New location 108 Pine Street
New photography by Mike Shess, PillartoPost.org, photo
editor
GUEST BLOG / By Sebastian Simsch and Pipo Bui, Seattle
Coffee Works--Our first roaster was
named Molly. When we moved into 107 Pike Street, we were also able to upgrade
to a more reliable and larger roaster.
For several years, Molly
lived on in our cafe as a museum piece.
Leaving Pike Street
After 13 years, the time has come
to bid farewell to Pike Street. When we opened our pop-up multi-/micro-roaster
café inside a t-shirt shop in 2006, people told us the 100 block of Pike Street
was “the worst block in Seattle.” It was GRUNGY – drug deals, wildcat busking,
drunken brawls by 11 am – were daily occurrences. We even had a neighbor who
paid desperately poor people to steal from nearby businesses.
We grew to love and embrace
the grungy heart of Seattle. We hope we brought a measure of compassion,
community and warm hospitality to this central and “blighted” block.
Over the years, so many good
things happened at our café at 107 Pike. First dates, marriage proposals,
businessmeetings, impromptu dance routines. We started roasting there. Cupping
single-origin coffees. Launching cold brew and manual brew methods at our Slow
Bar – which even earned a visit by Andrew Zimmerman, of Bizarre Foods.
Our first sidewalk seating
was quite modest. We were one of the first businesses on the downtown portion
of Pike Street to have any outdoor seating.
We hosted coffee farmers from
all over the world, so they could see what Seattle’s coffee culture feels like.
We tested new coffee-making equipment, some of it ingenious, some fairly
quirky. We convened coffee professionals during the huge and pivotal Specialty
Coffee Association conventions of 2014, 2015 and 2018.
Why are we moving?
The 107 Pike building is old.
So old that the brick walls sweat, a reminder of the days when fresh water was
scarce so bricks were made with saltwater from Puget Sound’s Elliott Bay. But
it’s not old enough to be considered historic. The owners proposed tearing down
to rebuild. Meanwhile, we desperately needed fundamental updates to our space.
But with a new, month-to-month lease, higher rent, and no commitment that a
community café would be part of any new building, it was not to be. We have
ceded our space to a t-shirt shop. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…
This café was the place where
we experimented, played, discovered, and pushed coffee to the limits. It was a
bold, but humble, flagship store.
What’s Next?
Fortunately, we have found a
new location, just one block north, at 108 Pine Street! We are thrilled to be
able to re-open our flagship café, still in the heart of Seattle! This is a
chance to get to know a new set of neighbors, a different iconic entrance to
the Pike Place Market, and to get a little closer to our dear friends in
Belltown.
We have updated our
equipment, seating, and back-of-house to make things smoother and more
comfortable for our team and customers. It’s a fresh start, and so far, so
good! We love our new neighbors, we love the view of Puget Sound, and we are
brewing up some brilliant coffees to celebrate!
We hope you will come take a
look at our new place. It’s bright and airy, and yet cozy too. So far, the
walls haven’t sweat, but who knows what will happen when we get a few more
people rubbing elbows in here? We still focus on three key offerings: amazing
coffee – kind people – cozy spaces. We are the same team of coffee bar
professionals and shopkeepers you know from 107 Pike. We hope to see you soon!
While we mourn the loss of
107 Pike, we look forward to every new morning at 108 Pine. Moving is hard –
harder in some ways than opening a new café. There have been fond memories
shared about our old location.
Thank you to everyone who
helped make our move possible, including our fellow team members at Ballard
Coffee Works, Capitol Coffee Works, and Cascade Coffee Works, as well as a
dozen talented contractors, artists, and artisans; our customers, suppliers,
and friends, who have shown great reserves of patience. We could not have done
this without your generosity, skill, and kindness. Thank you.
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