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Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Vivace to Move to North End of Broadway

posted by on March 27 at 16:07 PM

A spokesman for Vivace Espresso Roasteria, whose flagship location is being displaced by a Sound Transit light rail station from its longtime home at the corner of Broadway and Denny, called today to tell me some actual good news for Broadway (and Capitol Hill): The flagship store will move into the new Brix Condos, AKA the big hole in the ground at the corner of Broadway and Mercer. The condos, which will replace a one-story Safeway and displace countless families of rats, are expected to open in 2008. The new Vivace-anchored building, along with another being developed by Bill Burkheimer across the street, should bring life to what had been a completely dead block anchored by two grocery stores, a Taco Bell, and an empty parking lot.

RSS icon Comments

1

Save the Taco Bell!

Posted by elswinger | March 27, 2007 4:30 PM
2

Kill the Taco Bell!

Posted by nacho libre | March 27, 2007 4:34 PM
3

Ring the Taco Bell!

Posted by COMTE | March 27, 2007 4:36 PM
4

Viva vivace!!! I pray that they can move the soul of the current location with them to the new digs.

Taco Bell... I haven't been a patron there in years (stopped after two consecutive trips to different restaurants included Cracker Jack like prizes in the middle of the 7 Layers, first a chunk of cardboard, finally a strange chunk of melted plastic) but I'm wondering if the one on Broadway is still known for running out of every ingredient needed for "Mexican" food? When I was poor as dirt and lived down the hill from that place it was par for the course to be turned away because they'd be out of tortillas, and/or beans, and/or cheese...

Posted by viva! | March 27, 2007 4:41 PM
5

I haven't lived on the Hill for 10 years, but I used to go to the Bell because it was cheap and open late.

Besides Dick's and the Box, is there any cheap fast food on Broadway anymore?

Posted by elswinger | March 27, 2007 4:55 PM
6

Erica - how short the memory - Bartell

And really - zzzzzzzzzz, who gives a crap

Are you a stockholder or investor?

Posted by ed dippy | March 27, 2007 4:57 PM
7

Cool. At least something will be open on that cursed section of north Broadway.

Posted by tsm | March 27, 2007 5:00 PM
8

Hans Brix....your bustin my balls Haaaaans !!!

Posted by kim jong-il | March 27, 2007 5:05 PM
9

@5. Tan Brothers Pho. Good, cheap and fast.

Love 1-3.

Posted by golob | March 27, 2007 5:08 PM
10

I am now saddened by the future lack of a coffee shop on my way to work. And I REFUSE to go one block out of the way, dammit!

OK, fine, I will.

Posted by Ari Spool | March 27, 2007 5:12 PM
11

Good to see some things shaking on north Broadway. But one wonders, what would you get if you moved Dick's into the Jack in the Box across the street?

Posted by laterite | March 27, 2007 5:19 PM
12

Dick's in the Box, of course...

Posted by Mr. X | March 27, 2007 5:29 PM
13

So what about the architecture? Enlighten us, dear ECB.

Posted by City Comforts | March 27, 2007 5:35 PM
14

"it's my dick in a box, girl"

Posted by sniggles | March 27, 2007 5:36 PM
15

Can't wait to trade the view of the park for the view of Bob B's condos.

Posted by juliet Balcony | March 27, 2007 5:38 PM
16

Remember during the height of the coffee craze when the Taco Bell had an espresso cart in front of it? The nice old man who ran it had a daily trivia question. Bring back the nice old man!

Posted by wormletter | March 27, 2007 5:39 PM
17

Dammit, that's, like, whole blocks further to walk in the morning. I'm guessing the lines at the Vivace stand around the midpoint between the old/new locations are going to get a lot longer... maybe they could find a hole in the wall down on this end to open another one?

(Also, does anyone else refer to it as Versace?)

Posted by em | March 27, 2007 5:45 PM
18

It's already there, isn't it? On the other side of Broadway?

Posted by rodrigo | March 27, 2007 5:47 PM
19

This is GREAT news for Capitol Hill! What would be even greater would be if a THAI RESTAURANT opened in the Brix building too!

Seriously, I don't think "more coffee" is the answer to what ails Broadway.

Posted by pgreyy | March 27, 2007 5:47 PM
20

Yeah, "a" Thai restaurant would be crazy, when there must be space for at least three Thai restaurants in that building, in addition to Vivace, a Starbuck's and a Tully's.

Posted by rodrigo | March 27, 2007 5:56 PM
21

pgreyy: more coffee is the answer to EVERYTHING. also, I'd welcome another Thai place if it were actually good (like Kwanjai, say.)

rodrigo: no, the other, other side. (you're talking about the swank new one down by REI, right?) ...what, you want me to vary my morning routine because Mass Transit(tm) wills it?

Posted by em | March 27, 2007 5:58 PM
22

em, I mean Vivace's stand on the west side of Broadway. Is it no longer there? It had better espresso than the Roasteria.

Posted by rodrigo | March 27, 2007 6:03 PM
23

rodrigo: yeah, it's still there. When it's nice out the lines are even longer than in the Flagship(tm) one... which is why I was figuring they'd have to beef it up a bit.

Posted by em | March 27, 2007 6:08 PM
24

I had not eaten at the Taco Bell since October 23, 2004 until I broke down and ate there once last year. I do not remember the date of that horrible meal.

Posted by Josh Feit | March 27, 2007 7:38 PM
25

I heard this a couple of weeks ago from a Vivace employee. I think it's a terrible move. The north end of Broadway is depressing - the new construction is only making it sadder. Moving Vivace to that end only means I won't be going anymore. My understanding is that they're going to close down the 321 Broadway sidewalk cafe in order to focus on the new store, which is a huge loss to Broadway IMO.

Posted by genevieve | March 27, 2007 8:11 PM
26

Why would they close the stand? That makes no sense. They opened the (425) store by REI and there were no changes at the other stores. Now I can stop at the bell for a chimichanga breakfast pizza and a yummy velvet all in one stop.

Posted by gameboy | March 27, 2007 8:27 PM
27

Why would they close the stand? That makes no sense. They opened the (425) store by REI and there were no changes at the other stores. Now I can stop at the bell for a chimichanga breakfast pizza and a yummy velvet all in one stop.

Posted by gameboy | March 27, 2007 8:27 PM
28

#24 Josh -

Never does one eat at Taco Bell for a meal

The Tex Mex fried potatoes are good, and a few other things. Cheap, quick, just what it is for the masses who do not expect a meal

Posted by freddy the wise farmer boy | March 27, 2007 9:23 PM
29

I'll really miss that veiw of Cal Anderson. I love sitting at stools near the windows, leaning against the marble counter and gazing out the window. It's a special moment in the neighborhood.

But hey! light rail! Can't wait for that. Seriously.

Posted by BFDS | March 27, 2007 9:44 PM
30

ooooh, what a day, don't know where to begin. flipping through the reference Viaduct plans/books at the library was pretty cool. reading Kurt Reighly's feature in the new No Depression was nice (but dreaming about any Gyleenhaall is creeeepy!), asking the homeless man to play a guitar song for me then him just playing 'licks', and finally now wishing there were more "completely dead blocks" in town- maybe for a lone palm tree.

Posted by keenan | March 27, 2007 9:47 PM
31

I'm very surprised by this news. Isn't the function of the main "retail" space of any new mixed-use building on the Hill to serve as the presentation center for the condos in the next new mixed-use building? Has this natural progression been allowed to go off the rails? Does anyone care?

Posted by Juliet Balcony | March 27, 2007 9:52 PM
32

BFDS; Sound Transit will cut down all the trees on that side of the park, if that makes you feel any better.

Posted by rodrigo | March 27, 2007 9:54 PM
33

Vivace coffee is leagues ahead of Starbucks and Tully's, but for my money, Victrola is the best. Too bad they opened their new place next to the skeeziest bathhouse/bad in Seattle.

Posted by rufus | March 27, 2007 10:08 PM
34

The Eagle is great, and so is Victrola.

Posted by Jason | March 27, 2007 10:29 PM
35

I prefer Top Pot's coffee to Victrola's, myself, but it helps that I'm basically next door (I can smell the donuts cooking summer nights, and I can even use their wifi from my deck). And now Vivace, and their lovely Nico, is moving closer to me. Very nice.

But I wonder if there will be space for a Vivace cart inside the Light Rail station when all is said and done? Seems like they should give them first dibs, if Vivace wants it. (I'm sure it will actually be bid out and Starbucks will take it, sigh).

Posted by Joe | March 27, 2007 10:47 PM
36

gameboy, I think 321 will be closed to funnel all Cap Hill Vivace customers to the new store. The space for the new store will be owned, not rented, so I'm sure they want to make sure it's successful.

Posted by genevieve | March 27, 2007 10:49 PM
37

Genevieve consistently gives out bad info. ("All change is bad") I don't think she's right about the cart this time, either.

Speaking of which - if I recall correctly, sound transit altered their construction site so as not to cut down trees in Cal Andreson Park.

If I'm wrong, please let me know.

Save the rats! (Or, pass a bill in the legislature to prevent rat renters from being pushed out by rat condo owners)

Posted by DixInaBox | March 28, 2007 12:12 AM
38

Genevieve consistently gives out bad info. ("All change is bad") I don't think she's right about the cart this time, either.

Speaking of which - if I recall correctly, sound transit altered their construction site so as not to cut down trees in Cal Anderson Park.
If I'm wrong, please let me know.
Save the rats! (Or, pass a bill in the legislature to prevent rat renters from being pushed out by rat condo owbners)

Posted by DixInaBox | March 28, 2007 12:34 AM
39

What a bunch of hicks must live in Seattle, where the displacement of a coffee shop is noteworty. It probably has a whole article in your backwoods paper too.

Posted by Jos | March 28, 2007 3:03 AM
40

above #33

Eagle is just a longtime gay male bar with great rock and roll - what is your fucking rub anyway - didn't pass the Bellevue Marriott test?

Go back to you little world, and when you are ready for men, check out the Eagle again.

Not a bath house and if it was, so what.....fucking twinkie lites.

Posted by Jean Paul | March 28, 2007 4:49 AM
41

that block ain't dead. vajra, than brothers, good indian buffet. glad vivace is moving in though. rufus @ #33, i've noticed across a few comments that everything seems to threaten you, from dan savage to charles mudede and now gay men at the eagle. why is that?

Posted by josh | March 28, 2007 8:51 AM
42

According to Vivace owner David Schomen, the Sidewalk Bar on Broadway is there to stay.

Posted by joe | March 28, 2007 12:07 PM
43

Victrola is lame. I hate going there. Their coffee has a woody taste. It's lame to spend 15 mins in line and then there's no place to sit. I liked it better when they served Vivace.

Vivace has it all, the view, baked goods and the BEST coffee. Who needs more?

Posted by gameboy | March 28, 2007 5:54 PM

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