The Rainier Valley State Bank was founded by Simeon T. Toby in 1910. The bank was originally located in the Toby Building in Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood at the southeast corner of Rainier Avenue and Edmunds Street. In 1924 Simeon Toby died and his son took over at the bank, moving the bank across Edmunds Street as is shown in the photo.
In 1999, this building would become the home of a Starbucks coffee shop, part of an intiative with former NBA basketball player Magic Johnson and Starbucks to open stores in Black and minority neighborhoods. As of 2025, the site is the home of an Olympia Coffee Roasting location.
Signs in image: Southern Savings & Loan Association. Interest Paid on Savings. Rainier Valley State Bank, Established 1910. Safe Deposit Boxes. Handwritten on sleeve: Rainier Valley State Bank. Photographer's Reference Number: 129811
Caption information source: "Simeon T. Toby's Bank Building," Days Gone By, by Buzz Anderson, South District Journal, accessed on Rainier Valley Historical Society, https://www.rainiervalleyhistoricalsociety.org/post/simeon-t-toby-s-bank-building Caption information source: "It's Magic: Inner-City Theaters, Starbucks -- Basketball Star Behind Columbia City," by Robert Marshall Wells, Seattle Times, May 5, 1999.
