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Capitol Hill currently down one coffee shop

(Image: Honor Coffee)

Honor Coffee, a Seattle-area chain that got its early start on a hoped path to market in China with a 2015 opening on Capitol Hill, has quietly closed one of its two cafes in the neighborhood.

The Honor cafe at 15th and Pine is dark and empty this week. CHS was told by a person familiar with the situation that Honor decided not to renew its lease for the space. We have not heard back from Honor Cafe’s Hana Hu about the closure. 

In 2015, Hu told CHS of her role as CEO of the venture and the chain’s hopes for cracking the China cafe market. “At the end of this year, we hope to have four stores open,” Hu said. “We’re building out spaces, signing leases. Next year, 10 to 20. We want to perfect the model here. If we do it here, we can do it anywhere.”

Honor Coffee currently operates four locations according to its website — including the shop opened up last year across from Capitol Hill Station on Broadway. According to state corporation records, Honor Coffee shops are owned by a holding company owned by Lihe Houe, Limeng Hou, and James Gilbert.

The closure brings Capitol Hill’s cafe count to 8,617 at latest estimates including Realfine Coffee which made a Pride weekend debut in the old Stumptown E Pine location, and the on-the-move Kaladi Brothers on E Pike. It does not — yet! — include Positivitea, the coffee shop project from a neighborhood duo including a vegan activist and a sex performer currently searching for a Capitol Hill location.

 

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8 Comments
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Jason
Jason
5 years ago

The bikini barista stand seems to be shut as well. The away-from-Broadway window was shut all weekend.

Ella Jurado
Ella Jurado
5 years ago
Reply to  Jason

They are open! I think the hours vary depending on baristas available. They were open all day on Monday and had customers.

Carey
Carey
5 years ago

It just wasn’t that good

DR
DR
5 years ago

I’ve tried Honor a lot. I really tried. But they always disappoint me. Last week, I went in for an iced tea – dragonwell to be specific – and it was literally water. I felt duped paying close to 4 bucks for ice water. I have gone in for their coffee and lattes, and I am always disappointed.

Chris Lemoine
Chris Lemoine
5 years ago

They had lots of staff turnover at this location. I almost never saw a worker again when I returned a week or two later. Service could be extremely slow, especially when the barista was chatting with a team member or other customers and you got to cool your heels. I didn’t care about that. – Also, not their fault, but I got crowded out of that place many times when it was full of people (and their laptops and tablets). I wish there were more coffee shops that didn’t offer wifi. I know, I’m drifting, so I might as well add that Intrigue at the corner of Madison, just a block away, does a great job with coffee and service both.

King Constantine
King Constantine
5 years ago

Place was way overpriced, especially drip coffee. Glad to see them go.

Tom
Tom
5 years ago

8,617? How is this even possible?

Privilege
Privilege
5 years ago
Reply to  Tom

There were 8,618, and one closed.