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The man who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to likely spend the rest of his life in prison for stabbing Capitol Hill resident Shannon Harps to death now claims he was coerced to confess to the murder, CHS partner SeattleCrime.com has learned:
James Anthony Williams, who received a 35 year sentence for the the brutal slaying of Shannon Harps outside of her Capitol Hill apartment on New Years Eve in 2007, is seeking to withdraw his guilty plea and is asking the court to provide him with new legal counsel.
Williams on the day of his May 2009 sentencing (Photo: chrisdaniels5)
In court documents filed in King County Superior Court earlier this month, Williams claims he was "compelled...to plead guilty." While documents show Williams apparently believed he was in physical danger while in jail, prosecutors—who, naturally, are opposing Williams' motion—contend Williams made numerous declarations of his own guilt, prior to entering his plea.
SeattleCrime.com reports that prosecutors are citing multiple statements by Williams "that his plea was solely motivated by the fact that he was guilty" in their response to the claims.
Williams originally pleaded not guilty to the crime in February of 2008 and his mental competency was questioned. But after treatment at mental health facility Western State Hospital, Williams was determined fit to stand trial. The defendant then pleaded guilty and was subsequently sentenced to 35 years in prison. This is what prosecutors told CHS at the time of the sentencing about Williams' decision to plead guilty:
[Williams] pled as charged after our office worked to have him restored to competency to stand trial for the murder by sending him to Western State Hospital. He pled not guilty at arraignment in 2008 because every criminal defendant will enter a not guilty plea in order to consult with their attorney, discuss the various options they have and then chose either to plead, negotiate or fight the charge by gong to trial. Mr. Williams at first did not appear competent. The court sent him to Western State Hospital for evaluation at the request of the state and defense. He was found initially not-competent and then Western State doctors restored his competency. Mr. Williams returned to court and indicated he wanted to plead guilty as charged, which he did.
SeattleCrime.com reports that, along with his claims of a coerced confession, Williams also says his attorneys did not adequately represent him during trial and has requested new counsel.
Williams was convicted of murdering Harps in a bloody attack as the 31-year-old was about to enter her residence near 15th and Howell on the last night of 2007.
UPDATE 12:30 PM:
The incident is closed and units are leaving after only twenty minutes so sounds like a minor incident. We'll give SFD a call to find out what happened. Here's more information on Olive Ridge. It's a low income apartment complex operated by the Seattle Housing Authority.
Original Post:
There is a large Seattle Fire Department response underway at a reported fire in the Olive Ridge apartments at 1700 17th. No details yet several units are still at the scene. We will update as information comes in.
For multi-family structures, rollouts are almost always large so the number of units responding doesn't necessarily indicate a significant incident.
Good Afternoon East Precinct Neighbors!
I would like to personally encourage you to come to the Thursday, October 22nd East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition meeting. This month's meeting will be held on Capitol Hill, from 6:30 to 8 PM on Thursday, October 22nd in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption's Social Hall, 1804 13th Ave, Seattle, 98122.
Please note that there is free parking on the north side of the building accessible from the alleyway between East Denny and Howell Streets.
I am hoping many of our Capitol Hill neighbors and business owners will come and let us know how things are going in your neighborhoods!
Our featured guest will be 37th Legislative District Senator Adam Kline. He will be listening to and responding to your concerns. Relevant issues to our community include possible budget cuts to the State Department of Corrections (DOC), which can impact our outstanding Neighborhood Corrections Initiative (NCI). Department of Corrections officers, under the NCI initiative, accompany Seattle Police officers on patrol; they are able to interact with offenders more readily than our officers, particularly if the person is under DOC supervision. We have benefitted greatly from this program and do not want to lose it.
Other initiatives include substituting treatment for incarceration as a more effective response to drug addiction. The 'Treatment on Demand' approach can shorten prison time for non-violent possession and street-dealing, while implementing mandatory treatment for addicts arrested for drug crimes. Often there is a long wait for people wishing to get into treatment, and this initiative should fund more treatment options. Additionally, Senator Kline has been involved in more effective 'Clearing Our Neighborhoods of Abandoned Junk Cars.'
Our other featured guest will be The Seattle Urban League's Jamila Taylor, who will update us on the $8 million Mayor?s Youth Violence Prevention Initiative. What's happening with this money? Come tomorrow and find out!
Hope to see everyone there!
Best regards,
Stephanie Tschida, Chair
East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition
Forget the passive aggressive notes on your neighbor's windshield. Next time, use our handy flier.
EDIT: We've heard the glue-paste critics out there and are happy to provide this updated flier. Feel free to use either version.
Oh, and e.e. is more than willing to make a tooth brushing flier if that would be helpful for you, but please provide a valid email address so we know where to send it.
Happy parking!
Previous
The units in the First Church of Christ, Scientist townhouse project have hit the open market. Here's a new listing we found for one of the cheapest units -- at a cold hard $995k
CHS took a tour of the place while in the neighborhood -- the 16th at Howell park project is conveniently next door -- and it's definitely worth going through if for no other reason than to gawk. Here's a picture of the central common area -- gotta think there will be some impressive neighborhood parties thrown there.
In what just might be the last in-store at its 15th Ave location, Sonic Boom Capitol Hill hosts Dutchess & The Duke for a free show tonight at 6:30. You might have seen our previous post about the Boom neon rocket having already been taken down in preparation for SB's move to the other side of the Hill. The new shop is slated to open November 7.
UPDATE:
Here's a picture from the show thanks to @clintgosset
Neighborlogs intern Lucas Anderson sends in this shot of a single car accident that happened around 5:06 PM in front of the Safeway on 15th Ave. We'll get details from Seattle Fire when we can but Lucas reports that it looked like the driver was being transported to the hospital with a neck injury.
CHS digs through a lot of Seattle Police Department reports -- but it's not very often we find ourselves in the write-up:
Sounds like the eyewitness report was related to this group of alleged thieves who robbed two men on Boylston in September and were believed to behind a string of robberies. No word from SPD yet if this tip helped, but arrests were made in the case and two of the suspects pleaded not guilty last week while a third also entered a not guilty plea today.
More from late September's police files coming tonight on CHS.
A thief with a sweet tooth hit the Online Coffee shop late Monday night. Here is the report from the SPD blotter:
On 10/5/09, at approximately 11:05 p.m., the suspect walked into a Coffee shop in the and asked the clerk for a brownie. The clerk went and retrieved the brownie and when she returned, the suspect handed her a note. The clerk took cash from the till, and gave it to the suspect. He fled eastbound on E Pine.
As officers were responding to the call, they saw a subject fitting the description in the . That subject was standing behind a car, with the trunk open, and he was changing clothes. When the officer turned around to contact him, the subject was gone and the trunk was closed. The vehicle was impounded it to the processing room.
The suspect is described as a black male, 6 feet tall, approximately 230 pounds, and bald head.
A group of neighbors, gardeners, poets and parks employees gathered in a paved parking lot Saturday afternoon to celebrate the start of construction on a new Capitol Hill park. Community members were encouraged to bring a card with their favorite word or line from a poem or play to add to a poetry tree. Two cans of spray marking paint were also handed out and attendees were encouraged to leave a message on the pavement. A few wrote their names. Someone made a large 'Yay for parks' marking.
That was about as close to actually breaking ground as things got. The afternoon featured a few speeches, some poetry readings and an occasional blustery burst of fall wind. It was noted that the park still doesn't have a name and that the community would be invited to start providing suggestions. CHS asked one Capitol Hill notable in attendance who he would like to see the park named after. Boe Oddisey -- the Capitol Hill scarf dancer -- said his pick would be Gray Lambert, the man nearby Lambert House is named for. CHS also asked Oddisey if he would ever like a park named after him. "Oh, yes! But not for another 40 years," Oddisey said.
Among those in the crowd was Virginia Hassinger, project manager for the park. She said, once it begins, construction of the park will take about four months. Some elements such as bike racks and benches are not yet funded -- the Friends of Capitol Hill group has formed to work on fundraising for those elements. Meanwhile, the family of Shannon Harps has donated money to help pay for the park's picnic tables.
Also in need of cash: 'The 7 Hills' art piece envisioned for the park. The art -- part of park designer Mithun's vision -- would depict the 'original' seven hills of Seattle. Here's a Wikipedia list of every other city in the world claiming to be built on seven hills. You can blame Rome.
More interesting might be the concept for the garden space in the project. Instead of the old model of individually controlled p-patch plots, the Howell Collective has stepped in to help lead the way to create a new form of community garden on Capitol Hill. The collective will organize members to care for and maintain garden space in the park and make the fruits -- and vegetables -- of their labors available to the community.
Anybody want to share your poem online? Ceremony starts at 4 PM.
Yup, the big Sonic Boom neon rocket ship is gone. We first told you about Sonic Boom's move from 15th Ave to Melrose back in June. Sign in Sonic Boom's window says the new shop will open November 7. Looks like the rocket has already made the move.
While we're already busy planning where the next park developed on Capitol Hill will go, work is set to begin on a new green space coming to the top of Capitol Hill at 16th and Howell. Celebrate the start of construction with a groundbreaking ceremony and community poetry event this Saturday in the paved parking lot the new park will soon be replacing.
CAPITOL HILL PARK GROUNDBREAKING CELEBRATION
The Friends of Capitol Hill Park and Seattle Parks and Recreation will celebrate the beginning of construction for the new park located at 16th Avenue & E Howell Street on October 3, 2009 from 4 – 5 p.m.
The celebration features poetry from Marion Kimes, Susan Kerry, Ashley Flannagan and Jesse Minkert. Community members are encouraged to bring a 3”x5” card with their favorite word or line from a poem or play to add to the poetry tree
Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tim Gallagher will be a featured speaker at the event.
Through the Pro Parks Levy, Seattle Parks and Recreation purchased the .21-acre asphalt parking lot. The Levy allocated $545,800 for park planning, design and construction. Mithun Architects is the landscape architect firm in charge of design and construction. Incorporating feedback from community meetings held in 2008, Mithun created a design concept for the park.
The construction contract was awarded on September 24, 2009 to Precision Earthworks. Construction will begin in early October. The awarded contract includes basic park elements such as grading, lawn, pathway, plaza, steps, barbeques and picnic tables and both bid additives. Parks will install benches, bike racks, and the art feature under this contract. Completion is targeted for January 2009.
The Friends of Capitol Hill Park community formed in the summer of 2008 and spearheaded fundraising efforts that enabled a more complete build out of the park.
The 16th and Howell park will be built to its base design leaving community groups to raise funds for things like BBQs and bike racks. You can learn more about how to help raise funds for those elements at Saturday's event or by checking out http://www.capitolhillpark.org/. For more on the park's design, check out the Seattle Parks 16th/Howell project page.
We're also trying to dig into the Seattle Parks naming process to find out what the status is on potential names for this park and the park at Summit/John. Maybe Capitol Hill Park is the official name -- we're looking into it and, if it is, will ask why our suggestions were ignored. CHS Capitol Hill Seattle Blog Park is much more catchy, no?
The Sylvie, a new 12-unit townhome at 311 14th Ave E. is set to open Thursday. The homes, designed by Seattle-based DB2 were designed as some of the greenest units in Seattle, targeting both 5-star Built Green and LEED Platinum certifications. The homes utilize all low energy fixture and appliance, tankless water heaters, and are also pre-wired for solar panels (but you have to purchase the actual panels yourself). All the units are 3-bedrooms and range between 1,478 - 1,615 sq ft. including a rooftop deck. No word yet on the asking prices but the fact that it's on near Seattle's original Millionaires Row is probably a good clue.
Sylvie Grand Opening
311 14th Ave E.
September 17th, 5-8pm
Drinks and hors d'oeuvres available
Lots of reports lately of Capitol Hill businesses being broken into -- two recent incidents here involving a tanning salon and a coffee shop, another here involving a CHS sponsor's shop. Here's a report of a Capitol Hill business heist that didn't happen. Last Thursday, somebody tried to break into Remedy Teas on 15th Ave E but couldn't get any farther than breaking off a key in the door's lock. Glad to find out Remedy didn't get ripped off -- also glad to provide a reminder for local business owners to make sure they've done everything they can to secure their investments.
The suspects in last week's robbery of the Group Health Credit Union on 15th Ave may be responsible for 17 area bank robberies since June, the FBI says. In a bulletin (see attached PDF) distributed to media, the Seattle FBI office says it is seeking help in identifying the men it says may be 'the most prolific bank robbers in the Seattle area since 2006.'
These two men are believed responsible for 17 area bank robberies. They should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who can identify them, please contact the case detective. They may be associated with an older model white Caprice (police sedan).
Contact: Seattle FBI at 206-622-0460 or seattle.fbi@ic.fbi.gov; or Detective Len Carver at 206-262-2526
Meanwhile, Central District News is reporting yet another robbery downtown this afternoon -- the getaway car? Thought to be a white Chevy Caprice.
Here's a rundown of the 17 heists the duo is suspected in:
The debut of a Starbucks-backed brand experiment on 15th Ave E wasn't the first time that this Seattle commercial strip saw a large chain with an innovative retail concept move in. Capitol Hill historian Dotty DeCoster originally wrote this piece for the Capitol Hill Times where it appeared in early 2008 but it is not available on the Web. She is able to share her work with CHS and we're happy to feature her take on the Hill's history.
The former home of Piggly Wiggly as it appears in 2009 (Photo: Lucas Anderson)
At first glance, one sees the delightful canopy along 15th. It is almost as wide as the sidewalk, wide enough for two people to stroll together without getting soaked by the canopy drip. This building at 401 15th Avenue E (on the northwest corner of 15th and E Harrison) has been with us since 1930. Walking along, one might pause and peruse the intriguing house wares and gifts in the windows of Tilden, or go into 22 Doors and see what’s on offer. It’s not really until you see the building from across the street that the terra cotta ornaments on the front of the building are noticeable, although the lively brick design along E. Harrison still looks pretty flashy.
From 1930 until about 1938, this masonry building was 15th Avenue’s Piggly Wiggly store. The canopy wrapped around the building covering all the big windows just below the transoms. Originally a Piggly Wiggly/MacMarr store, the sign seems to say simply “Piggly Wiggly” in the 1937 photograph at the State archives. A grocery ad in the Seattle Daily Times, January 10,1930, shows a banner “MacMarr/PigglyWiggly” announcing the “first birthday sale” for all the stores in Seattle, and the ad looks much like grocery ads today. It also dates the merger between the two chain store companies.
Piggly Wiggly stores have a fascinating history. Clarence Saunders invented the self-service supermarket, patented the system in 1914, and franchised it nationwide. He’s the person who came up with the name “Piggly Wiggly”. His first store was opened in Memphis, Tennessee in 1916. But he lost control of the company in the early 1920s.
In 1921, William Louis Avery came to Seattle from Boulder, Colorado, and established the first Piggly Wiggly store in downtown Seattle. As the self-service method of shopping became popular, he opened stores in other parts of the city. He remained president and manager of the company until 1925, when Harry A. Ruff took charge here in Seattle. Mr. and Mrs. Ruff lived near the University of Washington, where their son, Harry A. Ruff, Jr., was a student.
Also during the 1920s, Charles Merrill (Merrill, Lynch) became interested in grocery stores and drove the development of the Safeway chain which originated in southern California. By the end of the 1920s, many west coast grocery store chains, including the MacMarr and Piggly Wiggly chains, had been consolidated into the Safeway system. In some cases, and 15th Avenue was no exception, Safeway and Piggly Wiggly stores existed for a brief time within a block of each other although they were owned and operated by Safeway. In 1932, Piggly Wiggly and Safeway stores in Seattle were consolidated under the direction of John L. Heathcote, District Manager. By 1935 George M. Mangan was the District Manager and in 1938 the former Piggly Wiggly at 401 15th Ave. E. became a Safeway.
Grocery store chains were big business in the 1920s and 1930s. While the Depression encouraged consolidation and delivery of less expensive food, in general the grocery business thrived. Financiers were willing, as Charles Merrill was, to invest heavily in new stores, new warehouses, and expansion of grocery chains. Wheeling and dealing, merging and consolidating retail and warehousing, were continuous.
City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Historical Site Record
Summary for 401-405 15th AVE / Parcel ID 3303700190 / Inv # CH009
Historic Name: Piggly Wiggly Market Common Name: none Style: Commercial Neighborhood: Capitol Hill Built By:
Year Built: 1927
Significance
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. This is an unusually ornate and intact small commercial building in the Fifteenth Avenue East business district. Residential development of this part of Northeast Capitol Hill flourished in the early years of the 20th Century, when the developer James Moore platted and sold lots around 15th Avenue North (now East). A streetcar line was built on 15th, and by 1910 several groceries and drugstores were located in his area. This is one of the second generation of buildings, constructed in 1927. It originally housed a Piggly-Wiggly Market. The extensive terra cotta ornamentation and decorative brickwork distinguish it from surrounding buildings, no doubt a method of attracting shoppers away from the numerous nearby stores. Since grocery stores consolidated into large facilities, this building has housed a variety of restaurants and small retail and service businesses.
Appearance This small one-story building is clad in brown and tan brick, laid in a decorative X pattern on the south wall. The main entry is denoted by an arch in the terra cotta belt course above the transoms. The center storefront and the corners are delineated by ornate terra cotta pilasters with large finials. The pilaster design is repeated in the medallions descending from the terra cotta cornice. The storefronts have their original recessed entries, large display windows with transoms, black tile bulkheads and a suspended canopy. Detail for 401-405 15th AVE / Parcel ID 3303700190 / Inv # CH009
Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Brick Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat Roof Material(s): Unknown Building Type: Commercial/Trade - Specialty store Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Masonry - Unreinforced No. of Stories: one Unit Theme(s): Commerce
Integrity Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: Intact Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Major Bibliographic References Williams, Jacqueline B. The Hill with a Future: Seattle's Capitol Hill 1900-1946. Seattle: CPK Ink, 2001. King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives. Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
By 1941, 401 15th Avenue E was vacant. In 1942, briefly, it became the Capitol Hill Evangelistic Church, Rev. Thorfin Brocke, Pastor. A year later, it became a grocery again, a service grocery run by John D. Shea. About 1953, Capitol Hill Furniture and Appliance Company took over the premises and remained there until about 1976. For a brief time in the late 1970s, the Capitol Hill TV store was there and then Tilden moved in from across the street. The store was divided in half and a restaurant has been in the space now at 405 15th Ave. E since Speedy’s, sometime in the 1970s or so.
While a history of Piggly Wiggly stores in the Northwest remains to be written, it is likely that the Piggly Wiggly at 401 15th Avenue E. was the last to be built in Seattle.
This suspect in a series of at least five Seattle-area armed robberies may be the same man who held up the Group Health Credit Union branch on 15th Ave at gunpoint Thursday afternoon. The FBI has confirmed that the GHCU suspect is tied to other recent cases in the area and may be working with an accomplice. Now it appears likely that the suspect is the same man pictured in this security camera grab from a robbery at a West Seattle KeyBank on August 5.
Thanks to West Seattle Blog for helping us make the connection. They report that the same man is suspected of hitting banks in North Seattle and a hold-up in Renton. The prolific outlaw is also suspected or nailing a Bank of America in Renton around 11:30 AM Thursday morning before making his way to Capitol Hill for the GHCU job around 3:30 PM.
The suspect in the Capitol Hill credit union heist is described as a heavy-set black male, 5'11"-6', with some facial hair, brown eyes and wearing a cream-colored baseball cap. He was armed with a revolver with a wooden handle.
The suspects in Thursday afternoon's armed robbery of the Group Health Credit Union on 15th Ave are believe to be tied to a string of robberies of south-county banks and credit unions, FBI spokesperson Frederick Gutt tells CHS. Authorities are still not revealing how much -- if any -- cash was taken in Thursday's heist. The man who held up GHCU is described as a heavy-set black male, 5'11"-6', with some facial hair, brown eyes and wearing a cream-colored baseball cap. The FBI believes he works with an accomplice who is also described as a black male. The Seattle bureau office is putting together a more comprehensive description of the suspects, Gutt said.
Gutt confirmed that yesterday's robbery of a bank in Renton was likely the work of the GHCU suspects. That robbery of a Bank of America branch happened around 11:30 AM in Renton's Fairwood neighborhood. The GHCU hit went down around 3:30 PM.
Gutt also confirmed that the robbery suspect killed by police last night in Federal Way is not believed to be connected to the Capitol Hill robbery.
UPDATE 3:59 PM:
From the scene, typical of many of these types of robberies, it's mostly quiet at GHCU's 15th Ave branch as investigators work the scene inside. Outside, would-be bankers wander up to the line of police tape blocking access to the front door and encounter the 'temporarily closed' sign -- the only indication that something unusual is going on inside.
A man who saw the aftermath of the robbery after the suspect had already fled, said an armored truck had been at the GHCU at the time of the robbery. The truck was gone by the time I arrived.
UPDATE 4:50 PM:
More from CDNews:
Update: Police have some suspects in mind, not clear why, but think they might be heading to points south of the city
Update x5: Photo from earlier GHCU robbery 2 weeks ago in Tukwila matches the suspect in this one
Update x4: Updated suspect description: Heavy set black male, 5'11"-6', little bit of facial hair, brown eyes, cream-colored baseball cap
Update x3: Description matches that of a suspect who robbed a bank in Renton earlier today, and may be tied to a rash of earlier robberies of south-county banks
Update x2: Weapon used was a black or blue revolver with a wooden handle.
Original Report:
From our partners at Central District News:
3:26PM - 115 15th Ave E - Bank Robbery - Armed robbery of the Group Health Credit Union. Suspect is a black male, 35, 5'11", clean cut, cream colored suit, leather baseball cap, possibly associated with a white Chevy Caprice with a spotlight on the side like an old police car.
Heading over to check out the scene. You might recall that the nearby Wells Fargo inside Safeway was robbed back in spring.
UPDATE 5:20 PM:
We checked in with local news gatherers the Renton Reporter about another robbery that occurred today possibly involving the same suspect. The suspect in the 15th Ave crime reportedly brandished a weapon, however -- no weapon was used in Renton according to the Reporter:
The Bank of America branch in Fairwood was robbed at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday of an undisclosed amount of cash, according to the King County Sheriff's Office.
The robber, a black male in his late 40s, showed a note to a teller, took the cash, then fled on foot, according to Sgt. John Urquhart, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office.
UPDATE 7:20 PM:
Seattle Police Department spokesperson Jeff Kappel confirmed details reported collected from the scanner reports -- including that the robber was, indeed, armed -- but could not say if any cash was taken in the robbery or exactly how the robbery occurred. Kappel did say that the Ballard bank robbery reported by the Seattle PI today was actually a false alarm.
22 Doors closed for remodeling on August 30, 2009 post-brunch (at 3 pm). They will reopen on Tuesday September 8, 2009 with a remodeled floorplan. While the bar area will remain relatively intact, they plan on eliminating most of the booths and will create a stage area in the right corner (as you enter). The color palette will change, and they plan to embellish the ceiling. As well, they will have a brand new dinner menu with small plates - all under $12.
There was a chainsaw buzzing and by the time I looked out my window at 7:45 this morning two small trees were cut down in front of the overgrown, so-called Urban Sanctuary plot on 13th between Harrison and Republican.
Is this a sign of things to come for the overgrown plot? Or just an urban tree trimming? I would have to get dressed to go outside and investigate further.
Sunset at Gert's Originally uploaded by James Callan
If Columbia City was too far for you to trek to get your fill of "Seattle-style" barbecue, you're in luck: via Twitter, Gert's announced they're coming to the Southwest corner of 15th & Pine on August 20 (11 am to 1:30 pm and "soul hour" - between 7 and 11 pm). According to the Stranger, you should sample the soul bowls, the green bean casserole, and of course - the ribs.
The cafe formerly known as Circadia
Originally uploaded by Sam Pullara
Sound familiar?
Through its latest venture ... Starbucks is experimenting with a completely different approach to java. A swift departure from Starbucks' sparse, no-nonsense ambiance, this 3,100-square-foot coffeehouse is graced with antique furnishings, red velvet curtains and well-worn couches. More than just a place to grab a cup of joe, ... also boasts complete breakfast, lunch and dinner menus; a full liquor bar; live music; Internet access from many tables and a private meeting place called the Green Room. This cross between a neighborhood coffeehouse, a restaurant and a bar caters to a hip, urban crowd, many of whom have shunned Starbucks in the past. It's also a place where customers can sink into a comfy couch, sip a mocha or martini, and stay awhile.
The above was written for Entrepreneur Magazine 10 years ago. June 1999.
Via CurbedSF, comes this reminder that history repeats. Starbucks launched the Circadia Coffee House brand in San Francisco at the turn of the millennium. The concept morphed into the Starbucks Cafes that also soon were either shut down or converted into regular Starbucks outlets. So, is what we're seeing down the street at 15th Ave Coffee & Tea the same thing all over again?
Victrola Coffee owner Dan Ollis thinks so.
"You don't know what is going to be going behind the butcher paper," Ollis said of his initial apprehension about the new Starbucks venture moving into Victrola's neighborhood. "We're doing fine. It's a beautiful store. They've clearly spent a lot of money and we're flattered to have been immitated," Ollis said.
"Victrola has customers that are so loyal that they feel like protective parents so they've gone over to check the new place out. But they come back to report what they saw. It's great."
Ollis said that during the first week, he and the Victrola staff got caught up in the hype around 15th Ave Coffee & Tea but now they're getting back to concentrating on Victrola. "I'm still waiting for Howard to call, though," said Ollis, who parlayed his Whidbey Island Coffee company into his own PNW mini-empire when he purchased Victrola in February 2008. In the meantime, Ollis said he has no need and no plans to change what Victrola does.
The same can't be said about the rest of his caffeine empire. Ollis said a little bit of Capitol Hill has been spreading out across his other stores. "We are now teaching latte art to all the Whidbey staff," Ollis said. "But I don't know how much of the crossover is going to happen. Each area has its own quirks."
And how did they get a P-Patch stamp that would make it so their mailing would fool me into excitedly thinking I might have gotten a coveted Capitol Hill P-Patch?
In any case, the mailing instead asks folks to email "pledging your support." Support, apparently, for a garden at 16th and E Howell,
a p-patch that will try a different style of community garden, a "collective" that does not have individual plots. The whole garden (not just the common areas) will be designed, planted, maintained, and harvested together by community members that sign on to work the community garden.
So am I the only one in the dark about this organization? And if you email them, does that mean I'll get a p-patch sooner?
