Tag Archives: coffee

Black Coffee Northwest: How Seattle City Hall, Vulcan Real Estate, and the goodwill of creating ‘a vibrant core for Black businesses’ in the Central District could not open a coffee shop at 23rd and Jackson

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A design rendering of signage for Black Coffee Northwest at 23rd and Jackson

Depending on who you ask — and if they are willing to speak on the record — there are lots of failures to blame at 23rd and Jackson. But the bottom line is this: Despite years of work from the city’s Office of Economic Development and one of its leading developers in Vulcan Real Estate, Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office, District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth, and the goodwill of rebuilding Black ownership in this key core of the Central District, it seems unlikely Black Coffee Northwest will ever open at the corner.

“We have a staff trained and ready to go. My grand opening was planned,” owner DarNesha Bowman told CHS earlier this month.

Bowman went public this year with what she says has been a lack of support from Vulcan and the city falling short on promises to help the small business entrepreneur usher in what many hoped would be the start of a new era at 23rd and Jackson with her Black Coffee Northwest taking over a space being left behind by global coffee giant Starbucks over public safety concerns in the area. Continue reading →

Ghost Note Coffee crafts expansion from Capitol Hill with Seattle Tower cafe

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(Image: Ghost Note Coffee)

(Image: Ghost Note Coffee)

By Domenic Strazzabosco

With Ghost Note Coffee’s detail-oriented approach to craft coffee, it should not be a surprise that growth has taken time. Born eight years ago on Capitol Hill, Ghost Note has finally made its second cafe permanent on the ground floor of 3rd Ave’s 96-year-old Seattle Tower.

Ghost Note’s careful expansion downtown gives them a small footprint and a more feasible and affordable way of expanding in terms of inventory, equipment and employees. They also found the space to be gorgeous.

“The building is something that we’re just so proud to be a part of. It’s a pretty stellar place,” said Christos Andrews, co-owner of Ghost Note. “I’ve noticed when people walk in the door and it’s their first time at Ghost Note, you can see the experience seems to be more impactful, which is really exciting.”

After opening with limited hours last year and slowly expanding operations through the holiday season, the space is now open six days a week. It is Ghost Note’s second location after its spot in Capitol Hill, which opened on Bellevue Ave back in 2017. Continue reading →

Piedmont Café brings new life to historic space on First Hill

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Freshly brewed coffee and baked goods now greet passersby on First Hill thanks to Piedmont Café, a new addition to the neighborhood’s hangouts that echoes with the area’s time before the massive health complexes and high-rise apartment and condo buildings. Nestled in a historic building with a storied past, the café is bringing life to the long ago hotel lobby.

“This building was formerly a hotel,” co-owner Charles Scott explained, pointing out the unique layout of the space. “This part was once a plant shop and formerly a storage facility.” The new cafe space now takes over what was the original lobby for the hotel. “For the last 60 years, I guess since ’62, it was sold and made into the Tuscany Apartments. Part of it was even the cafeteria for the charter school a couple blocks away.”

The Seneca Street site was once the Piedmont Apartment Hotel, “with exuberant colored tile and elegant ornament” from one of Seattle’s most prominent architects, the city’s entry on the historically significant structure reads.

Scott and his partner took on the challenge of transforming the historic building into a cozy and inviting café. “We built out the bar, added a floating wall for the storage area, and built out the dish area.” Hoping to keep the space feeling old and comfy, all the furniture was bought used, except for the two couches. “We resurfaced the tables and restored a nice hutch we got from Gig Harbor.” Continue reading →

With echoes of its ‘grand lobby’ past, Piedmont Cafe now open on First Hill

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(Image: Piedmont Cafe)

Enough of closures and looking back. Here is something new — though its inspiration is steeped in the past.

The Piedmont Cafe is now open on First Hill as part of an overhaul of the historic building now known as the Tuscany Apartments.

The Seneca Street site was once the Piedmont Apartment Hotel, “with exuberant colored tile and elegant ornament” from one of Seattle’s most prominent architects, the city’s entry on the historically significant structure reads. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill ‘self-pour’ wine bar Rapport closed ‘indefinitely’

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Thanks to reader Todd for the picture

“Self-pour” wine bar Rapport has closed indefinitely on Capitol Hill as people involved in the business say they are seeking options to reopen the E Roy venue that carved a popular hangout out of a former Starbucks concept cafe on North Broadway.

A person with knowledge of the closure said the shutdown was due to a personal family decision with the ownership and that there were hopes of possibly working out a new deal for the cafe and wine bar’s lease.

Rapport’s last night of business was December 29th. Continue reading →

Knitting together crochet, coffee, and community, Stitch Cafe now open on Capitol Hill

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With yarns from around the world waiting for busy hands and Upright Tree Coffee brewing, Stitch Cafe is now open for Capitol Hill crafters and those in need of a visit to a “cozy little corner of the world.”

The cafe’s October artists wall is a showcase of what is possible with creations from artists our.common.thread, Stitch Tits, and Peach Needle Art Studio.

CHS reported here in July on the plans for the offee and crochet cafe from first-time owner Sarah Chae who said she was hoping to create a space where the neighborhood can gather to craft — the kind of space she has been looking for in Seattle. Continue reading →

Fuel pulls plug on Broadway coffee bar — UPDATE

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Fuel only lasted a year on the Broadway grind. The coffee chain says it will shutter its walk-up counter on the street this week.

“We have made the tough decision to close the walk-up in order to focus on our three other locations (Capitol Hill, Montlake, and Wallingford),” the company’s announcement of the closure reads. “This is not a decision we take lightly, and we are bummed to be leaving Broadway so soon after opening there.”

Fuel took over the walk-up last fall, overhauling, improving the space, and adding a colorful burst of neon to Broadway in the stand made famous for decades as Vivace’s walk-up bar.

Continue reading →

Cherry Street Coffee owner says Capitol Hill cafe closed for good after tangle with Sawant over minimum wage tip credit

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A small Seattle coffee chain has closed its Capitol Hill location amid an ongoing labor dispute with its workers backed by former Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant.

Cherry Street Coffee owner Ali Ghambari tells CHS he has reversed plans to reopen his E Pine cafe and is instead looking for a new tenant to take over the space and the lease.

CHS reported here as Ghambari said he planned to reopen the Capitol Hill coffee shop later this month after Sawant and Cherry Street workers held a one-day “strike” that temporarily shut down the four-location chain over demands for “a living wage, an end to workplace sexual harassment,” and, the group said, an end to Ghambari’s “petitioning to roll back Seattle’s historic minimum wage victory.” Continue reading →

Sawant calls for support for Cherry Street Coffee workers in ‘strike’ over working conditions, minimum wage tip credit — Owner says Capitol Hill cafe set to reopen

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(Image: Cherry Street Coffee)

Former District 3 representative on the Seattle City Council and leader of the Workers Strike Back labor activism group Kshama Sawant is backing workers at Seattle’s Cherry Street Coffee in what she says is a strike over working conditions and the local chain ownership’s lobbying for changes in the city’s minimum wage.

“Socialist, former City Councilmember, and founding member of Workers Strike Back, Kshama Sawant, will stand alongside Cherry Street Coffee House workers as they walk out on strike demanding a living wage, an end to workplace sexual harassment, and an end to their bosses’ petitioning to roll back Seattle’s historic minimum wage victory,” the group said about a planned Friday morning press conference outside the Olive Way Cherry Street location. Continue reading →

Sábado gigante — Capitol Hill’s Bonito Café y Mercadito announces September 14th grand opening

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(Image: Bonito Café y Mercadito)

One of the more anticipated new Capitol Hill food and drink ventures has announced a grand opening date.

Bonito Café y Mercadito will be ready with an Espresso Tónico for you as the doors open this month at E Olive Way and Melrose with a grand opening planned for Saturday, September 14th.

CHS reported in February on the plans from Daniel and Ismael Calderon to bring the Latino cafe and shopping experience to Capitol Hill after forging the Aqui Mercado events in Pioneer Square.

“The Mercadito part pays homage to our roots of Aqui Mercado,” Ismael told CHS earlier this year. ”Within our cafe obviously we’re going to sell coffee, but our focus is helping BIPOC small businesses to have an opportunity to showcase their product and talents in a storefront environment.” Continue reading →