At Perkins Glass. on Broadway between Pike and Union, newspaper clippings and photos of sea planes and fishing trips decorate the walls of the office, exhibiting the interests of the family that has run Perkins in the same location since 1972. Three family members were working when CHS stopped by — secretary and treasurer Susan Perkins-Savage, IT guy Scott Roberts, and owner Loren Perkins, who was loading a massive piece of glass into a truck. Between answering phone calls and attending to customers at the front desk, Susan and Scott made time to chat with CHS about the business’s 104-plus year history, installing new windows at Neighbours, and hydroplane racing.

What was Perkins’s first installation on record? Perkins-Savage: We built most of the showcases in Pike Place Market—we used to be called Perkins Glass and Fixtures. Our records go back to 1906, but our first installation was probably before then. There are pictures of the Perkins glass truck when it was a horse-drawn buggy. We were originally on 2nd and Columbia, then in Post Alley until they built the Harbor Steps. We bought this building in ’72.

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Roberts: The Perkins family has been in Seattle since—well, I guess they came over on the boat. My great grandfather helped build the Seaview Methodist church in West Seattle. His name is in the stained glass.

What was the most recent? Roberts: Neighbours. We did that nice new space they have in the front of their building. We also did the glass in the light fixtures in Poquitos, which is something we don’t normally do. We’ve really done a lot in this neighborhood.

Has working in industrial glass and mirror installation made you scrutinize installations done by other companies? For instance, have you ever been distracted from a meal by a poorly installed window? Roberts: Well sure, it’s only natural. For the most part what we do is commercial, store fronts and such. The business has morphed so much over time. Things change—we’ve done residential, we carried plastics in the past, and stopped. We used to make mirrors, actually make them, with the whole silvering process. Times have changed. There was an artistry to the industry that has faded.

Tell me about the Perkins family’s involvement with hydroplane racing. Perkins-Savage: Perkins Glass sponsors two hydroplanes, and my niece and nephew Kayleigh and Brian race them.

What originally spurred the family interest in hydroplanes? Perkins-Savage: It goes back to the original Seafair. Kayleigh and Brian’s parents have been volunteering at Seafair forever.

Which businesses in the neighborhood have your family been going to longest—where do you like to eat, for instance? Perkins-Savage: Dad (Loren) never goes out to eat. We all bring stuff from home. The guys, just depends where they are in the truck. Café Madison, Tangerine Tree. And Swedish—people do get cut. I’ve known people at QFC since it opened.

Any new favorites? Roberts: Marination Station’s not bad. Café Madison is under new ownership and it’s great.

How do you feel about the way the neighborhood is changing? Roberts: It’s going to be really hard for people to come in and shop with the new trolley set up. We’ve been here so long, and own the building, but we do talk about moving. This neighborhood used to be commercial and now it’s mainly retail. A night club called Q is about to open next door. I don’t know what they’re going to do with the basement—it’s so tiny. We filled ours in with cement.

Because it was haunted? Roberts: Nah, I think it was a fire code thing. But there’s a weird, fenced-in alley in back.

Spooky! Roberts: [Laughs] Eh, not really.