Do we want to claim another bank?

Madison Valley touts arrival of new bank office

Madison Park, which is already the home to an ever-expanding banking sector, could soon make the claim (assuming we wanted the notoriety) that we are home to six separate banking operations. Sound Community Bank earlier this month opened a loan production office at 3101 E. Madison St. That's technically within the boundaries of Madison Park, as defined by the Madison Park Community Council and our local business association, which draw the border between us and Madison Valley at Lake Washington Boulevard. The new Sound Community location (across from Pagliacci Pizza) is just inside that line.

We note, however, that Madison Valley's recently revamped website takes the credit for having the new banking operation as part of its community---and we suspect that many Madison Parkers are perfectly willing to let Madison Valley have it.  When Key Bank arrived in our neighborhood in 2011 the move was more than a bit controversial, and the presumed arrival of HomeStreet Bank later this year means Madison Park will soon have five full-service bank branches to choose from. Sound Community's operation will be not be on that scale, however: just a couple of loan officers and no teller windows. But there will ultimately be an ATM, according to Sound Community's president, who we happened to meet at a recent banking event.  (The Bank, by the way, believes it has located its new office in Madison Park, according to its website.)

In other news of Madison Valley we note that that neighborhood's longtime home-decor and accessories store, Vertiables, closed up shop and consolidated its operations into its Bellevue location this month. Veritables had been a Madison Valley mainstay for over 20 years.  Meanwhile, Functional Health Chiropractic & Massage, has been revamped, renamed and relocated up the street to Capitol Hill (2014 E. Madison St.). As Vida Integrated Health it is offering many more services in a much bigger space.

We don't know what might ultimately fill these two empty Madison Street storefronts. But we do know that the space Bill the Butcher vacated last year (2911 E. Madison St.) is about to become a new home furnishings store called Koselig KD3.  No details and no anticipated arrival date are known (at least to us) at this time.