Let’s remember the grand opening of Chubby & Tubby, on this day in 1947 (November 22)
For many, many years, if you wanted something, and you lived near Seattle, you could find it at Chubby & Tubby stores. It was a Northwest institution, and it celebrated its grand opening 72 years ago today.
From HistoryLink and Peter Blecha:
On Saturday, November 22, 1947, a war-surplus shop called Chubby & Tubby (3333 Rainier Avenue S) holds its Grand Opening in Seattle. The business — which is initially based in a set of metal military Quonset huts on a corner lot (formerly site of a Signal gas station) in Seattle’s Rainier Valley neighborhood — had actually been open for about five weeks. But it seems that the two rotund owners — Woodrow (“Woody”) “Tubby” Auge (d. 1989) and Irvin “Chubby” Frese (d. 1997) — still had a few organizational wrinkles to iron out before making things official: In fact for those first five start-up weeks the company was actually called “Tubby & Chubby.”
Once that little matter was settled, the partners were ready to celebrate and their Grand Opening advertising touted the availability of “BALLOONS FOR KIDDIES, 10 OTHER PRIZES, $500 IN MERCHANDISE.” Some of the shop’s earliest merchandise included — according to their weekly (“War Surplus Specials”) classified ads in The Seattle Daily Times, such bargains as:
- 2 complete beds $10.95
- Army suntan pants, used 1.95
- Army all-wool pants (used) 3.95
- Aerosol bombs, 5-lb 2.95
- 2-man mt. tents 8.95
- Navy raincoat, 3/4 length 2.95
- Navy CPO shirts 5.50
- Navy rain pants and parkas 4.95
- Navy work shoes 5.95
- Used wool gloves, pr. .49
Chubby & Tubby’s business grew to the extent that about four years later they were able to expand into a three-store chain with new outlets up north near Green Lake (7906 Aurora Avenue N) and down south in White center (9556 16th SW) — a shop that was moved to Renton in 2001.
Each of these stores was appreciated for their great prices and crazy array of goods. Chubby & Tubby became local fixtures that, many years later, The Seattle Times would honor in an editorial: “just about every grown man in every Chubby & Tubby neighborhood recalls buying sweat pants, a fishing pole, garden tools or a pack of nails at the store … . Chubby & Tubby is one of those places so old-fashioned and comfortable it is like spending a half-hour with an old friend. You never quite know what you will find roaming the sometimes messy aisles.”
Awesome, but Chubby & Tubby stores are long gone, but the name remains in one context: selling Christmas trees.
Have you ever heard of the Chubby and Tubby variety stores? Back in the day they were a Seattle institution. They were known for cheap Converse shoes, cheap fishing supplies, cheap everything.
It’s been about 12 years since the Chubby and Tubby stores shut down, but it turns out their cheap Christmas tree tradition lives on.
Mike DiCecco sells Chubby and Tubby Christmas trees every December at MJD Distributors Garden Center, his nursery on Aurora Ave North in Shoreline.
After the Chubby and Tubby stores closed, DiCecco bought the rights to the name and contracted with the old supplier.
“We just decided to keep it going because it was a Seattle tradition and we didn’t want to see that go away,” DiCecco said.
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