Petosa Accordions Folds in Wallingford, Daly’s Done

At a recent Wallyhood editors and writers meeting (yes, we have those!), we were discussing story ideas, and someone suggested “what is the oldest business in Wallingford?”. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the owner of the top spot has ceded their title.

After squeezing down to make room for a martial arts shop, and, more recently, Comics Dungeon, Petosa Accordions has folded up its Wallingford shop and moved north to Lynnwood. This is the end of an era for the venerable music shop, which has occupied that location since 1922.

They weren’t forced out by rising rents or an unfriendly landlord, though. The property, including the corner shop housing American Mary, is all owned by Joseph Petosa himself.

With all of 45th Street slated to be rezoned to allow four-story buildings shortly, one wonders if they’ll be getting a new tenant, or look to develop.

Then, on the other side of Wallingford, another old-timer has gone dark: Daly’s Paint, operating on Stone Way since the 1930’s, has locked their doors. Their website still has their history:

In the early 1930’s Walter J. Daly arrived in Seattle by way of Texas. Before Seattle, he owned design studios in Dallas, Chicago and New York. He even designed parade floats in Pasadena. After arriving in Seattle, just after the Great Depression, he worked as a both a designer and contractor.
One of his early Seattle jobs was to bleach the woodwork in Seattle’s historic Olympic Hotel. Soon, other contractors were asking Walter for his unique bleaching formulation for their own projects. Walter soon found himself in the manufacturing business. In the late 1940’s the Seattle retail store opened in a small wood-frame shop that is now attached to our current Seattle location. Back then it held the entire Daly’s operation.

​Walter settled into Seattle, married Ethel and they had two children; Jim and Bill. Walter’s nephew, Herb Paulson, came to work for the company in the 1940’s. A classic family business.

Jim and Bill told stories of collecting bottles from around the neighborhood as young boys for their father to fill with wood finishes, Herb shared stories of Walter’s creative business escapades, and Ethel both raised her boys and worked in the business.

Walter unexpectedly passed away and Ethel found herself a young widow and single mother, in the 1950’s, running a business. By the mid-50’s Daly’s incorporated, added wallpaper to the mix and Ethel started teaching how-to classes in the back room. This was the beginning of Daly’s reputation as being THE place for expert advice.

​The 1960’s saw the expansion of Daly’s into Bellevue when it was just a sleepy suburb of Seattle. Ethel retired in the early 1970’s and Jim and Herb ran the company for many years. Daly’s Wood Finishes also expanded their distribution beyond their two stores.
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Today, Daly’s Paint & Decorating is run by Walter’s grand-daughter Robin. The stain manufacturing, Daly’s Wood Finishes, is now a division of Farwest Paint. Daly’s continues to evolve but the goal remains the same – provide only the highest quality products, increase customer satisfaction and share our expertise and knowledge.

But no more. There website now simply explains: “Thank you for 80 colorful years in Seattle and 57 in Bellevue. It was our pleasure to work with so many of you over the years.”

Color me sad.