Comments on: Olsen’s Scandinavian Foods announces it will close

By: Bjorn

Bjorn — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:30:24 +0000

Hello, I had written in late June of last year to this forum, but cannot see my post any longer. Perhaps representing my business is not accepted. My original statement had been an invitiation to come visit my store on 67th and 15th. Scandinavian Specialties. We are a a gift store, a cafe and a grocer. We have all that Olsens once had and much much more. Our business has been a fixture of the Ballard community for 50 years. Please come visit our family store for any Scandinavian needs you may have. We havew Krokan Is for the summertime, come give it a try!

By: TheScrutinizer

TheScrutinizer — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:25:11 +0000

I was at Syttende Mai yesterday and was shocked to find Olsen’s gone.

I walked right past a stand selling polse m/lompe og Solo, determined to get mine at Olsen’s where I’ve gotten it every year I can remember.

When I saw a Mexican food joint in their space something inside me felt like it had died.

As a person of Scandinavian descent I am truly saddened. Where will I get my Marzipan brod and kjottkaker?

Where will I go to practice what little Norwegian I know?

Uff for meg.

By: erikaeie

erikaeie — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:04:01 +0000

Deeply deeply saddened by this news, which I realize is much overdue! I moved to another state for these last six months and I never heard that the store closed until I tried to call them just today.

Great memories of eating the polse here on 17th of May and also dragging my boyfriend through the shop to make him eat pickled herring, etc.

I'm moving back to Seattle soon and I had always hoped to move close to Olsen's. Now I have no real reason to move to Ballard. *Sigh*

Thanks for all the great food/memories/very friendly staff.

By: lindaskugstad

lindaskugstad — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:28:39 +0000

This is old news by now, but we just found out about Olsen's today, October 18, 2009, while shopping at the Ballard Market. I am very sorry to see Olsen's Scandinavian Foods close. My parents were from Norway (they are deceased now) and immigrated to the U.S. after WWII, 1947 to be exact. My sister and I were born in Seattle and Olsen's, which use to be Johnsen's was a store our Mother shopped at for years, until she and our father retired and went back to Stavanger, Norway. For many years our family was absent from Seattle, living in Norway and other parts of the world, but have since returned back to the Northwest in the early 90's. We picked up where we left off so to speak, and went back to shopping at Olsen's every time we were in Ballard area. I live further north of Seattle about 20 miles, and my sister lives in Calgary, Alberta Canada, so neither of us had regular visits to Olsen's, but still we would try to get down to Ballard at least 3 times a year or more. Where do we go now? Very, very sorry to hear that Olsen's is closed.
Regards,

By: Lush123

Lush123 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:35:14 +0000

Ha!

By: ExiledBrit

ExiledBrit — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:39:32 +0000

Don't feed the trolls Alisa!

We all know there is plenty of room for everyone in Ballard, even the yuppies, God bless their pointy little heads!

And as for the Scandies, heck, I enjoy watching the Syttende Mai parade even though I'm a Brit, I just enjoy a bit of civic pride.

By: Jules

Jules — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:41:46 +0000

Well, Viking Bank is closely allied to the other Scandinavian store, Scandinavian Specialties. No suprise there.

By: Billy

Billy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:14:55 +0000

'throw expensive……'

By: Billy

Billy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:13:27 +0000

Hey Alisa, as a certified yuppie, I'll raise a $4 latte to toast your suffering at the hands of us evil outsiders who have invaded your Ballard. Clearly you own the place and all history here begins and ends with YOU!

Maybe we can add a booth at Seafest: Come through expensive yuppie pet toys at the serving angry native.

By: someoneclose

someoneclose — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:46:48 +0000

They tried on several sundays to keep the store open but it didn't have much buisness. It cost more to keep the store open then what they made for the day…. There were alot of things that could have been changed to make extra money but the sisters were ready to be done, They have both worked there for over 20 years and just wasn't willing to keep doing it another 20. Anita's son wanted to take the store over but because he had no assets (House) he was unable to get a loan. Lets just say that the amount he was asking for was very small and the local Norweigian bank Viking Bank couldn't even help. That's pretty sad when you've got the biggest part of the norweigian community trying to stay alive and the norweigian local bank can't help out….. WOW the buisness was there for 49 years and they didn't think he could make it another 49……

By: Alisa

Alisa — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:31:38 +0000

It is not nearly as challenging as dealing with the condos and the people like you.

By: Stripper

Stripper — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:53:16 +0000

Wow, change, strange people, different people, funny foods.

Must be horrible living in Ballard with all these weird outsiders and their funny names and different tastes. How do you survive?

By: someoneclose

someoneclose — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:06:36 +0000

brooksb,,,,, it lasted 49 years. The store is closing because the owners want to retire. The people who were going to buy it couldn't get financed because of the economy and how bad the banks are doing…. It's a good thing you kept your money in your pocket. It's stuck up people like you that are moving into Ballard and changing it for the worst…..

By: veronica

veronica — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:49:43 +0000

Sweet rose you're a fool. Do you think they stayed in buisness (Very small buisness) for 50 years if they didn't offer food people wanted? FOOL

By: Alisa

Alisa — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:36:08 +0000

Your posting names suit you.
This is why I don't move: I bought my home here many years ago exactly because I could speak my “other” language to my neighbors. I could buy the foods I grew up eating. I could enjoy the hygeli environment here and not have to defend myself against sorry little fools like yourselves.
In an era when being a “mixed neighborhood” is so cool, why is it that those of us who don't have the appropriate color in our ethnicity are fair game for tacky comments?
I almost feel sorry for you.

By: Alisa

Alisa — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:28:53 +0000

That post cracks me up!!! I picture a yuppie peacock waiting to be “attended to” so they would buy some friggen sausage. This is exactly what I hate about this area now. I would post some nasty comments in Danish, but there may still be a person or two who would understand what I said.

By: Sweet Rose

Sweet Rose — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:49:05 +0000

Rallied around and done what? Bought stuff you don’t want and have no need for? You yourself said you have not been in the shop. Bars are the only places in Ballard making any money. Of course when the neighborhood turns in to a bar neighborhood fill of bar stool fixtures, there goes the neighborhood.

By: Carolyn

Carolyn — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:29:03 +0000

Hello,

We are very sorry to hear about your lovely shop closing.We live in Langley BC and one of the highlights to our daughter and son-in-laws home in Ballard was to stop and buy some treats that are seldom found elsewhere.
We will miss this and are very sad to hear this news.

Thanks for the good memories, Carolyn

By: HeatherHeather

HeatherHeather — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:28:02 +0000

btw, I was just in there this afternoon and everything is flying off the shelves. In the past every time I've gone in there you'd find 1 or 2 other people in the store, but today there were about 8! They were joking that they should have announced they were closing every few months so they'd get such great business.
There were many an old folk in there reminiscing about “how things used to be” and telling old stories about the store and the area. :) I understand the changing world and society, but I wish we would pay more attention to and respect our history.

By: y

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:21:45 +0000

Why would you do that? The majority population still needs lights.

By: Lush

Lush — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:44:37 +0000

In 20 years when your favorite Ballard haunt closes and you start sadly saying how the neighborhood is changing so much we'll see what you have to say.

It's 's not elitist to like your favorite stores but it is elistist to bulldoze a neighborhood that used to be cool.

By: Lush

Lush — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:32:39 +0000

But there's not enough condos in Kent Stripper…..

By: Lush

Lush — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:29:09 +0000

TRUE! Seattle is reserved – where are you from? Did you really want a “hard-sell” at Olsens?

By: Lush

Lush — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:24:35 +0000

RIP Ballard. I liked this place and I’m Argentinean! One of the things that made Ballard so unique in the first place has also closed down. Would the last Old Swede leaving Ballard turn off the lights??

By: Stripper

Stripper — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:59:15 +0000

Then move to Kent why don't you.

By: Stripper

Stripper — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:58:19 +0000

"the new gives a nod to Ballard's beginnings"

You mean the 'new' should pay the old's rent to keep out dated, inefficient business subsidized?

No thanks.

And this place was "Ballard's beginnings" only if humans have been living here since 1960.

By: m

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:38:09 +0000

This is really sad, but most people do their shopping after work or on weekends. So many people come to downtown Ballard on Sundays for the market, but they weren't open!! They will be missed.

By: matt

matt — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:57:46 +0000

this was just mentioned on the local news, I think it was King5, and they cited My Ballard as the source. SWEET!

By: GUest

GUest — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:13:29 +0000

It's not that nobody wanted to shop there – people DO shop there, however, the price of the items they import has risen so dramatically because of economy, gas costs, etc…that most of the items have become too expensive for the average customer. Yes, everything is cyclical, but I dislike the haters saying that nobody shopped there. Yes, people did – but many of the items were so expensive we couldn't buy all that we wanted anymore. And yes, the store will be sorely missed.

By: bring back the clouds

bring back the clouds — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:10:54 +0000

The store keeper probably was respecting your privacy. Did you, yourself say hello? Where do you think you are anyway? This is the Northwest, by the way, not some southern state where everyone talks to strangers. What do you mean by “presented every opportunity for the store keeper to engage in dialogue” are you sure you are not from Seattle? – because that is the sort of passive aggressive behavior we like around here.