Busacca says her shop was burglarized twice in one night in July
(Image: Revival)
It has been a bad news/good news kind of summer for Broadway’s Revival vintage and fashion boutique.
Owner Ashley Busacca says worries about impending redevelopment were further soured by an early morning bout of burglary in July that damaged the shop and cost her some merchandise.
The break-ins happened as Busacca was facing the sad prospect of leaving Broadway. She had announced a July 31st final day of business after being told by her landlord it was time to close so the building could make way for planned demolition and redevelopment.
“At 3am this morning, my shop was broken into and burglarized by two people at separate time. As you can imagine, having to unexpectedly close a business with no new spaces to move last minute, and no good prospects, (yet) and then have your space completely violated, is depressing as hell,” Busacca told the CHS Facebook Group last month.
But Busacca says her landlord has informed her that plans have changed and that Revival can stay in the building for the time being.
“This is a relief, to a degree, so I will be staying for now and planning at my leisure for where I want to land in the next year,” Busacca says. “I don’t have any details beyond that. I’m still recovering from the whiplash of this all!”
The Broadway Urbaine project is being planned as “100% Publicly-Funded Affordable Housing” and will rise seven stories with 95 new apartments, five ground floor live/work units, and retail space replacing the 118-year-old, two-story commercial building currently home to Revival, the former Jai Thai restaurant, and a Mud Bay pet supply store location, plus 14 upper floor apartment units.
In 2021, the landmarks board rejected protections for the 119-year-old gabled parapets and semicircular bay windows of Broadway’s Wilshire Building clearing the way for the planned development.
Developer Rebecca Ralston confirmed that the development is currently not moving forward.
“There are many challenges to realizing a redevelopment of the property,” Ralston said. “For now, the development is on hold.”
Busacca said she is currently working with an October through June of 2025 timeframe for a possible exit from the building.
Revival has been part of Broadway since 2015 when Busacca first opened on an upper floor of the building before moving to street level.
Revival remains open and is located at 233 Broadway E. Learn more at revivalshopseattle.com.
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There is a bigger story here to the hold of this project among many in the city on several fronts. This won’t be in order but Hill and Seattle residents will remember and relate.
1) legislation does need to be passed on mid developer/carpet baggers like this one to show proof of total value assets to follow through before being allowed to go through eviction or in case of Jai Tai, they figured 18 months so they opened other locations while hanging on as long as they could. Look what has happened to that beautiful building and former Jai Tai. That is on the landlord. Everyone including current building tenants need to protest and petition this slumlord to clean up and also keep up on maintenance that many other landlords do without prompting. It’s for the safety and also sales for other businesses.
2) “affordable housing” in new development means subsidized government contract money – also slumlord. Great, yes, bring in lower rents but based on how Jai tai and the problems Revival is having, doubt it.
3) on hold. Interest rates high. Doesn’t have money to go forward. Doesn’t have own money to do it. In the end: could be worse. If more businesses were evicted and they have remaining leases, the developer has to pay. But if they do leave and the building in limbo doesn’t bring in income, landlord clearly needs it. Thank goodness at least other tenants are there for neighborhood. Also: most of the businesses on this strip of broadway that have stuck around or come back post covid are long time heavy hitters while newer buildings up and down broadway have had them come and go 1x a year and be empty and light rail buildings still seem to be cavernous.
4) I miss Jai Thai Happy Hour.
5) I hope to god nothing like this happens to the bait shop block. Small Businesses: please know you have tenants rights. Hire a lawyer for a 3hour retainer. If the landlord is cashing your checks, you have every right to your space. Talk to other established businesses that don’t seem to be moving. In a cleaner building.
6) there! I feel better now. Keep establishing the salons, boutiques, restaurants, bars of broadway. Refer friends. Leave glowing google reviews. We can all keep being proactive. There are more awesome businesses, owners, staff within a packed radius of us than anywhere else in the city. We have to keep it and take it back from poseurs to think it’s ok to leave a broken toy in the bottom of the ocean.
Thank you for coming to my HillTalk. Please share amongst your own.
All great points. Thank you for sharing this!
Agree with your comments well said. The Hill needs our local spaces not being developed just for the sake of development. I know Scream hair salon in the same building was looking for new locations based on the demand they move. A business with 15 years history being shoved out for what … another bland 6 over 1 filled with subsidized tenants and a bank branch.