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High 5 Pie shop coming to 12th Ave

The kids call it Party Mountain. What is Capitol Hill’s party without cupcakes, ice cream and, now, pie? CHS has learned that a familiar name in Hill food and drink is getting set to fully launch her new venture on Capitol Hill. Dani Cone, operator of the Fuel Coffee shops, has confirmed that she is opening a High 5 Pie shop in the retail space of the Trace Lofts building on 12th Ave at the intersection of Madison and Union and only steps from the sweet teeth of Cupcake Royale, Old School, Molly Moons, Bluebird (sorry for initially leaving BB out of the list!) and the dessert menus of the burgeoning Pike/Pine/12th restaurant scene.

Before you exclaim “pie madness!” let Cone explain from the business side of the flaky, buttery crust.



Breakfast of Champions Originally uploaded by maggi.m

“The way Pike/Pine and 12th have taken off, it’s kind of like one stop shopping,” Cone said. “It’s like dessert row. You’ve got a trillion choices. It’s all there for you.”

Also on the business side of things, jobs. Cone said she expects her pie shop and bakery will employ 10 to 15 people including bakers, baristas, delivery drivers and specialized positions including the cafe manager, and wholesale manager.

On the non-business side of things, Cone said she is excited to be coming back to an area where she started her career. “I’ve been in the coffee industry for 18 years. On Pike, behind the bar was my familiarity,” Cone said of her days pulling shots at Caffe Vita.

The shop and production bakery will occupy the large corner spot of the Trace retail space that has sat empty since the building was completed in 2007. Cone is excited about the 22-foot ceilings and said the south wall will be big windows that will look into the bakery and cafe. Cone said the pie shop will also feature Fuel Coffee along with what she called a “classic pie shop” featuring dozens of varieties of pies and, yes, ice cream, too. The High 5 shop will also sell frozen pies and pie items to ‘take n bake,’ Cone said. According to Department of Planning records, the build-out of the shop will cost around $80,000.

“That building is gorgeous. There is so much to work with. That’s the only place I was looking at,” Cone said.

Cone’s Fuel Coffee, we should note, is a CHS advertiser but don’t think this is another “news” story handed over to an outlet by one of its sponsors. Cone had planned for her High 5 booth at Sunday’s 12th Ave Festival to be her big announcement. CHS got a tip (thanks Beccah!), dug up some additional info and the gig was up. Change of plans for Cone.

Those plans have been baking for about a year now, by the way. We first reported on the launch of the High 5 brand back in September 2009. Cone has been busy lining up investors for the shop and then searching for a home for the concept since.

Her new shop won’t be the only new business coming to Trace’s long empty retail space. While Barrio and Tavern Law seem firmly entrenched in the building and with Belltown refugee The Local Vine about to fill in the empty space where Pizza Fusion failed, Trace’s food and drink spaces have been busy. But the large retail space in the south has sat empty for years. Now, along with High 5, Barre3 is opening in Trace. The exercise studio that incorporates ballet, yoga and Pilates is planning to be ready this fall.

High 5, on the other hand, likely won’t be in place until the New Year. “I’m hoping we’ll be open for the holidays,” Cone said. “But my expectations are for the winter.”

In the meantime, an e-mail sent to Trace residents and passed on to CHS seems to indicate that the large retail space that was divided for High 5 and Barre3 also has made room for a third tenant. If recent trends in the area are any indication, it’s probably going to be something you put in your mouth, swallow and regret just a little bit the next time you get on the scale.

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Mike with curls
Mike with curls
13 years ago

Nice addition to the choices if you do a lot of sugar extra desert stuff.

I hope they use a lot of good fruit and little sugar, no added starch and extenders. Most bakery pie is just not as good as home made … a lot of phony ingredients, but I will surely try it a few times.

Apple a la mode – my all time favorite.

Next – Banana cream.

Then – the rare of rare, home made choicest unforgettable blackberry: BUT, made with the small berries, no larger than your little finger tip. They come from a Northwest ground vine that only grows in few places. I forget the name, except they are called “little black berries.” They love freshly logged woods, cleared land. Nothing like the monster cane types which are so common, with large seeds. You work very hard to get a quart of berries, very small, and bending to pick.

Maybe veggie mince meat type …. hmmmmm.

News Alert!
News Alert!
13 years ago

I predict that in about a year there will be only really obese people rolling around on Capitol Hill. cupcakes, ice-cream, pie …
christine h

MikeH
13 years ago

I love pie! I was just in historic downtown Snohomish for the first time last weekend and dropped in to a tasty little pie shop – at the time I thought something like the shop would be a great addition to our neighborhood. Who knew my thoughts had such power!

Lolalaptop
Lolalaptop
13 years ago

I was a regular at Vita back in Dani’s day and then couldn’t have been happier when she opened the first Fuel Coffee shop just a block awat from my art studio on 19th. The Fuel roast has a great chocolate flavor-yummy! I am sure that Dani will have another success, back in the old ‘hood, with High Five Pies.

RS
RS
13 years ago

Matt Goyer posted about the division of the space at Urbnlivn in June: http://www.urbnlivn.com/2010/06/19/meet-trace-lofts-newest-t

Shan
Shan
13 years ago

It would be great if they had some gluten free options- maybe in the take and bake varieties or special order. I have a lot of friends with a gluten intolerance so I think they could really tap into something there like some pizza places have.

Comrade Bunny
Comrade Bunny
13 years ago

Kids really call Capitol Hill Party Mountain? Seriously? Where did you hear this?

SeattleSeven
SeattleSeven
13 years ago

…and it begins

Oh I hope they have vegan options as well!

How about some sugar free pies?

Any peanuts in these pies? I have a serious allergy.

Will all of these ingredients be locally sourced? I refuse to eat flour shipped more than 60.25 miles.

Mike with curls
Mike with curls
13 years ago

To sell pies or anything else, you have to please the paying customers.

Better choices will determine if they stay in business. One can tell yu have never owned a retail shop. Important to tune to what people will PAY for … not easy … harder in a recession.

Micahel Wells
Micahel Wells
13 years ago

Congratulations, Dani! A prime example of a businessperson who loves and supports her neighborhood. A Hill Hero!

Russell
Russell
13 years ago

The conspiracy to eliminate pencil pants on hipsters continues…

gerdes
gerdes
13 years ago

I went on sat night. The pie case was virtually empty – 2 whole pies and 1 piece of pecan. The staff was, to be kind, incompetent. It took almost 20 minutes to serve 3 slices. And, i wish i had a pic of the pecan pie they served – it looked like they scraped it off the floor. No crust, just a lump of pecan mush. Oh, they also forgot to plate the ice cream. These guys need some big work or they won’t last til june. Too bad; we needed a good pie joint.