlation not a causation, there is a very big difference. It could be just as likely that the people with heart disease and diabetes had poor nutrition as a result of what was in plastic containers with BPA. Your purchase was the equivalent of throwing salt over your shoulder when you've spilled some, there's nothing to prove it doesn't ward off evil spirits.

You are correct that the services you mention are fairly common services, so what was the market need for Gracewinds to provide them? Why not take the classes at Swedish? Oh, I know, they have an ideological approach to these issues, so they fill some sort of niche in the market and that niche amounts to about 1% nationally, maybe a little higher locally, but still nothing that's going to get the business off the ground, so it went in the ground.

Boos of You, don't you understand the wisdom of alternative medicine versus our horrible Western science? Just look at how yoga and Chinese medicine got life expectancy in those countries up to, what, 30 by the mid 1900s! And think what great things its done for the tiger testicle and bear gall bladder industries!

Actually their classes were sponsored by Northwest Hospital. If you were a patient of a doctor who practiced at Northwest they were the classes recommended.

You are right there is a big difference between correlation and causation and one of those differences is how you show them in a study. It is much harder to ethically prove causation especially when you are talking about long term exposure starting in infancy. And by the way I don't know if you read the JAMA study because they did statistically adjust for BMI and waist circumference to take into account any confounding factor of increased dietary intake and subsequent increased exposure to BPA.
It will be a hard thing to prove either way but in the mean time I prefer to play it safe. I don't know why you say I wasted my money, I needed bottles anyway and born free are only a couple of dollars more than avent or Dr Browns.

But back to the subject of Gracewinds. I went there for my birthing class after finding them on a list from the Northwest Hospital and my Ob and they were extremely close to where I live. There was absolutely no pressure to do crazy home births, no pressure to not have an epidural and no pressure to breastfeed or to co-sleep. It was more stages of labor, how to identify depression, basic infant care like bathing, CPR etc. Unless you all have used their services I think you shouldn't jump to conclusions that they were too alternative and that's why they closed.

Mountaineer, you are so out of line. Go back to your cave.

I'm addicted to the french bakery "Honore" in the space next door. Friendly service, amazing, reasonably-priced pastries, and great coffee! (Lighthouse)

I will miss chatting with the nice families that came and went from Gracewinds. Those little storefronts are lovely spaces. I wonder who will end up there?

(Selfishly hoping for a used bookstore or affordable art gallery!)

This is very sad. We took most of our birth classes at Gracewinds (child safety, infant CPR, breastfeeding, new baby care and the Boot Camp for new dads). (And they were packed and sold out, so I know they were hitting a niche!) But most important, the lactation specialist there was absolutely critical in the first week after our daughter's birth when her weight dropped an entire pound due to nursing problems. We went in weekly or bi weekly for weighing and met with her for help. They helped us through a very scary time. They have been a consistent source of good information as well as a port in the storm. If we were out for a walk and needed a clean and safe place to nurse, you could go there. It was great to have a local source of necessary items, although there were some problems with stocking such a small space. I tried to buy what I could there to help them, rather than going to the big box. Ballard is poorer indeed if we have lost this educational resource for parents.

Gracewinds and all who worked there will be sorely missed. They provided support and sound guidance to many families in Ballard and beyond. We can only hope for more businesses like them to continue to exist. Thanks for all you did.

Really, how low do you have to sink to feel schadenfreude over GRACEWINDS closing? Like they ever hurt either Mountaineer (glad she found her dictionary) or Atlas or The Bossy? Seems they take offense to the fact that some women like to do things a little differently than "the norm" in the U.S.

It takes a supremely small and insecure person to delight in the closing of a a small woman-owned and woman-serving business, just because said person didn't want a pregnancy massage or wish to purchase a BPA-free bottle.

Really, think Eastern Washington or maybe Midland, Texas. You will never have to encounter anyone or any idea that's "different," so you will never risk being offended.

This is such a disappointment. They offered a lot for pregnant women and new moms, even those who live in Redmond like me, Amy. Stop knocking the Eastside- it is far more liberal than you think.

Amy, I'm not offended by other folks' superstitions, I get a good laugh from them!

Whole Life Yoga in Greenwood would like to offer a free prenatal yoga class to all moms-to-be who were taking classes at Gracewinds. Just mention Gracewinds when you check in, and your first class will be free.

This valuable resource for families will be missed.

Whole life, aggressive yoga capitalists ready to snap up customers. Love it! Now say om and give us your credit card # to begin your healing.

Mountaineer...way out of line..first of all our grandmothers if you are 45-55 were born in the late 1800's or early 1900's and had children during the great depression...so infant mortality was up, sick women helped breast feed one another’s children to help those who were forced to work and had no other way to feed their infants....if you are 30-45 your grandmother had children when the first formulas came out, along with TV dinners...and the Ed Sullivan show...if you are 20-30 your Grandmother was probably brought up in the 60's with the flower children, the show Laugh-in, and the big comeback was natural foods, having children at home and that is when breastfeeding made a huge comeback. Fathers were also just allowed in the delivery rooms around 1974. Infant mortality is way up, women respect their bodies and the role they have in caring for a child in utero and thereafter. We (men and women) all have more of an awareness of our bodies and whether it be yoga, cranial massage, or a come back of natural medicines it is all about what makes us feel healthy and good. As far as your distain for breastfeeding or the fear of breast milk in general, perhaps you have your own mother to blame...trust me not a breastfed kid out there who is complaining. hard to believe but women's breasts were actually designed to feed their children, not just merely for visual decor. As far a girls with unshaven legs...perhaps you have not been to Europe and seen an attractive French women in the latest style with hair under her arms....get real...pick and choose who you want to rub legs with, and carry a razor on all your dates as a requirement...

What is wrong with white upper class eductaed white women, who choose yoga, alternative medicine or a wonderful place like Gracewinds???? Why the racial profiling, and did they get a educationso they did not have to work..where is the sense in that comment Caveman..I mean Mountaineer, what do you do for a living that makes you so bitter, angry and afraid of mothers who breast feed and are white? Where also is the correlation betwen upper education, whitem women and unshaen legs....???? Been to SOuth America, Africa, Asia or anywhre else where they breasfeed, eat natural foods, and are educated, and may not shave their legs...and what the heck is "pertruli"?? I also did not know the revered La Leche League was a natzi organization,where do you get your information to make such accusations? Shame on you for making yourself look so ignorant and uninformed!

Woof, so so strange...one business gets blasted for not surviving while another gets blasted for trying to survive (by stepping in where an obvious void now exists).

Also, why don't any of the bashers actually use there name in their posts...cowardly, I say.

The Second 9 Months has been providing lactation/parenting/sleep help in the Ballard neighborhood for 11 years. Swedish/Ballard, Ballard Pediatrics and various Drs. who practice at NW hospital all refer to my business. I provide home visits to families--you don't even have to get out of the car. Business is good--no impending bankruptcy to worry about! Lots and lots of families need help that they may not be able to find with their doctors. Feel free to look on my website for more information. www.second9months.com

OOPS correction. I meant to say you don't even have to get IN your car! I help you in the comfort of your own home!

Way to go Renee, swoop down like a t*t hanging from a sow and snatch up all those hungry customers.

I didn't realize there was so much competition in the b**b market!

Geeky-I know you delete spam off the comments, have you thought about deleting obvious troll posts?

Why is it trollish to compliment someone's capitalist instincts in the lactation industry?

Or are you some kind of fundamentalist (leftist or rightist?) who gets upset at b**b comments?

Capitalist? Nope. My goal is to help breastfeeding moms. I've been there all along, before and after Gracewinds and I've worked in the Ballard community for many years. I know many of the women who worked for Gracewinds and I feel horrible about what happened to them. It is a loss, for sure. I do this work the same reason most people do this work to support moms and families--and I can tell you if I was trying to get rich, this would not be the field to be in! I'm not "trolling," I'm involved in this community and I'm trying to give information. And while I'm giving information...Birth and Beyond recently opened a store in Fremont. Not Ballard, I know, but closer than Madison Park. I hope that helps all those Ballard moms as well.

Not a capitalist? So you don't charge for your services? Or you've been nationalized? Power to the people!

Renee, I hope you weren't thinking I was accusing you of being a troll. Thank you for posting your information, I wish I would have known about your services when I was struggling with breast feeding. No, I was addressing some of the other juvenile comments posted here.

Thanks, Chris. If posting my info was able to help 1 person, it was worth the juvenile comments. Maybe I'll meet you if you have another baby!

I pre-paid for classes that were scheduled after the closure. I want my money refunded! :(

rochelle, Call Northwest Hospital and see if you can transfer there.

Rochelle, you may be able to dispute the charges with your bank as the services were not rendered.

So sad to see Gracewinds go

when a person wins a lot of warm and fuzzy awards, the financials usually aren't part of the review. you do the math from there.

How does the owner win those awards and go bankrupt months later, you ask? The comment by "I know" sums it up...."Neglect, deceit and bad business practices will ruin any business, no matter how many awards are won."

Apparently several of us have had this experience and from what I've read, I'm not the only one who has had to take legal action against the owner. They will not be missed when there are ethical service providers offereing the same services.

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