About

As avid wine collectors and condo dwellers, Dale Bloomquist and Michael Towers recognized that there was a gap in the market when it came to the needs of the “condo community” of Seattle.  Consisting of a population of people who enjoy the wine lifestyle, condo folk had limited options when it came to collecting and storing wine. Michael and Dale joined forces with Gary Gudgel and created a business to fit this niche…

Elliott Avenue is the ideal wine storage solution for both condo and house dwellers.  It is easily accessible from downtown, Ballard, Magnolia, Fremont and Queen Anne.  It has plenty of parking and a loading dock to facilitate easy movement of your wine, and it’s climate is perfectly controlled to maintain the quality of your collection. Elliott Avenue can accommodate any size cellar from just a few bottles to thousands of bottles. In addition to private storage we are excited to be adding Wine Warehousing for local wineries to our menu of storage solutions. Whether your needs are big or small, private or commercial, we are here to help you maintain your wine in an ideally controlled, safe and convenient environment.

Biographies

Michael Towers – A former executive of Washington Mutual Bank, Michael first became seriously interested in wine after attending a Winemaker dinner with Duckhorn Vineyards at the Columbia Tower Club. He like what he tasted so much, that he became one of the primary investors in the Duckhorn Wine Company and acted as a Director for over a decade. During his years on the board, Duckhorn expanded from producing 10,000 cases to over 120,000 cases of wine per year as well as adding several brands such as Paraduxx, Goldeneye and Decoy. During this time his knowledge of the wine industry grew exponentially as did his personal wine collection. In 2007, Duckhorn was sold and Michael refocused his efforts on a new winery, Ambassador Vineyard, located in Washington State’s Red Mountain American Viticultural Area (AVA).

Retired since 1995, Michael enjoys travelling with his wife Pamala. Together they have been to many exciting and exotic locations such as Mt. Everest, Tanzania, Zambia and just about everywhere in Europe. When he is not travelling he spends his time skiing in Sun Valley or relaxing at his second home in the Napa Valley.

Gary Gudgel – Gary has been in the construction industry for over 30 years and worn many hats including owning several construction companies. Eight years ago Gary recognized that there was a gap in the market when it came to personal wine storage.  He saw an opportunity to convert a seven thousand square foot commercial space into a wine storage facility. Using his construction background, Gary designed and built out all of the interior spaces including custom designed wine lockers as well as the exterior signage. After five years of operation, Gary joined forces with Michael Towers and Dale Bloomquist to establish Elliott Avenue Wine Storage.  Once again he used his construction knowledge to redesign and build out the new facility. Gary’s appreciation of good wine is reflected in his careful stewardship and maintenance of the facility.

Retired since 2002, Gary spends much of his time managing the facility. In his free time he repairs and restores vintage tractors and farm equipment along with building custom implements for use in farming. He also teamswith his wife Marinell and her interior design company, to design and build seasonal displays and decorations for commercial companies.