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There is a new look for an old coffee friend on 15th Ave E. One of Capitol Hill’s favorite hangouts has given its interior an overhaul with new seating and benches and a new layout.

Part of the neighborhood for 24 years, the original Victrola Coffee cafe is rolling out the upgrades as it also makes changes to its food menu.

The new setup and seating in the old favorite comes in changing times for Capitol Hill’s daytime hangouts emerging from the pandemic. Some of Capitol Hill’s best spaces changed forever in that time. Most recently, E Pike’s former Kaladi Brothers cafe has begun a new life as a home for the Capitol Hill expansion of beer hall and bottle shop the Last Drop.

The new layout at Victrola keeps the 15th Ave E space dedicated to its place as a neighborhood cafe with room for small groups to sit together and a big change from the old tables and chairs to new benches and smaller, individual tables. The new benches make for more clearly defined areas for the counter line and for moving through busy cafe. But the real news might be that there is seating at all or that part of the cafe was not partitioned off to open a mercantile or host pop-ups. The back room that provides a quiet area for those who prefer Zoom calls not to disturb their writing is still there with a touch-up.

Also news is the seeming permanence of Victrola on a changing street. One mixed-used building is about to be completed a few blocks north while another is making room for the Punk Rock Flea Market before it digs in and rises six stories across the street. 15th’s longtime restaurant anchor also is boarded up and for sale.

Born on 15th Ave E in 2000, Victrola was acquired by Dan Ollis and his Whidbey Coffee company in 2008 from founders Chris Sharp and Jen Strongin. In 2018, the company moved its roasting operations off E Pike and expanded production in Lynnwood. Craft batches are still part of the E Pike scene. Victrola has also expanded downtown and with a cafe on Beacon Hill. Now grown into Ollis’s Vibe Coffee Group, Victrola is part of a larger Pacific Northwest family of coffee and cafes.

That family remains dedicated to keeping Victrola a comfortable, open community space for the neighborhood.

Victrola Coffee is located at 411 15th Ave E. Learn more at victrolacoffee.com.

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