Olympia computer store 4th Dimension to move to Lacey

By Rolf Boone | The Olympian • Published September 06, 2008

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LACEY - A longtime Olympia computer sales and service business is leaving for Lacey as it expands into a larger home, its owner said Friday.

4th Dimension Computers, which got its start in Lacey but has spent most of its 12 years in Olympia, likely will be back in Lacey in early October, owner Dan Phillips said. It is moving from 1027 Fourth Ave. E. to 3929 Pacific Ave. S.E.

Phillips said he bought the 7,000-square-foot building, paying $875,000 for it through a company called Aspect Investments LLC, according to Thurston County Assessor data.

The property seller was the Order of Moose No. 1759, the data show.

More room in Lacey

Phillips said the new location gives the business and its 18 employees more parking and better facilities in which to do business.

He said that 4th Dimension, which Phillips bought in 2002, draws business from all corners of Thurston County but it increasingly is serving customers in Lacey.

"The center of business is moving in that direction," he said.

Occupying a spot on Pacific Avenue also exposes the business to one of the busiest streets in the county, Phillips said.

College Street has one of the highest traffic volumes in Lacey, but Pacific Avenue near Sleater-Kinney Road is not far behind, Lacey transportation engineer Pat McGuin said.

This year on College Street, north of Third Avenue, the city reported 29,695 trips in one 24-hour period, he said. This compares to 21,682 daily trips on Pacific Avenue near Sleater-Kinney Road, McGuin said.

John Clancy, who owns Sofa Gallery on Pacific Avenue, also moved from downtown Olympia to Lacey in 2005. Since then, the added visibility and parking has helped his business grow by 25 percent, he said.

"Business is much easier," Clancy said Friday, adding that he recently extended his lease five years.

Phillips added that 4th Dimension is not moving because of Bread & Roses, the homeless advocacy center that moved close to 4th Dimension in 2006.

"We're not running away from anything; it's a move forward for us," he said.

Rolf Boone is a business reporter for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5403 or rboone@theolympian.com.