Just a quick post this month to make absolutely-certain you know what’s happening in the neighborhood.
Sprout is open in the Florence Building, right next to Smith Tower on 2nd Ave. Healthy eating never tasted so good. Owners, Mike and Jen Kelly, are also Pioneer Square residents.
Though they aren’t open quite yet, we can get our first peek at what’s coming at Good Bar at 2nd Ave S & S Main St now that the paper is off the windows. It’s jaw-dropping gorgeous. It won’t be long now.
Che Sara Sara opened this past weekend in the Grand Central Building at the corner of 1st Ave S and S Main Street. This is the third neighborhood business for Luigi DeNunzio, owner of Al Boccolino and Café Bengodi. Stop by to check out their menu and say “hi”.
Two new businesses are opening on Yesler Way, just west of 1st Ave S, and they’re going to be fabulous additions to the neighborhood.
Calisea, a home gift store, plans to be open in time for holiday shopping. Check out their website to get a sense of what owner, Alden Alvarado, has in mind for her Pioneer Square storefront.
Una Kim is bringing her seafood café, Ferry Queen, to the street level space in the Post Hotel at 90 Yesler Way, just upstairs from Little Uncle. (Think lobster rolls!) She’s working round-the-clock to get her doors open before the end of the year.
Construction continues around the neighborhood. We should be drinking coffee at Brendan Mullally’s Elm Coffee before the end of December. Casco Antiguo, Girin, and the Sounders Fan Experience Center will be highlights during the first part of 2015.
Congratulations to Tango Zulu for being named a national finalist in the Green America People & Planet award. Cast your vote and learn more here.
Holiday shopping in Pioneer Square will be the best it’s been in years. We’re making the most of all of our retail with fabulous holiday promotions three Saturdays this year: November 29, December 6, and December 13. This is the year to Shop the Square. Mark your calendar and stay tuned for details.
Follow us on Twitter @PioneerSquare to hear news as it breaks. I’m also going to try to do more with Twitter myself @k_true. (We’ll see how that goes.)
Café Nordo co-founders Erin Brindley and Terry Podgorski fell in love with Pioneer Square when they produced last year’s spaghetti western, SMOKED!, at The Kitchen by Delicatus. Later, after they tired of moving their live theatre-dinner productions from venue to venue, they decided to look for a permanent home in our neighborhood. Last month they announced they are ready to begin the build-out of Nordo’s Culinarium in the Globe Building. They’ll take the space at 109 S Main that runs along Nord Alley. (Nordo’s on Nord Alley. Fun, yes?)
The press is all a-twitter about the news. (Check out a couple of articles here and here.) While we’re thrilled about bringing live theatre to Pioneer Square, it’s especially sweet because of the deep connection Erin and Terry feel to our neighborhood. So much so, that they asked to share a personal letter with all who live and work in Pioneer Square. This one’s for you. Read it here.
As you know, things are picking up quickly on the retail front. Several new businesses are busy building out their spaces and should be opening their doors for business by fall.
Velouria – in Stadium Place. Owners Cat Wilcox and Chika Eustace are thrilled about being part of the Pioneer Square community. They sell all U.S. and Canadian-made goods with an emphasis on Pacific Northwest designers. “We love the personal touch of handmade items that are not mass-produced, and above all, goods that are beautiful and high quality.” They will be open in Ballard for a few more weeks. You can check them out on instagram (@hellovelouria).
Dry Goods Design – at S Main St & Occidental Ave S. Keli Faw just got the keys on Friday and is hard at work to get the space opened on August 29th. They’re planning an opening party on Friday, September 5th. “We are so excited to be providing a space where people can work as individuals and with others to use their hands (and often a machine) to make something or everything, providing both machines and tools for our students. Our fall class schedule, including ‘Lunchbreak Lessons’, will range from ‘This is a Sewing Machine’ to advanced garment construction classes, dyeing workshops, hand lettering, embroidery and more.” In addition to classes, Dry Good Design will offer a thoughtfully and lovingly curated selection of fabrics, notions, home goods, stationery, and more.
Clementines – on Occidental Mall, next door to London Plane. Linda Walsh is moving her popular women’s shoe store from West Seattle to Pioneer Square. She’s all about fabulous women’s shoes and clothing. She said they are on a tight timeline, but are “up for the challenge.” She hopes to be open within 4-6 weeks. “If we aren’t open in time for the big weekend in September (Seahawks on September 4–Design Festival sets up the following day) we will be around to pass out coupons to use at the new space.”
Cone & Steiner – in Stadium Place. In addition to everything else we might find in an urban general store, they’ll have a “growler station” with local beers. We’re all watching those windows, waiting for the paper to come down and the doors to open…
Elm Coffee – in Pacific Commercial Building at 2nd Ave S & S Main St. The roll out menus for the Elm Coffee micro-roaster and cafe will feature some lightly roasted excellent coffees from Guatemala, Colombia and Ethiopia. Perhaps a few choice Kenyans on occasion, too. Owner, Brendan Mullally, explained, “We want to be a comfortably elegant café. Super friendly, non-pretentious service is paramount. Great clean coffees served simply. Occasional special treats like affagotos, espresso with bitters, horchata, and home-made peppermint mochas.” Brendan hopes to be serving coffee for the neighborhood by the end of September.
Good Bar – in the Pacific Commercial Building at 2nd Ave S & S Main. Though the build-out is taking a little longer than expected, Good Bar owners say they’ll be open for happy hours and dinners this fall.
Sprout – next door to Smith Tower on 2nd Ave. Michael Kelly’s vision of a restaurant where everything on the menu is healthy (really, everything!), is on track to become a reality. He’s hard at work building out the space and will keep us posted as things unfold.
Fleurt – on S Washington St, next to Pioneer Passage Alley. We’re having fun watching this lovely space come to life. Stay tuned. Flowers ahead.
Seattle Sounders – in the Washington Shoe Building on Occidental Ave S. This is late-breaking news: in addition to moving their offices to Pioneer Square, the Sounders are developing plans to open something very special on the street for the public. Curious? So are we. More details soon.
Pizzeria Gabbiano– in the Pacific Commercial Building at 2nd Ave S & S Main St. Mike Easton is in the thick of putting the last touches on his fabulous space in preparation of opening. It should be any day now…
I had hoped to write about some of our existing retail and restaurant businesses this month—both those who’ve weathered multiple economic turns and those who haven’t been open as long. While it’s fabulous fun to talk about what’s new, this neighborhood works because so many are committed to a bigger vision of Pioneer Square and believe in the possibilities. New stores and restaurants complement what long-established favorites put in place.
So…I’m going to work to pull together a few new stories about old favorites and how they helped set the stage for the new. Got some ideas? Please share. The coffee’s on me!
The amount of activity in the neighborhood is dizzying. New leases are getting signed, spaces are in build-out mode, and doors are opening for business. Sidewalk cafes are popping up just in time for our long-awaited summer. The farmers market, ArtsParks installations, and buskers are back in the parks. And the World Cup is bringing people together in bars, restaurants, conference rooms, lobbies, and Nord Alley. Where else could you possibly want to be right now?
The new Pioneer Square Map & Guide will be out soon, but here’s a head start on what’s new and unfolding. While it’s easy to get caught up in all that’s new and shiny, remember our existing businesses have been hard at work making this the neighborhood where others want to set up shop. So get out there. Take a walk. Visit a new restaurant, whether it’s new to Pioneer Square or new to you. Meet a friend for happy hour. Buy something for yourself, just because you can. Enjoy your neighborhood.
Just a quick post this month to make absolutely-certain you know what’s happening in the neighborhood.
The amount of activity in the neighborhood is dizzying. New leases are getting signed, spaces are in build-out mode, and doors are opening for business. Sidewalk cafes are popping up just in time for our long-awaited summer. The farmers market, ArtsParks installations, and buskers are back in the parks. And the World Cup is bringing people together in bars, restaurants, conference rooms, lobbies, and Nord Alley. Where else could you possibly want to be right now?