Slog - Comments on Rainbow's End

Comment by wf

wf — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:12:10 -0800

Totally unsurprising to anyone who visited the store the last year or so, with all its empty shelves.

But still sad. After Madison Market moved to its current location, Rainbow Grocery had the most human feel of any socially conscious grocery store in Seattle I can think of. With it and Red and Black books gone, the hippie feel of this once very hippie neighborhood is pretty close to gone. But the shift from hippie to hipster isn't so terrible. And at least Madison Market is still going strong.

Comment by Dominic Holden

Dominic Holden — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:31:55 -0800

Aww, that's so sad. I used to go there a lot as a kid. Why, I haven't been there since, um, Trader Joe's opened...

Comment by Ariel

Ariel — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:33:19 -0800

Funny: when I lived in 15th I always felt like a sell-out for shopping at Rainbow because it was was an overpriced fake-coop. Like, if the food's going to cost that much, should it be a co-op?

Now I guess I should have been feeling all good about it because the "real" co-op down the street is somehow too corporate? God, it's so hard to buy guilt-free food these days.

Comment by Judah

Judah — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:36:46 -0800

I used to shop at Rainbow when I was a kid and it was on 19th, down the street from Stevens. It was just about the last hippie business left over from my childhood.

Durnit.

Comment by wf

wf — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:37:14 -0800

Wasn't saying Madison Market is corporate. Just that I liked Rainbow's space better.

Comment by j

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:56:55 -0800

Thanks for the link, Dan. Wish it were better news (Blog Saves Hippie Grocery) Oh well. Can't feel too sorry for our vegetable-lacking selves -- there are a few more organic grocery workers walking the street tonight looking for jobs that truly deserve pity. If you want to blame something for Rainbow's demise, leave your votes here

Comment by frederick r

frederick r — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 22:08:44 -0800

What is wrong with you people? Eat a damn cow once in a while and quit weeping over someone's obsolete business practices. And if ONE MORE PERSON USES THE WORD "HIPSTER," EVER, that person also will be out of business.

Comment by yerbamatty

yerbamatty — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 22:39:29 -0800

Back when 15th was the quiet little boho-burg, I guess they were impossible to live next to. A good friend of mine had the owner on speed-dial because they'd empty their bottle recycling at 4:00am so he could call him every morning he was woken up by the sound of bottles crashing. Ironically, QFC never had this problem, so he'd call and stick the phone out the window and kept asking him find a better dumping time. Never found one apparently. Ahh - the irony of noise control now...

Comment by Sueme

Sueme — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 07:52:15 -0800

You're a weird one, Garrett.

Comment by catnextdoor

catnextdoor — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 08:35:45 -0800

what they need to do, is kick that stupid QFC across the street out (that really is a stupid stupid QFC) and move a co-op into there (not rainbow per se, I was always disappointed with their selection and lack of obvious co-op things- like a fan-fucking-tastic deli, bakery and meat section).

fuck it, they never listen to the good ideas. that stupid QFC will linger forever.

Comment by Lloyd Cooney

Lloyd Cooney — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 09:21:28 -0800

Can PCC open there?

Comment by Quoting Oscar Wilde

Quoting Oscar Wilde — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:20:52 -0800

The old Rainbow Grocery space? That's where Linda Derschang should open a bar.