Leon and Linda Hussey, former owners of Classic Nursery and Landscape Co., have started another business called Keep It Simple, Inc. (KIS), located at 12526 Avondale Rd. N.E. in Redmond.
KIS sells compost tea makers — invented originally by Leon Hussey — and the organic ingredients to put into the machines to make compost tea. Compost tea is used to replace the biology in the soil and is like vitamins for plants, often strengthening a plant to ward off diseases.
The Husseys have owned the seven-plus acres site located on Avondale since 2002. They sold their business and continued to lease the land to Classic Nursery. This year they regained the property and will dedicate their land to sustainability, permaculture and education.
In addition to starting their business the Husseys are starting an “urban farm store” and will also be selling organic hydroponic products. The store will have chickens, chicken coops, bee hives, rabbits, ducks, dogs, cats, healthy feed for animals, bird seed and feeders. As the store grows, it will state to carry fresh eggs, produce and other organic products.
The Hussey family will be working together to start up the new business. Frank Yoshitake, Linda’s 95-year-old father, and her sisters Teresa Hall and Sharon Gilbert have been working around the site cleaning up the flowerbeds and helping with all the outside areas. Linda and Leon have been working on the outside areas as well as much of the foundational pieces to the business with their sons, Tad and Tyson Hussey.
Tad, 34, is essentially “in charge,” working seven days a week with coordinating everything. Tyson, 29, has been helping with filling the current orders with KIS and helping with re-creating the website.
They are also working closely with Jessi Bloom, owner of N.W. Bloom EcoLogical Landscapes, who is developing a master plan for the property. She is an award-winning landscape designer whose work emphasizes ecological systems, sustainability and self-sufficiency. Bloom is a certified professional horticulturalist and certified arborist, who has been praised as an innovator in sustainable landscape design. She is also the author of a new best-selling book called “Free-Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken-Friendly Yard.”
KIS is located on Bear Creek and Leon was instrumental in earning the recognition from King County for two Green Globe Awards for Wildlife Habitat Protection and Environmental Education. He helped found the nonprofit Redmond Organization of Shared Environments (ROSE), which continues on the site, working with the Lake Washington Environment and Adventure School for the last 12 years. ROSE continues to have volunteer docents who guide school groups on a trail developed by the school. The tours are by donation ($1.50 per person) and scheduled by Linda. The tours are all year around with the fall being the most popular time (September-November) when the salmon are running.
