There’s a huge building in downtown Bremerton that was once a JCPenney. When it left, 20 years ago, it spelled the end of downtown Bremerton. The building turned into a parking lot, and Bremerton residents spent the next two decades complaining that there was nowhere to park when they wanted to visit the nothing downtown. When the Penney building comes back to life, so will Bremerton. That’s why Ron Sher is a bigger figure in the city than the mayor. The developer, and owner of Third Place Books, bought the building just before the economy took a nose dive. But when things recover, we’re assured, the building’s going to boast a grocery store, shiny new apartments, and, yes, a Third Place Books. CHRIS KORNELIS Burwell Street and Pacific Avenue, Bremerton