Lovecitylove’s newest location used to be home to Royal’s Cleaners. After completely gutting a vast majority of the building, including three layers of floor and a ceiling, the group still had a long list of renovations and repairs to make. (Images and words: Seth Halleran)

Zach Self sweeps away dust and dirt left from sanding the floor and pulling wood from the wall to this right, Wednesday Jan. 27th, 2016. Self is one of the core leaders of Lovecitylove and the only one amongst them with carpentry experience. Other members have been simply learning as they go along in renovating each space.

Lucien Pellegrin (left) and Jessa Carter (right) discusses how they could design creative lighting installations in the space, Wednesday Jan. 27th, 2016. Pellegrin conceived of Lovecitylove when he decided to slip a hand-written note under the door of a closed retail space next to the old Bauhaus location on Melrose Avenue. Pellegrin says with Lovecitylove he wants to “push the envelope a little bit, get Seattle to step up its creative spaces.”

Friday Jan. 29th, 2016 Lovecitylove hosted the launch party for SELANY a fashion line designed by local Seattle rapper Thig Natural of The Physics. The launch served as a soft opening for the new space on Pike Street.

One of the final steps in the process of activating Lovecitylove’s new space is installing their signature neon sign designed by Noble Neon. The sign acts not unlike the Bat Signal, signaling to passersby that the space is open and active.

Cedar Mannan, a friend of the core members with carpentry experience stands back and plans out how to space the three pieces of the sign such that they line up and utilize the studs behind the newly replaced wood slats on the back wall, Tuesday Feb. 2nd, 2016. While Mannan worked towards getting the sign mounted on the wall, other friends of the group stopped by intermittently to check out the renovated space and land a hand, share their excitement and/or just hang out.

Lucien Pellegrin (left) and Amos Miller (right) raise the second piece of the sign to its intended position on the wall. Pellegrin and Miller met 11 years ago while they were both helping facilitate after school art programs through Arts Corps. Since the two worked together in activating the original location for Lovecitylove, Miller has stepped back from leading the group and instead stays well connected with the group, providing assistance in the activation of the new space just as a close friend of Lovecitylove. Of the Open Mic Wednesdays brought on by collaboration between the two, Pellegrin said, “the audience is the band and the band is the audience… all I wanted to do was bring people together in a creative and healthy way.”

Amos Miller helps hold up a part of the neon sign while it’s secured into the wall, Tuesday Feb. 2nd, 2016. Miller, a musician, is part of the first group behind starting Lovecitylove in its first location where Miller would play every Wednesday from 6-9 p.m. These performances became the inspiration behind Open Mic Wednesdays which Miller describes as “Super all-inclusivity.” “We wanted to create spaces and facilitate places where people feel safe and young people express themselves,” said Miller. Miller commented that Wednesday nights began to bring out between 250 and 300 visitors every week without serving alcohol as many event spaces do. “It was bizarre!” said Miller, “Nobody was on their phone, everyone was present.”

Cedar Mannan uses a handheld drill to route the wires for the final piece of the neon sign behind the wood slats before testing it out, Tuesday Feb. 2nd, 2016.

The Love City Love neon sign shines out towards Pike Street at the new location, Tuesday Feb. 2nd, 2016. Lovecitylove’s new location at 1406 E Pike St is set to celebrate its grand opening with the return of Open Mic Wednesdays this Wednesday, March 9th and will be open for studio and event use. (Images and words: Seth Halleran)