Hey, They're Gonna Put Something Else Here

This storefront's windows have been papered-out for ages. It's on 1st, between Virginia & Stewart. When I moved into the neighborhood, it was Cafe Sophie. And so it stayed for many years. But Sophie closed around five years ago and it became the Starlight Lounge, which didn't last long. I'm not sure why, because it always seemed like the place was packed. The clientele was very much on the douchey side, but that shouldn't have had anything to do with its short stint on this Earth. I dunno, maybe they were selling cocaine out of their kitchen, like they were doing at the former Brick Street (now part of the Gary|Manuel Salon on Blanchard. I won't speculate, but if somebody can solve the mystery of why the Starlight went out of business, please enlighten me. Anyhow, my point is that this place is going to be something soon. I hope it's something good and not another douchebag repository.

Welcome to the Neighorhood!

Two new places in Belltown - and they're not bars or restaurants! The first is Under the Needle Tattoo:

I've written about this place before, but back then they weren't open and I didn't know what they were called. Now it appears that they're open for actual business. This makes them Belltown's only tattoo parlor. If you're in urgent need of a tattoo, check them out. You can find them on 2nd Ave., between Blanchard & Lenora. Basically, if you walk past the V Bar, you've either gone too far or not far enough. I have no interest in skin art (Free Bird!! Whoooo!!), but the window promises that there's more to them than ink:

What the heck are "soft goods?" Anyhow, the place looks clean and friendly enough.

Next up is a shop called Damaged Goods:

I swear to God, I'm totally oblivious about some things. For nearly a year, this space was the Halogen Gallery, the place that was right next to Roq La Rue. Well, that's no longer true! Unbeknownst to me, Halogen and Roq La Rue merged, and Halogen's former space suddenly became Damaged Goods. If I'm wrong about that, let me know. Here's their story: it's a thrift/vintage/music/junk store owned by former Screaming Trees drummer, Mark Pickerel. According to my source, the shop came about when Pickerel's brother-in-law moved into his house and thus displaced a bunch of his stuff. Instead of putting it into storage, Pickerel decided to open a store and sell it. I haven't been inside yet - they keep some odd hours, as do I - but from the window, they seem to have a lot of interesting stuff. They're located on 2nd Ave., Between Battery and Bell.

You know, when I first moved into the neighborhood, there were a handful of thrift/vintage/antique stores. They were fun to have around. But they've all been gone for years. It's nice to see one make its way back here. Anyhow, let's welcome them to the neighborhood by getting a pentagram tattoo and an old copy of Soul Sauce by Cal Tjader.

New Year, New Places: Part 1

Well, it's about time, guys!

The Night Kitchen is now open for business on Stewart, between 2nd & 3rd, where Entre Nous (may they rest in peace) used to be. They were originally supposed to open on Halloween. I'm thinking that maybe they wanted to wait till they cleared their liquor license. This being the State of Washington, you could grow a beard down to your knees during that time. So you can't get booze there for the moment. Big deal! The place is open all night! Their hours are something like 6pm-9am.

I just hope that their clientele is better than sketchy. Or crazy. I have a feeling that only the sketchy and crazy are out at 3:00 on a Wednesday morning.

I'm planning on paying them a visit one day this week post-gym. I'll let you know how it goes.

New Year, New Places: Part 2

Yeah, terrible name. From the looks of it, they're striving for class. Good luck with that! Minnie's did no such thing and they survived for at least 20 years. Whym tried to improve slightly on that concept and was gone in five months. There is no magic formula.

All I can tell you is that many found Minnie's a wonderful place to hang out. They were open round the clock, so you could stay there for hours. Their food was always moderately terrible, but it was relatively cheap. Me, I kind of hated the place, but legions of people did not. Whym, of course, wasn't around long enough to make an impression on anybody. Let's hope that Blush will appeal to massive amounts of people - so much so that the name will no longer sound dumb.

New Year, New Places: Part 3

This place is going in right across the street from me (where Velocity Art & Design used to be) here at the 2nd & Blanchard vortex:

It might be called Respect the Magic. You know, I'd be pretty excited if it was a magic store - as the name kind of suggests - but no, it's a tattoo parlor. How do I know? Well, there's this sign:

They're not quite open yet, but when they are, anybody can leave Belltown with a souvenir of their binge drinking - in tattoo form! I recommend the burning skull. By my reckoning, this is Belltown's only tattoo shop since the one over Dennis' Murder Mart at 2nd & Bell closed last year. You'd think that what with all the weekend drunkenness around here, there'd be tons of tattoo places to take advantage of that, like in Pioneer Square. Well, this is the first - perhaps of many. Me, I see no point in ink. That's just me. Some people look good with tattoos. But they also generally look good without tattoos. I scoff at the self-expression argument that many who have lots of random tattoos make. Self-expression doesn't extend itself to a rendering of Betty Boop on one's arm. If you want to really express yourself, write a freakin' novel. Tattoos are merely vanity. Hey, if it's so important as to be permanently inked onto your skin, you can probably write a play or a song about it, no?

Anyhow, regardless of my feelings about tattoos, I'm sure they'll be very good across-the-street neighbors. They'll also probably be a pretty good source of revenue for the V Bar. Gosh, I hope that place stays open! I'm doing my part by going there as often as I can.

So welcome to the neighborhood, tattoo merchants!

Welcome, Strange New Shop!

Down near the corner of 2nd & Stewart, where so many good things happen, a new shop has opened up. They sell paintings. Their own paintings. And if their window isn't lying, they'll paint your portrait for $20. Witness:

They're calling themselves Artsy, which goes well with the established shops on the block: Fancy, Schmancy and Nancy. Artsy rhymes obliquely, and any poet can tell you that the oblique rhymes are the sweetest of all. Anyhow, I was on my way to the gym this morning at 6:30, looked through the front window and saw some woman just cold paintin' somethin'.

She's not there any more, as she must have finished up and moved on. This space has been many, many things in the past. Most prominently, it was Dang's Tailors. I used to have shirts made there. Dang could barely speak English, but he could sew a nice shirt for cheap. After that, a nice Russian lady opened a barber shop and following that, an African guy sold knock-off bags, belts and sunglasses from there.

I wish these good folks the best of luck. If I ever need my portrait painted, I will definitely keep them in mind.

Hey! The V-Bar Is Open for V-Business!

Well, that didn't take very long (probably because they kept Saito's original layout intact). I was just walking past it today around lunchtime and there were actual humans in there eating actual food. I haven't seen their menu, but I'm sure it's fine. Noodles, like Christmas tunes, are very difficult to screw up. In order to do that, you need much determination. I believe that these V-Bar folks would rather serve good noodles than to not.

Yes, I'm still devastated about Saito's closing, but apparently Saito himself is happy about it and looks forward to opening a new high-end place sometime in the future. I sincerely hope that the V-Bar lives up to Saito's former quality. But even if they don't, let's welcome them to the neighborhood!

By the way, the V-Bar is located on 2nd Ave., between Blanchard and Lenora and right across the street from the lovely Rivoli Apartments.

Welcome to the Neighborhood!

I was sad to see Rockin' Burrito go. I never ate there; it's just that they were nice enough to let me hang a Mackris v. O'Reilly poster there two and a half years ago. See, I'm easily pleased. And easily saddened. At first, it appeared that they were merely remodeling, but they're really gone. Godspeed, sweet poster-allowers! What's to become of that space at 4th & Wall? How about a Mediterranean place called Petra? OK, fine with me!

They're not open yet, but from the look of it, they will be soon. Here's what their very own window says about them:

I dunno, there's something slightly disturbing about the phrase "from around the Mediterranean Sea." It's like they garnish their dishes with drifting plastic and styrofoam. That's another thing you find around the Mediterranean. Nevertheless, this place sounds pretty yummy. I'll be sure to visit it more often than Rockin' Burrito.

Billy King Returns, Part Zillion

Some weeds are so virulent that there is no poison or garden implement that can kill them. Sure, they might give you the impression that you've won, but they always come back. They're just too tenacious to be taken out. I feel that way about Billy King and his series of storefront galleries. His last location was at 1st & Virginia, right next to the Virginia Inn. The VI expanded last year and that was the end of Billy. Or was it?

No, it was not. Billy's current digs are at Western & Lenora in a former carpet store. How many incarnations has this been? If memory serves, this is at least the fourth or fifth. I really admire his tenacity. I haven't been in to see what he has for sale, but I'm sure he has a few interesting pieces. He usually does. I would encourage you to pay him a visit just to meet a true art-survivor. Plus, he's a hell of a nice guy.

Gosh, That Didn't Take Long!

Last weekend brought the tragic news that Saito's had closed. Yes, bad tidings indeed. I loved that place. It was right across the street. But this weekend, some guys pulled up in a truck, unloaded a bunch of stuff, repainted the outside and hung up a sign. Citizens, let us welcome the V-Bar!


I'm really glad that something is going in there so quickly. I would hate to see the place lie fallow and become a graffiti magnet, but here's the thing: within two blocks - just on 2nd Ave. alone - there are three other noodle places. Let's see, there's Buddha Lounge, Noodle Ranch and Kushibar. All have their own specialties and following. I hope the V-Bar can cultivate their own following by serving up cheap eats and drinks. If they can do that, make me a permanent reservation! Anyhow, I wish them tons of luck and welcome them to Belltown.

...And All the Things That Mother Makes

Cups and cakes - now in Belltown. That's right, Belltown has its own emporium of them at 4th & Blanchard (very close to where I witnessed the Space Needle blowing up on New Year's Eve). Yeah, I know, it's been open for over a month, but as I've previously stated, sometimes I don't notice things like stores opening and closing. But in my defense, it was a very quiet grand opening. Anyhow, it's called Yellow Leaf, like so:

And it looks thusly:

Me, I'm not a huge fan of sweet things, but I might go over and buy something so as to dispel the awful sense of isolation that may be gripping their shop. That's what I do. Dispel isolation. Or at least I try.