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Can Can Can find a Capitol Hill home? Cabaret poking around for new space

We can tell you, officially, where Seattle’s Can Can Cabaret will not be opening a new home on Capitol Hill. After finding out that the drink and performance venue was in talks to move into the Melrose Market, CHS has learned that the Can Can will not be coming to the popular development. But it might still be coming to Capitol Hill.

Can Can’s Chris Snell, already active on the Hill with his FRED Wildlife Refuge art space on East Boylston, tells CHS that he is, indeed, still looking at Capitol Hill for “an expansion” of his cabaret and could know as early as this week if the undisclosed space is a done deal.

“We’re in a holding pattern,” Snell said. “We will have another location.”

His search for a home for “Can Can II” reveals how competitive the market is on the Hill right now and how difficult it can be to find a match for a business sorting through the limited supply of good locations. The space currently under consideration is the third location on Capitol Hill he has pursued, Snell said.

Snell said he is also looking at another location downtown for the new Can Can.

It’s been a busy few months for the cabaret. The Can Can started 2011 with a move to a new space in Pike Place Market at ground level. Five years earlier, Can Can replaced the legendary Patti Summers joint in its subterranean home just off 1st Ave.

Even if he can’t find a suitable space on the Hill, Snell’s presence in the area will continue with FRED. “In my world, we produce a ton of shows. it’s like a machine and things get stagnant,” Snell said. “FRED is a way for me and my crew to be able to expand things.”

Snell declined to go into specifics about why the Melrose Market deal didn’t work out. It would have been the most poetic option, if nothing else, as the Can Can had established itself in Seattle’s *first* locavore market. He said the second location he considered after the Melrose decision would have cost too much to upgrade from a safety standpoint.

For now, the target location will be a mystery but the Can Can on Capitol Hill seems like it could be a good fit. “For me,” Snell said. “It will be whatever pops. Whatever makes the most sense.”

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Justin
Justin
12 years ago

I loved their place underneath the street in Pike Place – I hope they still manage to do something cool there. Something about dimly lit bars where you can see the shadows of people walking above on the sidewalk is really cool.

Definitely seemed like the shows were a lot bigger than the space though. Glad they’re finding a better place!