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Return of the Retailer: 14th and 15th Avenues welcome The Shop Agora and SPUN Collective

BREAKING NEWS: Two new businesses are busy making plans to open on Capitol Hill. And they are not restaurants*. Nor are they bars. What The Shop Agora and SPUN Collective are is part of a new mini-wave of retailers moving onto the Hill and filling in some of the (smaller!) spaces others have left behind. (* OK. One is kind of a restaurant. See below.)


Sara Seumae’s SPUN Collective is planned to open in November at 1515 14th Ave in the former office space next to Porchlight Coffee and just down from Salon Dewi and Spinasse. We’ve reported on some struggles for 14th Ave’s businesses lately with watch shop Tiempo closing down, gift and design store Whimsy going online only and fancy underwear provider Red Drawers closing. But there are signs of life. A new hair salon is planned for the Tiempo location. And now Spun Collective is moving onto the street.

14th isn’t the only teen ave getting a new retailer. Nikos Spiliopoulo and Alexis Saloutos, owners of Mediterranean specialty and gift basket retailer The Shop Agora, are opening up a twin to their Phinney Ave location on Capitol Hill’s 15th Ave East. Thanks to Mark for the tip and being the first to tell us about spotting the incoming Agora.

On 14th Ave, Seumae tells us SPUN is a collective concept — with some of the ‘maker’ ethos also found in another new retail project on the Hill at the Scenic Drive East Pike Factory — hatched from her experience as an up and coming clothing designer:

When I launched SPUN back in 2008, I found it very difficult to get my foot in the door at local boutiques. I had to work really hard to convince buyers that my line would sell well at their store. It also took a lot of research and mistakes to get some of the business side of things worked out. So I promised myself that if given the opportunity, I would help other designers avoid some of the pitfalls of running your own design business. Since then, I have been furtunate to meet some talented artists and designers here in Seattle. We help eachother by giving advice, lending a hand and helping spread the word about one another. Not only does this relationship help grow our businesses but also gives us the mentoring and support that we all crave. It’s very easy to just keep our head’s down and work away but at the end of the day, we really need that extra bit of dialogue from people who are in the same boat as us. 

The store is really just an extension of this idea. I envision the space as a place that helps foster the growth of designers and artists through guidance and support. SPUN Sustainable Collective is a co-op concept which will include my own line, SPUN, as well as goods from other fashion designers, accessories designers, jewlery designers, photographer, furniture maker and other local artists. Not only will you be able to buy direct from local talent but also be able to see how our pieces are made. The backend of the space will feature a clothing manufacturing area which will allow us to make clothing right on location. Best of all, this will allow us to be able to customize some of our goods right on the spot! We also hope to support other artists by way of book signings, art shows, tweetups and other events. It will truly be more than just another boutique selling stuff!

Seumae says she is doing everything she can to rush to have the doors open at SPUN by November 1st.

Back up on 15th Ave East, Agora’s Saloutos has a (slightly) more relaxed schedule. She says she hopes her new shop will be ready by December. “The Shop Agora on 15th will embrace the same Mediterranean deli and wine shop feel that our store on Phinney Ave does, but with much more space!” Saloutos said. She said the 15th Ave East shop will feature a retail food and wine section including pastas, olive oils, vinegars, bread, a deli section and a dining area for food and wine by the glass. So, we lied — it’s kind of a restaurant.

The Shop Agora will be located at 346 15th Ave East in the space formerly occupied by Simply Frames which shut down in June before re-opening inside of Broadway’s Edgar – The Store later in the summer. The new tenants have a permit application in progress with the Department of Planning to improve and change the use of the space from retail to restaurant. “We waited and waited until the right space came available and it did,” Saloutos said. “We have the very ambitious goal of opening on December 1st, but of course this all depends on paperwork.”

For those of you keeping track of the various trends represented in this post, please add one more. We recently reported on the opening of Mishu on Broadway, another Seattle business opening its second shop on the Hill after success elsewhere in the city. Mishu isn’t a restaurant — even a little bit — either.

After a spate of closures, it seems like independent retail might have a chance to be part of growth on the Hill after all. “With the number of small businesses and indie designers on Capitol Hill,” SPUN’s Seumae says, “it just seemed like an obvious decision as far as location goes.”

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Ali Marcus
Ali Marcus
13 years ago

This is great news, I love the Phinney location and am delighted to hear about their expansion. They have the most delicious olive oil chocolates.

seattlekps
seattlekps
13 years ago

Great to see some interesting specialty shops opening up again. Agora is in my hood and I hope to find great reasons to support them. Spun is a fantastic concept…but how about some men’s clothing, too? Don’t forget the fashion-interested male crowd on the Hill!

Jerome
Jerome
13 years ago

I’m also happy to hear this. I just moved to the Hill from Phinney Ridge two months ago so I’m familiar with that location, even though I never checked it out. I’ll definitely stop in for a visit at the new location.

Sara
Sara
13 years ago

Thanks for the comment! I’m actually hoping to have both men’s and women’s fashion available. It all depends on getting designers on board and we’ll make it happen!

Chris Lemoine
Chris Lemoine
13 years ago

I’ve been to Agora up on Phinney several times when I was in the neighborhood, as recently as last Saturday. The place is postage-stamp size and they’re not cheap, but they have a bunch of good things nobody else sells in our area. Plus they’re always, always super-friendly in a nice, real way. Great addition to the neighborhood!

Amanda
12 years ago

I saw last week a posting that said “Grand opening Friday and Saturday” but wasn’t able to go. I was surprised I didn’t see it mentioned anywhere on this site, maybe I missed it? But the brown paper is down and place looks great!

jseattle
jseattle
12 years ago

We included here and in the weekend events line-up (twice!)

http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2011/08/01/capitol-hill-fo

Amanda
12 years ago

I figured I missed it, sorry!