Five Businesses I Want to See Come Back to Yakima

Of course I'm not thinking they would actually bring back a place to rent VHS tapes, but would be cool if we had a local rental store for movies and videos of all types. I still don't trust those Redbox machines and I like browsing various sections, holding the boxes and what-not, not just scrolling through a bunch of digital labels.

We had a Cold Stone by Fred Meyer. Then I was sad when it wasn't there anymore. Then it moved to 1st in Union Gap and I was happy again! Then it closed again and I was sad again. Third time's the charm, right? If you're not familiar with them, you choose your ice cream, choose your 'topping' and they blend it up right in front of you. It's awesome.

Royal Fork was an American-style buffet on 40th and Summitview, much like Old Country Buffet that we currently have at Valley Mall. And, like Old Country Buffet, I couldn't tell you everything they had to offer because A.) they had so many great options and B.) it was all about the desserts. It's always about the desserts! Although it'd be far too tempting to have a buffet right next to our studios where I work, I would like having another buffet option like this on the west side of town.

It's hard to pin-point what made Sprouse-Reitz such a memorable store to me. Sprouse-Reitz was part of the Nob Hill Plaza for many years. It was a drug store that carried a little of everything much like a Rite-Aid and, ironically, it was right next to the store that would eventually become Rite-Aid. I remember they had fresh popcorn available at the cash register before you left so that works for me.

Jolly Joker was the arcade in the Yakima Mall upstairs near the side entrance. To me, it was the premier arcade in town, even though there were a few others in the early 80s. We could even update it with classics, new games and feature alcohol and turn it into a barcade. I'd be down for that!