Author Archives: CHS

Meet the Capitol Hill artist | Nina Raizel is using laser welders and and the largest microscope you’ve ever seen to make jewelry with the Six of Pikes collective

Posted on by
Reply

Meet the Capitol Hill Artist is an occasional series on CHS documenting the lives of the artists behind the neighborhood’s galleries and arts venues.

By Ananya Mishra

When I arrived at Nina Raizel’s studio, I was surprised by how much her workspace reminded me of a science lab. I saw laser welders, a variety of chemicals, and one of the largest microscopes that I had seen in a while. Handmade jewelry requires a lot of intricacy.

Nina graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing. Now as a self-employed jeweler, she makes custom pieces, repairs broken jewelry, and does contract work for other organizations. It’s also important for her to be involved in the local community. She’s a volunteer at the Seattle Metals Guild and is a member of the Six of Pikes artist collective in Capitol Hill. Continue reading →

Beyond Oppenheimer, nuclear Issues highlighted in International Uranium Film Festival’s stop on Capitol Hill

Posted on by
2

By Holland Burris/UW News Lab

Oppenheimer has been a cinema sensation with seven Academy Awards for its depiction of the physicist who helped develop the world’s first nuclear weapons. There are more — and more important — stories to tell. The first-ever film festival about nuclear power will stop in Seattle on April 12-14 at Capitol Hill’s Northwest Film Forum thanks to Jad Baaklini, a native of Beirut now residing in Seattle as director of communication at Epiphany Parish.

Baaklini became fascinated with the Hanford site in eastern Washington, learning about it after immigrating to the United States.

“I think people should just be aware of what’s around them,” Baaklini said. “Seattle can be in a little bubble especially if people are newcomers like me. I only moved here in 2018, and you know, you can live here your whole life not knowing the rest of Washington.”

After hearing about the International Uranium Film Festival, a Brazilian-based festival looking to stop in multiple locations in the U.S., he reached out to IUFF, pitched hosting to Northwest Film Forum, and connected the festival to its main sponsor, Physicians for Social Responsibility.

IUFF will show eight movies at the 12th Ave independent theater that will discuss nuclear issues from around the world, and include some panel discussions after a few of the films. Continue reading →

Community weighs in on design preferences for Central District’s Firehouse Mini Park renovation

Posted on by
Reply

Seattle Parks and Recreation offered creative input opportunities for younger community members during the engagement meeting for the Firehouse Mini Park renovation project on Saturday, April 6. (Image: Ashley Yu/UW Journalism News Lab)

(Image: Ashley Yu/UW Journalism News Lab)

By Ashley Yu/UW News Lab

Members of the Central District community gathered at Byrd Barr Place last weekend, to give their input for the proposed renovation to the historical Firehouse Mini Park at 712 18th Ave.

Hosted by Seattle Parks and Recreation, community members were invited to meet the design team and provide input for the design plans of the $781,000 project. Since the current play equipment was installed in 1988 and is now due for replacement, the goals of the meeting were to gather insights on enhancing the park’s current use and identify the community’s preferences for themes and specific equipment.

Some of the features requested included maintaining the current firehouse theme and creating accessibility for children of all ages.

“The play equipment is not meeting the current safety and accessibility standard,” said capital projects coordinator Jessica Michalak. “The main goal is to make it safe and accessible for the community and to draw more folks in based [on] what the current needs are.” Continue reading →

Seattle school board fills two vacant seats

Posted on by
6

By Aspen Anderson/UW News Lab

The Seattle School Board has filled its vacancies after the resignations of two members over residency rules, appointing two new directors for Districts Two and Four. Sarah Clark for District Two and Joe Mizrahi for District Four were elected unanimously.

“There is a wealth of knowledge and aptitude in these two districts,” District Seven Director Brandon Hersey said. “I only got more excited about people as we went through the forum. There’s a lot of folks that really showed up and showed out.”

District Two Encompasses Magnolia, Ballard, Green Lake, and Adjacent Areas, While District Four Covers parts of Downtown, Queen Anne, the Central District, and Surrounding Neighborhoods.

“The biggest voice that the public has in all of this is we were elected by all of you,” board president and District One Director Liza Rankin said.

Following a public forum last week featuring four finalists from each district, the board made its decision.

Clark’s upbringing as a student within her district was noteworthy to Michelle Sarju, District Five director, emphasizing the unique value her firsthand experience as a student of color in Seattle Public Schools brings to the board, particularly as no other current board member completed their K-12 education within SPS. Continue reading →

It has been a long road to open on Capitol HIll but delays could be blessing in disguise for Koko’s

Posted on by
3

(Image: Koko’s)

By Juan Jocom

The folks at Koko’s know what they are doing. They built the original restaurant into a widely respected dining destination despite its far-flung location in the planned Olympic Peninsula community of Seabrook.

Gibran Moreno and Alexi Torres also know their way around Capitol Hill, hoping to grow their new Koko’s Restaurant and Tequila Bar into the LGBTQ-owned food, drink, and good times community of the neighborhood.

But the long waits and slow processes of doing business in a booming again Seattle have been a challenge even for the experience Koko’s team.

“We’ve been working on this project for over a year and two months… But we are getting close. We are just waiting for our final inspection from the health department and then we should be ready to go,” Moreno said.

But even the final push comes with challenges. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Community Post | Jonah Bergman’s Margaritaville Paradise Island Bait Shop Says Hello!

Posted on by
2

From Jonah Bergman’s Margaritaville Paradise Island Bait Shop

Capitol Hill is changing and so are we. Bait Shop is refreshing its neighborhood bar concept in partnership with financial group Parrothead Capital and Florida-based developer Lost Saltshaker Ventures, LLC.

April 1, 2024 will mark the grand opening of Jonah Bergman’s Margaritaville Paradise Island Bait Shop. Our bar will be THE place for Seattle newcomers to relax and ‘waste away’ in a ‘paradise’ of cheeseburgers, margaritas, and more margaritas. Plus, patrons will learn about incredible timeshare opportunities, and delight in a carefully-curated playlist of our seven favorite Jimmy Buffett songs. Did we mention Coconut Shrimp? It’s five o’clock somewhere, baby.

The sun is always shining at Jonah Bergman’s Margaritaville Paradise Island Bait Shop. See you soon!

 

PLEASE HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE!
Subscribe to CHS to help us pay writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for as little as $5 a month.

 

 

A visit to Harry’s Guest House and mixing uses on Capitol Hill’s Bellevue Ave

Posted on by
10

(Image: Harry’s Guest House)

(Image: Harry’s Fine Foods)

By Juan Jocom

The Harry’s Good Times family of businesses is growing. There’s a place to come and stay on Capitol Hill when everyone visits.

Harry’s Guest House was once home to a beloved neighbor. Now, it is part of Harry’s Fine Foods and of the few new places to stay on Capitol Hill where recent attempts to develop new hotel projects have been slow to take shape.

Jake Santelli and Julian Hagood opened their first accommodation-based business on Capitol Hill at the corner of E Mercer and Bellevue Ave in November. It is a two-unit bed and breakfast. As their Harry’s Fine Foods restaurant took shape in 2016 out of an old neighborhood cornerstore, Santelli and Hagood were pleased to make friends with the eccentric neighborhood longtimer next door. Winnie, they say, “dined with us, laughed with us, and ultimately became a symbol of community that made the corner of E Mercer and Bellevue Ave just a little bit sweeter.”

When they learned Winnie was moving out and leaving her beloved home behind, the Harry’s guys moved to make the house part of their presence at the corner. Continue reading →

This Capitol Hill burger bar won’t stay empty long — 206 Burger Company is moving in

Posted on by
6

(Image: 206 Burger)

(Image: 206 Burger)

By Juan Jocom

Capitol Hill restaurant spaces left empty by recent closures of neighborhood favorites won’t stay quiet long. For some, they will barely skip a beat. The latest example? There is a new burger joint ready to belly up to the burger bar left empty by the departure of 8 Oz. from the northwest corner of Broadway and Union.

First Hill-born 206 Burger is moving in marking its fourth burger joint in Seattle.

Suren Shrestha’s dream of expanding his Seattle burger empire is continuing with the opening on Capitol Hill. As an immigrant from Nepal, Shrestha’s journey from being a dishwasher to a business owner is quite a climb.

“It feels great, It’s my American dream. I came to this country with nothing.I came as a student with $1,300 in my pocket. I’m just proud of myself, you know,” said Shrestha. Continue reading →

Meet the Capitol Hill Artist | Carolyn Hitt is reconciling timelines, sharp lines, geometric shapes, and bright colors on 11th Ave

Posted on by
Reply

(Images: Ananya Mishra)

Meet the Capitol Hill Artist is an occasional series on CHS documenting the lives of the artists behind the neighborhood’s galleries and arts venues.

By Ananya Mishra

One of the interpretations of the multiverse theory is that there could be alternate timelines, or multiple universes, that exist in parallel. Carolyn Hitt, an integral part of the Capitol Hill artist community, thinks very deeply about this concept. It has shaped her perception of humanity and its connection to everything. Continue reading →

Bonito Café y Mercadito bringing community, culture, and coffee to Capitol Hill

Posted on by
12

(Image: Bonito Cafe y Mercadito)

By Juan Jocom

An amalgamation of a classic coffee shop with a shopping experience you’d typically find in Latino mercados, Bonito Café y Mercadito, is preparing to open on E Olive Way, neighboring Capitol Hill’s Pie Bar and Donna’s.

It will soon serve locally Latino-grown sourced coffee and will be hosting mercado events featuring Latino vendors.

From photographers to monthly hosts of Aqui Mercado in Pioneer Square, couple Daniel and Ismael Calderon, are soon to open their dream business that was inspired last year after they hosted their first mercado event. Over the past months hosting their mercado, they were able to build a community of hundreds of supporters and fans.

It was never the plan to open a cafe-market hybrid store. However, after positive feedback from the Latino and queer community from their mercado, the couple decided to pursue opening the business that captures the vibrancy of their monthly event into a daily experience. Continue reading →