Tag Archives: milestones

Thank Nirvana! Thank Linda! Linda’s Tavern celebrates 30 years on Capitol Hill

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Linda’s Tavern, the kind of place they really mean when they talk about an icon of Capitol Hill, celebrates three decades of memories, music, and moments Tuesday night. Founded in 1994 by Linda Derschang and two dudes from Sub Pop, the bar has survived as a cherished, grunge-y gathering place for locals and visitors alike.

“When we opened Linda’s 30 years ago, it was simply because we thought it would be really fun to open a bar on Capitol Hill,” Derschang tells CHS from New York City where the onetime “Seattle queen of clubs” now calls home.

“It was my first bar venture, following my experience opening a punk rock and rock ‘n’ roll clothing store in Denver in 1984.”

Capitol Hill was the natural choice for Derschang who had already established roots in the neighborhood with a clothing shop on Broadway. “What other neighborhood would I have wanted to open a bar in? That was the place, and that’s where I lived,” she says.

Reflecting on the changes in Capitol Hill over the years, Derschang highlights both the positive and negative. “One of the best things about the change was when Elliott Bay Books moved to Pike Pine about 15 years ago,” she reflects. “It helped solidify the neighborhood as both a daytime and nighttime destination.” Continue reading →

Glasswing celebrates ten years of fashion and design on Capitol Hill

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(Image: Glasswing)

As Capitol Hill’s independent retailers welcome holiday shoppers, fashion and design shop Glasswing is celebrating a decade of shopping on Melrose — and plans for a leafy Pike expansion that will help boost its growing “plant design” business.

“I was just looking at photos of the shop when we opened in 2013, and it’s truly amazing to see the growth of where we were then, and where we are now,” co-owner of Glasswing, Alisa Furoyama said. “Today, it feels full of life and with such thoughtful care put into every little corner of our space. We can only exist and continue working on this project because of our amazing customers and community.”

Following several years operating as a pop-up shop, Glasswing signed their first lease a decade ago at 1525 Melrose Ave. November 24th marks their 10 year anniversary. Continue reading →

Lost Lake, Capitol Hill’s ’24-hour’ diner, is turning 10 — and thinking about getting back to its old ways

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With Glo’s suddenly the shiny new kid, Pike/Pine’s Lost Lake might feel like the grizzled veteran of the Capitol Hill diner class. The joint turns 10 this week.

As the pandemic recovery continues, it might be getting back it its old ways.

Lost Lake opened in May 2013 as a 24-hour diner, but its current hours are 7 AM to midnight, with extended openings on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Kerry Martinek, Lost Lake’s general manager, admits that finding staff to work overnight is a challenge but the diner is considering the possibility of returning to round-the-clock service.

“We’ve been talking about it and we’re trying to go in that direction. There’s no date on that yet,” Martinek says.

Lost Lake has come away since 2013. Part of the extended Capitol Hill Block Party and Neumos family of Pike/Pine joints, its siblings also include the Big Mario’s pizza bars and conjoined twin dive bar the Comet. Co-founder Dave Meinert  left the ownership in 2018 in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations leaving Jason Lajeunesse in charge of the company. Partner Joey Burgess spun himself out to create his own family of Capitol Hill businesses with husband Murf Hall including Queer/Bar, The Cuff, and, now, Oddfellows, and Elliott Bay Book Company.

Martinek, who has been with the cafe for almost two years after being a regular customer since its opening, is excited about the anniversary and considers Lost Lake to be a one of a kind establishment. Continue reading →

Location, location, location — Retail Therapy celebrates 20 years on Capitol Hill

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Retail Therapy’s Wazhma Samizay

(Image: CHS)

By Kali Herbst Minino

Near the corner of Pike and Broadway, there’s a two-story shop displaying colorful clothing, a unique candle selection, cards with character, dazzling jewelry, and creations from independent artists. The shop, Retail Therapy, has watched Capitol Hill evolve for the last 20 years all while never changing location. Owner Wazhma Samizay is celebrating the milestone.

Samizay moved to the neighborhood almost 30 years ago, and recalls the store’s location as a part of Capitol Hill that hadn’t really developed. Retail Therapy emerged from that opportunity, its support for independent artists setting it apart from other businesses at the time.

“Part of it was the opportunity to do something and support my actual neighborhood that I walk through and live in,” Samizay said. “When I started, there really wasn’t that many spaces that had independent artists being featured. Now two decades later everybody is doing it.”

The store was originally brick-and-mortar and had operated that way for over a decade. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Samizay created an online store alongside the physical shop which was open with a limit on the number of people allowed in at a time. In addition to the online store and physical limitations, a tab on the store’s website titled “Look Out for Eachother” contained an extensive list of resources for anyone struggling during the pandemic.

As for business on E Pike, Samizay says it has been doing better than it was during the pandemic, though she wouldn’t call it a recovery.

“Having done this as long as I have, I’ve learned to ride the roller coaster. There’s always ups and downs, it’s best not to get off the ride while it’s still moving,” Samizay said.

There are also new neighbors.

Continue reading →

Eldest of Capitol Hill and Central District’s modern crop of beer makers, Standard Brewing turns 10

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(Image: Standard Brewing)

(Image: Standard Brewing)

This weekend, Standard Brewing turns 10 making the S Jackson brewery the eldest of the modern class of Central District and Capitol Hill beer makers.

Standard is celebrating with a “10 year banger” —

How did this happen?! Most of you never got to see us incubate in the back corner of our building. It seems pretty wild now to think about how we got our start, with a bunch of ramshackle equipment and duct tape. For those of you that remember our building being yellow and purple, with double deep parking spaces and a bar with space for 8, it seems like a lifetime ago. For all of you, and for everyone that has been a supporter over this hectic decade, March 18th and 19th is for you!

The weekend will include live music and special releases including a bourbon barrel-aged stout with Broadcast Coffee, a “Bee’s Wine” ginger beer, and a special “fermented pineapple” tepache beverage, along with guest bartenders and more surprises. Continue reading →

Three years later: Capitol Hill in the first dark days of the pandemic

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There is no getting away from the fact that It will always be some anniversary of the pandemic. First presumptive cases. Masks. Vaccines. This week brings a milestone of the COVID-19 outbreak that, thankfully, already looks like the distant past. This week three years ago, CHS visited a dark Broadway and Pike/Pine as bars and restaurants closed and businesses locked up under some of the first restrictions of the pandemic.

“Monday night, CHS found a very quiet Capitol Hill,” we reported March 17th, 2020. “In 48 hours, the neighborhoods of Central Seattle transformed from warily busy pockets of activity to a state of battened down storefronts and handwritten signs imploring ‘we’re still open.’ The Comet Tavern was covered in plywood and coffee shop patrons lined up one by one, spread out as much as possible, for a warm cup on yet another weird day of COVID-19.” Continue reading →

Two members of Capitol Hill counter culture celebrate birthdays: Happy 5th to Westman Bagels as Baiten Bakery turns 1

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(Image: Westman’s Bagels)

Two proud members of Capitol Hill’s robust community of counter and walk-up food and drink are celebrating milestones this January.

On E Madison, Westman’s Bagels set out with larger ambitions than the tiny roll-up space it launched in five years ago along the busy street. CHS reported here on the cold winter 2018 morning debut of the venture as the project put new life in the popular counter space just down the Hill from Temple De Hirsch Sinai and 2,800 miles from Brooklyn.

Small-space food and drink entrepreneur Monica Dimas and baker Molly Westman teamed up to create high quality but not high production bagels. Continue reading →

Carrying on the spirit of Red Robin’s Eastlake roots, Sam’s Tavern marks ten years on Capitol Hill

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(Image: Sam’s Tavern)

Add another to the Capitol Hill food and drink milestones accumulated in 2022. New Year’s Eve marked the ten year anniversary of Sam’s Tavern in Pike/Pine, the first location in the creation of the Seattle burger chain and a still growing branch on the Red Robin family tree.

CHS reported here on the December 31st, 2012 debut of the Cascade Mountains and Rainer beer-flavored burger tavern that marked the arrival of James Snyder in the Capitol Hill food and drink scene.

A son of the Red Robin family that launched the franchising of the chain back in 1979 and an operator of a handful of Sonic drive-ins across the state, Snyder outbid the Capitol Hill Block Party food and drink partnership that was working on creating Lost Lake at the time to take over the space and buy out a struggling restaurant concept at 11th and Pike. Before Chino’s, the space had been home to another struggling food and drink joint, the Oasis Cafe. Continue reading →

At center of Middle Eastern food and drink family, Capitol Hill’s Mamnoon marks 10 years on Melrose

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(Image: Mamnoon)

Wassef and Racha Haroun opened Mamnoon with its modern mesh of Middle Eastern cuisines as first time restaurateurs back in 2012. Ten years and six restaurants later, the couple and the staff at the Melrose Ave location will celebrate their milestone this week.

“Every parent feels that their kids are very special — same exact here,” said Wassef Haroun.

Wassef and Racha are originally from Syria and are long-time Seattle residents. Wassef has a background in technology, while Racha is a trained psychologist. After working on several projects, the couple decided they wanted to do something together, which led to the birth of Mamnoon.

“We saw Middle Eastern food, particularly Lebanese and Syrian food, are very badly represented in this part of the world,” said Haroun.

“We wanted to bring it here in a modern fashion–make it accessible but also give people the possibility of experiencing either a fine dining level, more casual, or even a sandwich coming out the window.” Continue reading →

At the center of a new Capitol Hill business family, Queer/Bar turns 5

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(Image: Queer/Bar)

In October 2017, Queer/Bar opened on 11th Ave to make a stand for queer nightlife and culture in Pike/Pine. Then the next five years happened.

Now, the bar and performance venue is ready to mark five years on Capitol Hill and continue its climb to be a center of LGBTQIA+ good times in Seattle. It will do so at the center of a new Capitol Hill business family made up of some familiar old but valued faces including The Cuff, Elliott Bay, and, now, Oddfellows.

“It’s amazing. Queer/Bar is turning this awesome corner,” owner Joey Burgess tells CHS. “We just didn’t stop working through the pandemic. Kept our core crew. We’ve been kind of dreaming of this the whole way through the pandemic.”

Queer/Bar at five is finally taking its full shape with performances and events that keep the club “activated every night of the week” and “just makes the venue feel alive,” Burgess said. Continue reading →