Author Archives: Isabella Holmes

You can be a Capitol Hill community producer and boost BIPOC and queer filmmakers behind Reckless Spirits

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A scene from RECKLESS SPIRITS

Hua

Despite the ongoing closure of the historic Egyptian Theatre, the film community on Capitol Hill continues to flourish and create as local community figure and filmmaker Vee Hua launches short film Reckless Spirits.

This “metaphysical, multilingual POC best friend comedy,” also serves as proof-of-concept and first 12 minutes of a proposed full-length feature film. Hua and their team are in the throes of crowdfunding for the project, with hopes to raise $100,000 by December 22nd.

The film is a “hilarious, trippy ride,” said Hua, Director, Co-writer, and Producer of the project. Incorporating inspiration from media like “Broad City” and Everything Everywhere All at Once, the film follows a pair of best friends who are led into “swirl-world,” of “ancestor spirits, physics, and a cult leader”, according to the project’s kickstarter page.

The main characters are “a gender-fluid Latine performance artist and a neurotic Asian American therapist,” inspired by the co-writers, Hua and Lisa Sanaye Dring. “We wanted to see characters that we felt related to us and offer representation that we haven’t seen haven’t seen on-screen before,” said Hua.

The film has “anti-colonial, anti-capitalist undercurrents” and explores themes of spirituality, particularly the tension between belief and the capitalist messaging that comes with modern, commercialized spirituality, said Hua. Continue reading →

Shiny and bright, Chandelier Lounge brings new light to Broadway

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(Image: Chandelier Lounge)

(Image: Chandelier Lounge)

The  Chandelier Lounge opened softly last week on Broadway proving two things. One, Broadway is resilient and always changing. Two, people love things that are shiny and bright.

The new bar offers a vibrant, fresh take on the glamor that its name implies, complete with jewel tones, gold accents, and lots and lots of chandeliers. The cocktail menu is polished and interesting. But what really sets Chandelier Lounge apart is its unique kitchen program: completely sustainable and locally sourced, and powered by an in-house whole carcass butchery.

“There’s a flavor of bar for everybody on this block. This is definitely a flavor that’s new,” said Alix Merritt, front-end manager of Chandelier.

CHS first broke the news on the Chandelier Lounge project in May. Chandelier Lounge is spearheaded by the folks behind 15th Ave E’s Bites of Bangkok, owners Pranesh Sharma and Jansri Parichat.

Sharma was the architect of the Chandelier cocktail menu, featuring fun takes on a variety of classic drinks. Mirroring the glitzy atmosphere, several cocktails include edible glitter. Continue reading →

‘Madrid, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Lisbon, Rome or Naples’ — Capitale Pizzeria ready to add its global take on pizza to Broadway

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Capitale Pizzeria hopes to offer the chance to travel the world via pizza, right on Broadway. The new pizzeria is set to open this month, debuting a menu that features unique combinations of flavors from around the globe coming together in a classic form we all know and love: pizza.

Capitale plans to bring inventive pies, made with high-quality ingredients that are carefully selected. “We want our creativity to surprise everyone,” said Rodrigo Parisi, managing partner of Capitale Pizzeria.

CHS first reported on the project here this summer.

Capitale is the Italian word for “capital,” which reflects the international innovation of the food they will serve. “All of our pizzas are named after the cities or regions that influenced that combination of ingredients, the reason for its existence, such as Madrid, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Lisbon, Rome or Naples,” said Parisi. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill’s legendary sandwich shop the HoneyHole is back on solid ground

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(Image: HoneyHole Sandwiches)

(Image: HoneyHole Sandwiches)

Capitol Hill favorite HoneyHole Sandwiches is back on stable ground and continuing its 25-year legacy on E Pike. After a tumultuous year, this iteration of HoneyHole rock-solid, with new ownership and a continued commitment to “making great toasted sandwiches with house smoked meats and vegan options for the neighborhood to enjoy,” said owner Travis Rosenthal.

The good news comes a year after a sale put the legendary sandwich shop in an inexperienced owner’s hands. Last summer’s tumult was settled by the arrival of Rosenthal and his Seattle restaurant group arriving on a deal earlier this year to acquire and revive HoneyHole.

Rosenthal, who has grown a family of popular Capitol Hill and Seattle food and drink venues including E Pike rum bar Rumba and its post-Tiki sibling Inside Passage, has taken over and righted the HoneyHole ship.

Rosenthal has been a fan of HoneyHole for as long as he’s been a Capitol Hill business owner, in 2006 when he bought Tango Restaurant, beginning his food and drink entrepreneurship which eventually became Pike Street Hospitality Group. When HoneyHole shut its doors after a long series of management issues, Rosenthal was eager to get it reopened.

“[HoneyHole] has always had great sandwiches and a loyal following so it didn’t seem right to have it go out of business because of recent owner mismanagement,” said Rosenthal. His goals are straightforward: “to keep the service and product consistency as high as possible while ensuring it is a welcoming environment for our staff and guests.” Continue reading →

Who is Vice Seattle? Experienced nightlife crew brings new club to Capitol Hill

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(Image: Vice Seattle)

In a neighborhood already so immoral and so wicked, who dares call their nightclub Vice? It is a lot to live up to.

Vice Seattle, the newest nightlife offering in Capitol Hill’s robust nightlife economy, opened in July with a crisp opening weekend for the hundreds that came to ring in the red carpet launch and dance to world-champion EDM artist Four Color Zack.

Capitol Hill is known for its club scene and Vice is proud to be a new stop for party-goers, bookending the Pike and Pine track on Minor below Capitol Hill’s Melrose Market.

It takes work — and experience — to be this wicked.

“We’ve built a nightlife environment that is intentional and by design, so we can put on a really good show,” Vice’s Guy Godefroy says.. “It’s just fun to have everything dialed in.”

Vice is now resident in the basement level of Melrose Market, a mid-sized, brick-lined industrial space that the Vice team redesigned from the ground up. Complete with a custom-sound system and “jaw-dropping arrangement of LED visuals,” Vice is equipped to put on a good show. Continue reading →

CENTRL Office kicks Capitol Hill office space-focused Kelly Springfield development back into motion

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(Image: CENTRL Office)

The future of office real estate remains clouded but there is a bright spot this summer for a smaller, more nimble player on Capitol Hill.

CENTRL Office opened its Capitol Hill location on 11th Ave on August 1st, bringing bright, flexible offices, coworking spaces, and meeting rooms to the Kelly Springfield Building.

Portland-based and West Coast-wide, CENTRL is eager to make roots in Capitol Hill. To that end, the building’s location couldn’t be better. Across the street from Cal Anderson Park and nestled between Pike and Pine, CENTRL is in fact, central in the neighborhood.

CENTRL Office was founded in 2014 and has four locations in Portland, two in Los Angeles, and one in Sacramento. Now it has one in Seattle.

The new Capitol Hill office is beautiful, with floor to ceiling windows, light wood floors, and sweeping views of the downtown skyline and vibrant streets below.

But will CENTRL will be able to hold on where an office space giant so recently fell? Continue reading →

New Stitch Cafe will knit together coffee and crochet on Capitol Hill

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Stitch Cafe is bringing coffee and crochet, an unexpected creative combination, to E Pine on Capitol Hill.

This new cafe is filling a gap in the neighborhood for both crafters and coffee connoisseurs alike—a space for people to share their love for fiber arts, learn a new hobby, and enjoy a coffee all at the same time.

Sarah Chae began working on Stitch Cafe over a year ago, joining forces with business partner, Shimon Masaki, owner of Upright Tree Coffee Roasters which will be the coffee supplier for Stitch.

The project hit the ground running when they found the right location, a space on E Pine formally home to Poco Bar & Lounge. Chae connected with Poco owner Jesse Rhodes, and purchased the business to proceed with Stitch.

“I wanted to have a cozy environment where you can go to do a craft, and I noticed Seattle was missing that,” said Sarah Chae, owner/founder of Stitch Cafe. Chae is passionate about the importance of third spaces, public and social locations that are not work or home. Continue reading →

In midst of public safety worries, Capitol Hill EcoDistrict hopes to help change the way neighborhood spaces are used — including activating the top of the massive Seattle Central parking garage

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Seattle Central used the top of its massive Harvard Ave parking garage as the setting for its pandemic-era graduation ceremonies — a new plan hopes to activate the garage’s top level space

Catenary lights above Nagle (Image: @blitzurbanism)

As community representatives and city officials hope to make strides in addressing public safety worries around Capitol Hill’s Pike/Pine and Broadway core and its popular Cal Anderson Park, an organization with deep neighborhood roots is helping to reshape streets and design in the area.

The Capitol Hill EcoDistrict has been working to increase sustainability and equity in the neighborhood for over a decade but its latest projects come as part of a large puzzle with some dire stakes.

“We have a bond to this neighborhood. We’re very deliberate in our work and specific to Capitol Hill,” said Donna Moodie, executive director of the EcoDistrict.

CHS reported here on the challenges facing Capitol Hill around Broadway between Union and Pine where the city says street crime and deadly drug use overlap at some of its highest levels. City officials are weighing initiatives for these areas that will include increased policing and prosecution as well as possible creation of a neighborhood ambassador program.

There are deadly consequences. The most recent example? 23-year-old Kenji Spurgeon, gunned down in an E Pine parking lot amid Pride weekend nightlife crowds.

Changing the way these streets look and feel is part of a longer –and hopefully more complete — path to making Capitol Hill safer. Continue reading →

Above Capitol Hill Station, Summit Community Center has grown into a place of belonging, connection, and independence

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(Image: Summit Community Center)

(Image: Summit Community Center)

Right in the middle of the lively chaos of Broadway, sits Summit Community Center, a place of belonging, connection, and independence for neurodivergent young adults and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The development above Capitol Hill Station with a mix of new food and drink spaces and new businesses might not seem like an obvious base for the effort, but Summit Community Center will celebrate its first year on Capitol Hill this month established as a “home away from home” for over 270 members.

CHS reported here on the early Capitol Hill plans for the start-up nonprofit dedicated to providing a needed service to young adults with disabilities ages 18-35, a population that is often isolated, particularly after completing their education and losing access to the wraparound services that were provided through schools. The center navigated a long capital campaign as it sought to raise three million dollars through donations to help create the classrooms and indoor recreational gym space as well as fund scholarships and support for membership.

Today, those plans are reality for Seattle families.

“What we’re doing is providing an essential space that offers those same supports and allows young adults to have a comfortable space where they can go and continue to learn and grow”, said Alicia Nathan, founding executive director of Summit Community Center.

Nathan says SCC offers a wide array of services for their members including continued education, shared interest clubs, independent living skills development, pre-employment transition, sports/fitness, and more in a city location with amazing transit service and proximity to Cal Anderson Park and the busy core of Capitol HIll.

“This is just where young adults want to be,” said Nathan. Continue reading →

Laurel, a tiny bar coming to Capitol Hill, will pack in light, beauty, daytime coffee, neighborhood investors, love for a lost friend, and mom on E Olive Way

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Laurel’s E Olive Way bones (Image: @kateopatz)

Food and drink entrepreneur Kate Opatz is creating her latest project Laurel, “the smallest, prettiest cocktail bar,” on E Olive Way on Capitol Hill.

Formerly the home of Crumble & Flake Pâtisserie, Laurel will be transforming this very small space — not quite 500 square feet — into a fun and fresh cocktail bar.

Opatz is not new to opening and running bars on Capitol Hill. In fact, Laurel will be opening next door to another Opatz institution: Montana, the graffiti-filled and well-loved dive bar.

Despite this proximity, the new bar will host a completely different atmosphere. Laurel, named for Opatz’s mother and for the natural imagery it evokes, will be “light and beautiful.” Opatz plans to lean into feminine motifs, using plants, bold colorful tiles, and earthy tones.

“I love the feeling of a tiny bar, being packed into a pretty space. That kind of place just makes me happy,” Opatz said. Continue reading →