The Spot in its West Seattle days (Image: The Spot)

There will be a new set of Capitol Hill roommates on 11th Ave heading into the summer. Cafe and wine bar The Spot is moving in with salon Essensuals of London.

Hopefully they enjoy each other’s music.

“It’s a pretty cool concept,” The Spot’s Philip Sudore tells CHS. “The space is beautiful — big, open, high ceilings. We’re taking over one side of the building.”

A new life for The Spot at 11th and Union on the backside of Pike/Pine comes months after the West Seattle hangout shuttered on Avalon Way where it gutted out the height of the pandemic but ultimately couldn’t hold on.

The Spot’s rebirth on Capitol Hill will represent a streamlined version of Suerore’s little bit of everything cafe, bar, and music hangout. Sudore is jettisoning The Spot’s restaurant aspirations with the new start.

“That one was definitely a restaurant,” he said. “We did a ton of music there — four nights a week — and it was very breakfast-and-brunch-heavy with a totally different dinner menu at night. This is going to be a little different.”

With the shared space and the simplified approach, The Spot hopes to grow again, serving espresso and pastries in the morning, quick grab-and-go breakfast items for the college and apartment crowds nearby, and transition into a wine-forward café in the evenings. “It’s going to be a European-style espresso and wine bar,” Sudore said. “We’ll retail wine, set up a wine club, and offer live music.”

Don’t expect a stage, at least not yet. “To start out, it’ll just be singer-songwriters,” Sudore said.

Sudore is also a musician, performing with his band Tiny Monsters.

The salon is making room for its new roomie (Image: Essensuals London)

The shared setup with the salon might sound unusual, but Sudore sees it as a plus.

“I think that in and of itself is fairly unique,” he said. “We’ve built it out so it’s got its own kind of life — a warm, welcoming community place where you can come in and get coffee or beer” Sudore said. “We’re going to have shared clientele and the opportunity to co-market with each other.”

The arrangement will also help Essensuals sustain its business as the salon reaches 11 years on 11th Ave. Neighboring upscale sneaker shop Likelihood shuttered in the building late last year citing costs and repeated break-ins targeting its expensive merchandise.

The Spot has modest ambitions, aiming to serve a wide mix of regulars — students from Seattle U, young professionals in the Viva apartments above, and anyone looking for a relaxed space to hang out. “We’re right next to the college, right underneath an apartment complex… we’re hoping to catch that early morning coffee crowd, have lunch, and then a happy hour into the evening.”

The plan is to open soon in the coming weeks, depending on final health and liquor licensing. Hours will likely run from 7 AM to 8 PM, with possible later nights when live music is on the schedule.

In the meantime, Sudore hopes neighbors are ready for what The Spot is offering. “Great food, great music, great laid-back atmosphere,” he said. “Just a place to come and hang out.”

The Spot will open soon at 1156 11th Ave.

CORRECTION: When first posted, this story incorrectly spelled Sudore’s last name. Sorry for the error.

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