The "then" photo was taken in 1987 and shows a Burlington Northern locomotive hauling freight through Renton on Houser Way. The picture was taken by Robert Johnston and is courtesy of the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive and colorized. On the left is one of the ~300 "Christmas Tree" style street lamp poles that were installed in 1973 throughout the City. Each pole had sixteen 60 watt light bulbs so they were not energy efficient or maintenance friendly. They were rarely turned on and in 1991, the bulbs and most of the poles were removed. For those interested, there is a fully restored and refurbished one at 3rd and Williams that was unveiled in 2024 by Renton Arts Commission.

The building on the left is Sewing Machine Service Co. which has been in business in Renton since 1942. On the right side, the large sign reads "Pickering," short for Bruce Pickering Appliance and TV, which was at this location since at least 1970 (per old ads I've found). As I recall, it was in operation into 1990s.

In the "now" photo, all these buildings are still standing with current businesses Marianna Ristorante, Details Barbershop, and others.

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The "then" photo is a close up of The Roxy theater's marquee sign in 2005, courtesy of DeviantArt LaraR. In the "now" photo, the lights and marquee boards are gone and the building is used as a church. Luckily, the neon lights were salvaged and in 2007 the sign was restored by Renton Historical Society and put on display at the Renton Museum.

The building dates back to 1936 when it was built by Erwin Fey as his third movie theater in Renton. For many decades later, The Roxy was a landmark entering downtown from the west, and its bright lights created vivid memories for teenagers "Cruising the Loop" in the 1950's, 60's, and 70's.

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This video shows the extremely long checkout line at Fry's Electronics (Renton, WA) during the 2008 Black Friday Sale. Footage is courtesy of Flickr user svikiram and enhanced using Topaz Video AI. The end of the line is at the front of the store in the main aisle. The line goes past the cafeteria (on the right) to the very back of the store (where home stereo and laptops/PCs were displayed), then heads left towards car audio, left again passing DVDs, Guitar Hero, and Rockband displays, then a 180 degree turn near home appliances, then another left near CDs, and then a left and continuing past video games and the bathrooms (on the right), where the video ends. It was still been a long line to the registers from this point.

Fry's Electronics opened August 28, 2003 in a 140,000 square foot building at 800 Garden Ave N. It had a tame design theme compared to other Fry's locations and showcased historical photographs of Renton. The store permanently closed in 2021 and remains vacant, but the building was reportedly purchased by Winco in 2024.

Music: 4ever groove by TUAZ
Cover photo: Courtesy of Flickr findwell

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The first and only IKEA in Washington opened on October 21, 1994. Renton Mayor Earl Clymer cut the ribbon at the grand opening which attracted an estimated 20,000 people. Traffic and parking was difficult for months thereafter especially on weekends. The original store used two old 1979 warehouse buildings separated by an alleyway. One was converted into a parking garage and the other into the maze-like store IKEA is known for. Covered parking was appreciated but I remember a dark and confusing walk to find the store entrance.

In 2015, the parking garage was demolished to make way for the construction of a new store. The old store remained open while the new store was being built. Once the new store opened on February 22, 2017, the old store was demolished and an expansive parking lot was built. The old and new stores are about the same size (399,000 square feet), but the new store has an improved layout operationally.

Photos and videos courtesy of Flickr users Atomic Taco, Daniel Taka, and Sarah Cady, and YouTube users Deacon Construction and A&R Solar. Videos enhanced using Topaz AI.

Music: Bygone by TUAZ @tuazmdt

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