Find Your Valentine
Slog
News & ArtsFriday, January 29, 2010
City / Chow Saying Goodbye to Mr. Spot's Chai House
Posted by Unpaid Intern on Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 3:13 PM
This post is by Chow intern Annelise Ogaard.
- adamsayswhatt / Stranger Flickr
As one of the few all-ages venues in Seattle, for the past 12 years the Chai House has given young audiences a place to see shows and young musicians a place to play them. Their weekly Scratching Post open mic nights have long provided an audience to bands still getting used to playing live and served as a stepping stone to bigger things.
According to a Chai House employee, this sense of community is something that a chain café could never replicate:
Not only will a handful of baristas be out of their jobs, but more importantly our customers have nowhere to go… Seattle is changing. Ballard is struggling and longtime independent businesses can no longer compete with the condo take-over. Losing the Chai House will mark an incredible loss for the arts and music community.
When contacted, Chai House owner Chris Tudor emphasized that this is a hiatus, not a permanent closure. He’s currently looking for a new location with more affordable rent, possibly something smaller, though hopefully still in Ballard.
From 2 pm to midnight today and tomorrow, the Chai House bids farewell with live music and comedy.
1
Does the building owner really think he's going to get more rent from someone else? How long will it stay vacant?
2
I was disappointed when it was no longer mr. spot's, and all the funky cat pictures and drapey things came down, but an outright closure of this fine place is a tragedy of quiche, chai, and open mic comedy proportions.
3
Ah man, that sucks. I hope they find a new space soon; that place filled a much-needed hole [sic].
4
Well...all the right wing aholes in Ballard will rejoice!!! They blame the homeless and meth and graffiti and yuppies and anything else they don't like about Ballard on the Chai House customers.
5
@4, I thought they blamed it on Metro, which, according to them, is unloading entire busfuls of homeless drug addicts every ten minutes.
Isn't Ballard wall-to-wall empty storefronts right now? Who's going to pay more rent?
Isn't Ballard wall-to-wall empty storefronts right now? Who's going to pay more rent?
6
The same bullshit happened to Olsen's Scandinavian Foods. Although that was replaced by a pho joint. Because if there's anything this city needs more of, it's pho.
Landlords who raise commercial rent during a recession blow my mind.
Landlords who raise commercial rent during a recession blow my mind.
7
Beloved? it was a bum infested shit hole with 5th rate music and angry neo-hippies angry at their parents for giving them college educations.
8
Yes, Ballard Man, beloved, and by more than those angry neo-hippies (none of whom, you should realize, have a college education).
What's most insulting is that there are dozens of empty store fronts in Ballard. Really, landlords? A stable, consistent tenants or TWELVE YEARS is worth throwing away now, cause maybe, some day, the economy will improve and you can get another pho restaurant? (Or, with better luck, a tanning salon, nail studio, or check casher)? Ask the landlords of the empty spaces known as Epilogue books, that new place on Ballard Ave, the place next to the new pho, the place next to Viking bank, and the one 24th and 56th, to name places off the top of my head. Or maybe they're all the same landlord...
What's most insulting is that there are dozens of empty store fronts in Ballard. Really, landlords? A stable, consistent tenants or TWELVE YEARS is worth throwing away now, cause maybe, some day, the economy will improve and you can get another pho restaurant? (Or, with better luck, a tanning salon, nail studio, or check casher)? Ask the landlords of the empty spaces known as Epilogue books, that new place on Ballard Ave, the place next to the new pho, the place next to Viking bank, and the one 24th and 56th, to name places off the top of my head. Or maybe they're all the same landlord...
9
'none of whom, you should realize, have a college education'
I guess that explains why they like hanging out with bums.
I guess that explains why they like hanging out with bums.
10
shit, shit, shit!
I love this place or should say I loved this place. I just don't get it. With so many store fronts sitting empty in Ballard what moron would think "gee, perhaps I should invoke a huge rent increase." Fuckin' tool!
I love this place or should say I loved this place. I just don't get it. With so many store fronts sitting empty in Ballard what moron would think "gee, perhaps I should invoke a huge rent increase." Fuckin' tool!
11
In this case the landlord is Art Olsen, whose family ran Olsen Furniture next door to Mr. Spot's for 74 years, and owns chunks of property not just on Leary but on Ballard Ave too. His family tried hard during the recent boom years to be careful not to rent space to every Ballard-seeking deep-pocketed asshole chain or sell to every developer waving big bucks at them. They've given a shit about Ballard for a long time.
That the Olsens are doing this to a longtime tenant now seems so out of character that I wonder what kind of new financial strain the family could be under, or if a new greedier generation is taking over the reins or something.
That the Olsens are doing this to a longtime tenant now seems so out of character that I wonder what kind of new financial strain the family could be under, or if a new greedier generation is taking over the reins or something.
12
'That the Olsens are doing this to a longtime tenant now seems so out of character'
Maybe they got sick of the drug dealing, the stink of petrulli and Mr. President's rants against da' man.
Maybe they got sick of the drug dealing, the stink of petrulli and Mr. President's rants against da' man.
13
Petrulli?
If you're going to denigrate hippies, at least learn how to fucking spell. It's patchouli, dumbass.
If you're going to denigrate hippies, at least learn how to fucking spell. It's patchouli, dumbass.
16
Wow, Ballard sure is a-lot different than it was when I moved here 6 years ago. No more sunset Bowl, Mr. Spots RIP, my favorite card shop went out of business, overpriced condo's and luxury apt.s have gone up, The Bit is out of business, Archie McPhee's moved, Scream, the only place I got a haircut for 5 years closed their Ballard shop, and our incompetent former mayor killed the monorail. I guess if I moved somewhere else it would get gentrified too.
17
'I guess if I moved somewhere else it would get gentrified too.'
You won't be missed...I hear Kent and Renton are charming little shit-holes that have absorbed many ex-Ballardians.
You won't be missed...I hear Kent and Renton are charming little shit-holes that have absorbed many ex-Ballardians.
18
Mr. Spots was a completely inoffensive coffee shop that tried to maintain the hippie coffee shop tradition of the Last Exit and some of the '80s pre-smoking-ban coffee-house scene. It will be missed, at least by me.
On the other hand, I never liked their new space much. They started out around the corner in a weird triangular space on Market, and it was much nicer than the converted warehouse thing (which they only moved into about 8 years ago, not 12). Hopefully they can find something with a little more character in the future though, frankly, given the pace at which Ballard is being plowed under, I'm inclined to doubt such a space still exists.
Oh, and the asshole who's whining about the character of Mr. Spots' patrons can just eat shit and die; OG Ballard was all about the junk yards and the speed freaks, and if you were anything other than some nouveau riche suburban carpetbagger you'd at least know better than to bitch about how those scumbags down at the coffee house are lowering the air quality in fucking Ballard of all places.
On the other hand, I never liked their new space much. They started out around the corner in a weird triangular space on Market, and it was much nicer than the converted warehouse thing (which they only moved into about 8 years ago, not 12). Hopefully they can find something with a little more character in the future though, frankly, given the pace at which Ballard is being plowed under, I'm inclined to doubt such a space still exists.
Oh, and the asshole who's whining about the character of Mr. Spots' patrons can just eat shit and die; OG Ballard was all about the junk yards and the speed freaks, and if you were anything other than some nouveau riche suburban carpetbagger you'd at least know better than to bitch about how those scumbags down at the coffee house are lowering the air quality in fucking Ballard of all places.
19
Blaming the loss of the Chai House on the condo take-over? Really? I wonder if old Ballard (frugal Scandinavian working-class families) would have supported the Chai House. My guess is that it's the condo-dwellers that actually supported the Chai House, and it's probably the condo-dwellers that will most likely mourn its absence.
20
"the asshole who's whining about the character of Mr. Spots' patrons can just eat shit and die"
Why? We're winning. We always win. You get to move to Kent and build a new hipster heaven among the strip malls. I get to hang out at Bastille, sip cote de rhone and enjoy the farmers market.
Why? We're winning. We always win. You get to move to Kent and build a new hipster heaven among the strip malls. I get to hang out at Bastille, sip cote de rhone and enjoy the farmers market.
21
Remember losers, money talks, bullshit walks. Ballard is being cleaned up, ditto Georgetown. Can I suggest Tacoma or Kent for the new Chai's? And take that loser 'Mr. President' with you?
22
Or, hey, I could stay in my vintage condo on Capitol Hill, have breakfast at one the various shi-shi venues up here, and be amused by the hubris of the most recent wave of arrogant pricks who think they've "won" just because they happen to be on top right now. I've lived in Seattle since the '70s; I've seen three waves of people like you come and go and every one of you useless fucks struts around like Ozymandias. Enjoy it while you can, dickboy.
23
"they happen to be on top right now. "
Actually I was born on top (well, upper middle) so have been here for 40 yrs enjoying the view.
"Enjoy it while you can, "
Sure will!
Now pass that Châteauneuf-du-Pape and fuck off to Kent or Renton or where ever the hell you people go after being priced out.
Actually I was born on top (well, upper middle) so have been here for 40 yrs enjoying the view.
"Enjoy it while you can, "
Sure will!
Now pass that Châteauneuf-du-Pape and fuck off to Kent or Renton or where ever the hell you people go after being priced out.
24
16: Wow, Ballard sure is a-lot different than it was when I moved here 6 years ago. No more sunset Bowl, Mr. Spots RIP, my favorite card shop went out of business, overpriced condo's and luxury apt.s have gone up, . . . I guess if I moved somewhere else it would get gentrified too.
Forgive me for being a pedant, but the condos and apartments are expensive, not "overpriced." There are plenty of well-off yuppies able to buy those condos and rent those apartments.
Most of Seattle has become gentrified, some neighborhoods just a lot more than others.
Forgive me for being a pedant, but the condos and apartments are expensive, not "overpriced." There are plenty of well-off yuppies able to buy those condos and rent those apartments.
Most of Seattle has become gentrified, some neighborhoods just a lot more than others.
26
Ballard Yuppie - Are you in character, a la Lord Basil?
Ballard has been losing its character for several years now. The upwardly-mobile may be enjoying their 'Hip Urban Living' amid the Bastilles and shops that sell $400 pairs of shoes. But mark my words - that way of life (along with the 2/3 empty apartments & condos) is not sustainable. As working class and hippies go, so will go the Yuppified Ballard...
Ballard has been losing its character for several years now. The upwardly-mobile may be enjoying their 'Hip Urban Living' amid the Bastilles and shops that sell $400 pairs of shoes. But mark my words - that way of life (along with the 2/3 empty apartments & condos) is not sustainable. As working class and hippies go, so will go the Yuppified Ballard...
27
" But mark my words - that way of life (along with the 2/3 empty apartments & condos) is not sustainable"
My family's sustained a pretty good lifestyle since the mid-1850s. Maybe you think the economy will never improve? Didn't you hear, Obama administration announced 5% growth the last quarter.
"As working class and hippies"
Who? They don't need to worry, we'll always need someone to make our lattes.
My family's sustained a pretty good lifestyle since the mid-1850s. Maybe you think the economy will never improve? Didn't you hear, Obama administration announced 5% growth the last quarter.
"As working class and hippies"
Who? They don't need to worry, we'll always need someone to make our lattes.
29
This sucks! I live in San Francisco but visit Seattle with my boyfriend regularly because he's from there. The first stop we make every time we visit is the Chai House...can we protest this closure??? Where else can I buy Morning Glory Chai?
30
So sad to hear that.I also don't want this happenes.Every time many of friends with me meet there and chat and disscuss the nfl draftwith coffee there But now...
31
I'm really sick of the kneejerk, blame-the-evil-Ballard-condo-owners bullshit. I live in a new townhouse in Ballard and primarily patronize the old joints - Smoke Shop, Conor Byrne, Hattie's, the Sloop .... just because a person can afford to live in Ballard doesn't make him/her an asshole. Nor do I believe that new businesses are ruining Ballard. The variety is nice. If someone wants to open a boutique selling pricey clothes, so what? As long as Ballard doesn't become overrun with chain stores, that doesn't bother me. I hope Ballard doesn't get overly gentrified, and that places like the Smoke Shop will continue to survive, but I also don't think the addition of places like Bastille somehow dimishes Ballard's character. It's a neiighborhood in a thriving, popular city; change is inevitable.
32
What bullshit. I am betting on another tattoo shop, my boyfriend is betting it will be another new "instant-dive" hipster bar.
33
guys lets just relax. Having been a regular/employee/family member at the chai for 2 and a half years, I'd just like to say that angst is not the feeling being represented by those in the closest circle. On the closing weekend the place had an air of gratitude, peace, and of a new leaf turning. I'm not blaming condo buyers, shop owners, or fuck even land lords for what has happened. The amount of creative energy bubbling from the cracks at that place was bound to putrefy, with so many people throwing bags of shit at it (figuratively) Get over your delusions of superiority, we're all brothers (and sisters).
34
there is no question but that i'll be missing all my chai house friends and one of the few cultures that that was our link to that last days of provincial grunge before the invasion which stole our soul. and i'll miss riding my bike all the way over from mercer island just to hang out for as little as a half-hour. here's my email--somebody keep me abreast: twelfthhawk@yahoo.ca later, Trufah
35
Such good memories at the chai house. Such good memories. It's almost unholy how they just closed it like that. Sigh. We should have known.
36
Come to Lake City! It supports indy businesses and is cheap. I lived in Ballard for 5 years before the boom and went to Mr. Spot's Chai House many a time. Would love to have it up here.
37
Come to Lake City! It supports indy businesses and is cheap. I lived in Ballard for 5 years before the boom and went to Mr. Spot's Chai House many a time. Would love to have it up here.
38
This just SUX! Really!
I lived in Seattle for nearly 8 years and then had to leave for Europe for 2 years. I've returned back finally only to learn that...
Sunset Bowl - GONE
Mr. Spot's Chai House - GONE
This is really, really sad. I loved these spots. I guess mortality is something one has to handle somehow on this planet, but it's hard. Sometimes really hard...
Really!
I lived in Seattle for nearly 8 years and then had to leave for Europe for 2 years. I've returned back finally only to learn that...
Sunset Bowl - GONE
Mr. Spot's Chai House - GONE
This is really, really sad. I loved these spots. I guess mortality is something one has to handle somehow on this planet, but it's hard. Sometimes really hard...
Really!
39
Ballard Yuppie... where to start on your insulting, classist and idiotic statements?
BY-"Remember losers, money talks, bullshit walks. Ballard is being cleaned up, ditto Georgetown. Can I suggest Tacoma or Kent for the new Chai's?"
Yes it does talk. I'm not saying feel guilty about your financial gains, but to rub it in out faces that our community is being torn apart because we don't have the capitol to stop it is disgusting. I though the affluent prided themselves on their manners? And "cleaned up"... do you mean gentrified?
BY- "We're winning. We always win. You get to move to Kent and build a new hipster heaven among the strip malls. I get to hang out at Bastille, sip cote de rhone and enjoy the farmers market."
Yes, you're winning. You always win. But you need money just to play this game, so it's not as if it's a level playing field and the best team won. You basically have performed the societal equivalent of stealing candy from babies. I'm glad you feel good about it though. I'd hate to add self loathing to the list of unhealthy viewpoints you possess. And that farmers market, do you look down on the people working there too?
BY- "My family's sustained a pretty good lifestyle since the mid-1850s."
This may explain your lack of perspective. You must not know what it's like in the "real" world where you don't have mommy, daddy, and the whole family taking care of your every need. As of your own admission, you don't know. I feel sorry for YOU, and I probably am the low class loser making your latte. Some people are born into circumstances that make climbing the ladder of perceived success a difficult and lonely process. And to judge them for that is an appalling show of your colors. You seem to be assuming that everyone making less money than you is a lowlife loser, and deserves it because their bank balance is actually just a measure of their worth as a human being. Do you know anything about the political policies that have been put in place by all the "winners" in the past 50 years that have lost the rest of us so much? The discrepancy between rich, middle class, and poor does not widen due to merit. The evolution of the species follows a path that the most greedy, vicious, and selfish are the ones who survive. And the ones who sacrifice for the common good, care about others, and create communities based on values are the ones routinely squashed... by the winners. So go team go.
BY- (on "working class hippies") "Who? They don't need to worry, we'll always need someone to make our lattes."
I don't think people are worried about their jobs so much. No one will miss making your coffee I bet. Because a job is just a job, a way to facilitate the way in which you choose to live. And regardless of how great the view on top is, it doesn't make you above anyone.
More...
BY-"Remember losers, money talks, bullshit walks. Ballard is being cleaned up, ditto Georgetown. Can I suggest Tacoma or Kent for the new Chai's?"
Yes it does talk. I'm not saying feel guilty about your financial gains, but to rub it in out faces that our community is being torn apart because we don't have the capitol to stop it is disgusting. I though the affluent prided themselves on their manners? And "cleaned up"... do you mean gentrified?
BY- "We're winning. We always win. You get to move to Kent and build a new hipster heaven among the strip malls. I get to hang out at Bastille, sip cote de rhone and enjoy the farmers market."
Yes, you're winning. You always win. But you need money just to play this game, so it's not as if it's a level playing field and the best team won. You basically have performed the societal equivalent of stealing candy from babies. I'm glad you feel good about it though. I'd hate to add self loathing to the list of unhealthy viewpoints you possess. And that farmers market, do you look down on the people working there too?
BY- "My family's sustained a pretty good lifestyle since the mid-1850s."
This may explain your lack of perspective. You must not know what it's like in the "real" world where you don't have mommy, daddy, and the whole family taking care of your every need. As of your own admission, you don't know. I feel sorry for YOU, and I probably am the low class loser making your latte. Some people are born into circumstances that make climbing the ladder of perceived success a difficult and lonely process. And to judge them for that is an appalling show of your colors. You seem to be assuming that everyone making less money than you is a lowlife loser, and deserves it because their bank balance is actually just a measure of their worth as a human being. Do you know anything about the political policies that have been put in place by all the "winners" in the past 50 years that have lost the rest of us so much? The discrepancy between rich, middle class, and poor does not widen due to merit. The evolution of the species follows a path that the most greedy, vicious, and selfish are the ones who survive. And the ones who sacrifice for the common good, care about others, and create communities based on values are the ones routinely squashed... by the winners. So go team go.
BY- (on "working class hippies") "Who? They don't need to worry, we'll always need someone to make our lattes."
I don't think people are worried about their jobs so much. No one will miss making your coffee I bet. Because a job is just a job, a way to facilitate the way in which you choose to live. And regardless of how great the view on top is, it doesn't make you above anyone.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
SL Letter of the Day: Pill The Homos! by Dan Savage
-
Dear Huffington Post... by Dan Savage
-
The Rick Santorum Rally in Tacoma Probably Could Have Gone Better by Paul Constant
-
Because Guns Make Us More Safer by Goldy
-
Slog Bible Study: Deuteronomy 21:10-14 by Goldy
-
Because Guns Make Us Safer by Goldy
-
Gay Kids Are Still Killing Themselves by Dan Savage
-
Gregoire: "This is signed!" by Eli Sanders
-
Prospecting Science by Charles Mudede
-
Google Briefly Acknowledges the Existence of Gay Couples—and Princess/Frog Couples—on Valentine's Day by Dan Savage
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (39) RSS