(Image: Love City Love)
(Image: Love City Love)
A Capitol Hill street living in limbo awaiting a wave of redevelopment.
An arts venue that has made its way through the liminal spaces created by the neighborhood’s relentless change.
It’s the perfect match.
You can add the everything you need and more spirit of dearly departed neighborhood convenience store ShopRite to the mix.
LOVECITYLOVE has landed on 15th Ave E.
The nomadic arts venture that has made its home in a variety of soon-to-be-demolished, destined-for-redeveloped storefronts across Capitol Hill and Seattle is now resident at 15th and Republican in the emptied out cornershop where ShopRite served the neighborhood for 30 years.
It is beginning its days on this new corner of the Hill with a schedule of open mics, sewing classes, and cafe hours.
“We have an open mic every Thursday. We have a sewing class offered Saturday and Thursdays throughout the summer,” Lucien Pellegrin tells CHS. “We’re open as a Cafe during the weekend. Stop by anytime 11 AM to 8 PM!”
LOVECITYLOVE’s eclectic mix is the latest pop-up addition to the block as Capitol Hill-based developer Hunters Capital waits for the right economic conditions to move forward with a planned mixed-use redevelopment that will demolish the old building now home to LOVECITYLOVE and the block’s emptied QFC.
The plans for the six-story, 330-unit building have been fully approved by the city — but the project won’t be breaking ground anytime soon.
“When interest rates and construction costs go down and and rents go up, we will have a bankable deal and we will get a loan and start construction,” a Hunters spokesperson patiently told CHS this week.
In the meantime, this stretch of 15th Ave E is home to an experiment or two.
The old grocery store has remained active as The Capitol Hill Quality Flea Center with regular markets, events, and visits from the Punk Rock Flea Market.
Another smaller commercial space is now home to a temporary pop-up of Haunted Burrow Books and its offerings of “horror, dark fantasy, sci-fi, and other moody genres.”
Along the way, the street’s mix of restaurants, shops, and small businesses is trying to hang in there. There have been losses like tiny Casita International which shuttered this spring after more than 15 years of business on the street. New neighbor businesses are also coming including Fire Tacos & Cantina still lined up for the old Coastal Kitchen building and a new Italian joint from Cantinetta in the new Hunters Capital Hilltop Apartments development at 15th and Mercer. Next week, the neighborhood’s merchant group is hosting a 15th Ave E patio party to celebrate.
Now, LOVECITYLOVE, a veteran of popping up and sticking around awhile, has joined the action.
LOVECITYLOVE is hanging out at 432 15th Ave E. Learn more at lovecitylove.love.
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This entire block turned over with new businesses in a matter of months while a few blocks away, Kaiser says they can’t find a single tenant for their multiple vacant retail spaces that have been empty for years.
Man Fire Tacos & Cantina has been taking a long time to get open.
I’ve seen ZERO activity at the old Costal Kitchen. I wouldn’t hold your breath for them opening anytime soon.
money: “oh, um, we can’t because, uh, …reasons.”
people: *do literal things*
“waits for the right economic conditions to move forward” oh, brother. Something tells me we’ll be waiting a very long time.