You only have to wear a helmet if you want to, too (Image: Overcast Coffee)
(Image: Overcast Coffee)
Looking for a new hangout for this summer’s reopening? Under the radar Overcast Coffee hopes to stretch Capitol Hill cafe culture onto E Union as the small player in the neighborhood’s caffeine scene has suddenly emerged with some modest ambitions for growth and doing its part to provide some of the basic elements of life: coffee, beer, and bikes.
Overcast Coffee has expanded from its small 15th Ave E walk-up and opening on E Union with a new cafe at the Metier Seattle bike shop featuring “specialty coffee, craft beer, and local eats.”
The link-up with the bike folks comes through the beer end of things. Overcast owner Jonathan Pak says he first worked with Metier Brewing’s Rodney Hines when they were both working for Starbucks.
“I look up to him and how he runs his business,” Pak said. “Focusing on strong community, and how we can use small business to better our communities.”
CHS reported on the launch of Metier’s beer ambitions here in 2018. The company moved to Capitol Hill previously back in 2015 with the E Union with the bike shop + cafe + bike gym + training center concept. Homegrown came onboard in 2019 to run the cafe but has given way to Overcast for a more coffee-focused approach.
Metier is part of a small pack of bike cafes around the Hill. Peloton rides on after opening on E Jefferson in 2015. CHS recently cycled through Chophouse Row’s Good Weather for a visit. And the big time Rapha Seattle clubhouse debuted on E Pine in 2017.
Pak’s Overcast Coffee quietly became part of the Capitol Hill coffee scene last summer during the pandemic as he took over the walk-up counter space on 15th Ave E next to Kaiser Permanente formerly home to the Capital “D” Cafe and Coffee Pronto.
Overcast’s Sam Schultheis says Overcast’s growth will be small scale and anchored in a desire to be part of the community “and hold the values” of the neighborhood. The new cafe space on E Union will also be available for community events and gatherings like a recent Pride celebration and fundraiser for Lambert House.
Schultheis and Overcast also want you to know about the space they hope to reinvigorate at Metier and fill with cafe energy. There’s the “inviting, light-filled indoor area” plus “patio seating beneath string lights and an original mural by Seattle’s very own Stevie Shao.”
Coffee? That should be a draw, too. Overcast uses Passerine Coffee Roasters on Slayer Espresso equipment. Pastries? Macrina. Beer? Metier Brewing and more. Meanwhile, a partnership with Umami Kushi provides the cafe with “savory treats.”
“My main focus was finding local, minority-owned businesses to work with,” Pak said. “People impacting the community in a better way. It’s not just about the best profit margin.”
For Schultheis, Overcast’s community-minded expansion is an exciting step forward as the small company sorts out its place among Capitol Hill’s cafes.
“We’re still trying to see where we’re moving towards,” Schultheis said.
Overcast Coffee is now open at 1017 E Union Street is open 8 AM to 6 PM Tuesday through Friday and 9 AM to 6 PM Saturday and Sunday. You also find Overcast’s counter location at 312 15th Ave E. Learn more at overcastcoffeecompany.com.
CORRECTION: CHS mistakenly reported Schultheis had previously worked at Starbucks. Sorry! That was Pak! CHS apologizes for the error.
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Very cool mural, all the best to you Jonathan!