Linda’s Tavern, the kind of place they really mean when they talk about an icon of Capitol Hill, celebrates three decades of memories, music, and moments Tuesday night. Founded in 1994 by Linda Derschang and two dudes from Sub Pop, the bar has survived as a cherished, grunge-y gathering place for locals and visitors alike.
“When we opened Linda’s 30 years ago, it was simply because we thought it would be really fun to open a bar on Capitol Hill,” Derschang tells CHS from New York City where the onetime “Seattle queen of clubs” now calls home.
“It was my first bar venture, following my experience opening a punk rock and rock ‘n’ roll clothing store in Denver in 1984.”
Capitol Hill was the natural choice for Derschang who had already established roots in the neighborhood with a clothing shop on Broadway. “What other neighborhood would I have wanted to open a bar in? That was the place, and that’s where I lived,” she says.
Reflecting on the changes in Capitol Hill over the years, Derschang highlights both the positive and negative. “One of the best things about the change was when Elliott Bay Books moved to Pike Pine about 15 years ago,” she reflects. “It helped solidify the neighborhood as both a daytime and nighttime destination.”
There are also regrets. She laments the loss of many beloved businesses due to rising rents and redevelopment. “So many cool businesses were lost, and we ended up gaining some pretty ugly buildings,” she sighs.
Derschang got her start on Capitol Hill as a punk kid from Colorado selling tight pants and Doc Martens from her Broadway clothing shop, Basic. Those early neighborhood connections would lead to a fortunate phone call from Sub Pop co-owner Jonathan Poneman. Poneman wanted to get into the bar business after he had come into a little money selling records by a Seattle band that had made it big. Really big. Along with the record label’s Bruce Pavitt, the trio began planning what would become a Capitol Hill institution. Thank Nirvana!
From its initial seed money to its regular drinkers to its newest hires, Linda’s has remained connected to the city’s music scene. When asked about the secret to why Linda’s has been a 30-year success, Derschang attributes it to those musicians and the people who have filled the E Pine space. “It’s Linda’s – it’s my baby. What keeps it special is the people that work there and the people that go there,” she says with pride.
Looking ahead, Derschang remains open-minded about Linda’s future. “Who knows where Linda’s will be in 20 years? If you’d asked me 30 years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to answer,” she muses.
One phenomenon that has puzzled Derschang is Linda’s emergence as the go-to spot on election night after the ballots drop. “I have no idea how Linda’s became that place, but it’s great,” she chuckles. “There are some things that happen to a business and it’s not necessarily directed by anyone that owns the business or works there. So that is one of the mysteries of Linda’s. I have no idea. It just happened.”
As for her message to regulars and staff alike, Derschang offers a heartfelt thank you. “To my regulars and my staff — just a huge thank you, so much love,” she says.
Amidst the celebration of Linda’s Tavern’s 30th anniversary, Derschang says she is satisfied.
“I am far too old,” Derschang says. “I have no, absolutely zero plans to open anything new ever again.”
With that, Derschang closes the chapter on her entrepreneurial ventures, leaving the stories, the songs, and Linda’s as an enduring legacy in Seattle.
You can find Linda’s Tavern at 707 E Pine. Its 30th anniversary party with secret DJs, free t-shirts, and lots of fun starts Tuesday, February 13th at 7 PM. Learn more at lindastavern.com.
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There are also regrets. She laments the loss of many beloved businesses due to rising rents and redevelopment. “So many cool businesses were lost, and we ended up gaining some pretty ugly buildings,” she sighs.
It is terrible that we built housing for thousands more people…because now they have to look at that housing rather than the cool vacant warehouses that we had before. What a shame.
Yeah, housing with exorbitant rents and dumb boutiques and restaurants no one decent can afford to shop at.
She’s right. They really uglified the neighborhood.
Not to mention, those new arrivals never hesitate to complain about the noise coming from Linda’s.
You’ve got to wonder whether Boris lives on the same hill let alone the same planet. Linda’s experience speaks for itself. Maybe Boris was frightened by an eccentric neighborhood as a kid and needs a mile of plate glass to feel right.
I’ll repeat again – 150,000 more people live in Seattle now than in 2010. And you’d all prefer they be out on the streets or something. I just don’t get the indifference toward humans.
do you think those 150,000 people who moved here are choosing between a luxury condo on capitol hill or the street?
I know that they have to live somewhere. If you’re claiming that they all have second homes elsewhere that seems unlikely.
Once again, its the know-nothing know-it-alls like you that think they’re smarter than those that not only were there back then, but also are here now. And another thing, if you’re so concerned with the homeless situation, take one in and sub-let a room in your bs penthouse condo you so graciously rain your ignorance down on the rest of us from…jackass
Good to hear that you’re concerned with other people having housing.
There really is this pernicious belief that basically compromises any civic vision in Seattle – ‘if we drag ass on accounting for new people they will stop coming’ and its been hilariously long since Seattle was in any kind of period where people were not determined to move here.
I would love some civic vision that accounts for the housing that we need – and not just endless talk.
Actually many are sliding scale rent.
People can be sad about losing places and understand the need for housing. Stop being a callous weirdo.
Boris, you troll so hard, I wonder if you’re actually a condo pretending to be a person.
lmao!
Yeah. That’s clearly what she meant.
Bingo
@Boris There’s no way you lived on Cap Hill in the 90s and 00s. It was way cooler then. There were no vacant warehouses. Housing on the hill was affordable then. One bedroom apartments under $1000.00 in cool ass buildings were abundant! Those buildings got torn down and replaced with apartments that rent at 2K-3K. For longtime Seattlelites that SUCKZBALLZ!!
One of the things about the 90s though is that you could buy a unit for 30-35k because cool as Capitol Hill was it was not in fact a sizzle neighborhood – comp units in QA were higher. It was in flux with things none of the folks who had good times then particularly notice now as being out of sorts with opiods. Cause memory. Wife was one of the lucky ducks to get in when the getting was good around 96 and I showed up early 2000s and we got married mid 2000s so go figure.
Ugh. OP is an anon “Boris” but you tagged me, the actual @Boris who actually has lived here since the 90s. (No prob.)
Can confirm 1BRs in cool ass buildings under $1000 (my first actual-Seattle place was in the Ben Lomond in 1997 for the princely sum of $700/month). View of the Needle, sparkles of the pre-Bezos SLU, and the steady thrum of I-5.
Can not confirm “cool vacant warehouses” that OP is referring to. I remember a lot of non-chain shops run by fellow weirdos, bunches of one-of-a-kind apartments and living spaces, and adventurous side streets. Jeff above has it right:
Feeling seen here. Speaking of feeling eyes, who else tried to come down off of mushrooms by way of Eileen’s terrible french toast? #iamanoldfag
Wouldn’t it be great to kick 200k people out and go back to things being “cool”
And we have 200k more people living here now. I care about people…not “cool” whatever that is supposed to mean.
There has never been 150,000 people living on Capitol Hill. 98122 population is 50,000 people maximum. Show me the data.
My numbers are all of Seattle. If you’re saying that Capitol Hill should be preserved in amber and more construction should happen in other neighborhoods, please let us know where.
Where are you getting these numbers? Capitol Hill’s population hovers around 40,000
All of Seattle.
FYI, this is the Capitolhillseattle.com blog. The original post was about the 30 year anniversary of a bar on Capitol Hill. You’re the one off topic.
ok, make it 8000. Why do you not want 8000 people to have housing?
You’re a housing developer. You care about providing new homes for people because it puts money in your pocket. The 100,000+ people who’ve moved to Seattle aren’t houseless people. Quit spinning the script. We’re onto you.
lol, I’m no developer, but the fact that everyone seems to forget that building any housing requires someone to build it is a problem. I’d be happy if we legalized all housing building and taxed land at 100%. You’d probably scream about that impacting old grannies or something rather that it allowing many young people to afford homes.
I’m not spinning any “script” – you’re the one who brought up homeless people. I said housing for people. Are you disagreeing that people live in these new 100k+ housing units? They’re all vacant?
People are allowed to find things ugly, Boris. It doesn’t mean they are saying they hate housing. Please chill.