I sat down and talked with Michael Wells this morning about the closure of his bookstore, the future of the publishing industry, and the changes he's seen in Capitol Hill in his 20 years with Bailey Coy.

Connection to Capitol Hill
Michael explains why Bailey Coy couldn't have existed in any other neighborhood, and how being on Capitol Hill affected Bailey Coy.

Changes in the publishing industry
Michael discusses the changes in the publishing and bookselling industries, which he says started about 10 years ago with the arrival of big box bookstores, and amazon.com.

Why Bailey Coy is closing
Michael explains why Bailey Boy couldn't hold on any longer, and responds to a CHS commenter that said he was stuck in the 80's, agreeing that he should have done more to move into the online space.

Changes in the neighborhood
Michael discusses the changing retail climate of Broadway and Pike/Pine, impact of the redevelopment currently underway in North Broadway, and the growing sense of community in Capitol Hill.

History of Bailey Coy
Michael tells the story of how Bailey Coy came to find it's home on Broadway, and how he ended up acquiring the store in 2003, after working there for 14 years.

Courtney Love
"Michael, there's a 6 foot tall drag queen out here and I think she's stealing books"

Elliot Bay Book Company
Michael explains why he hopes the rumors of Elliot Bay moving to Capitol Hill are true.

Pilot Books
Michaels thoughts on micro-independent bookstore Pilot Books, which recently opened near Bailey Coy, and where it fits into the future of bookselling.

Wake

Michael talks about his plans to hold a wake, to mark the end of Bailey Coy.

My original plan for this one was to focus on all the activity around Dick's, but I decided I'd be better off on the other side of the street, so I could also get the empty Sound Transit lot, which won't be empty for long!

This is the third of my weekly series of ambient shots around Capitol Hill. Every week I'll pick a different spot and stay for about 10 minutes to create a 'snapshot' of that location at that moment.

PAST EPISODES

Episode #1 - Cal Anderson Park

Episode #2 - Thomas St P-Patch

Next Tuesday  October 20th Zhivago's Cafe  is opening and is having a Grand Opening next Friday the 23rd of October. Gino is the new owner and a really great guy . The space is located in part of the old Dilettante Cafe location. The address is 416 Broadway East in Seattle. Right next to Bailey -Coy Bookstore.  Gino is of Russian and Middle Eastern background and hopes to have food from both of his family background. The telephone number is 206-328-0500.

   The style of food will be Russian bakery with Piroshki's, Borcht soup, salads, and excellent homemade sandwiches. Organic coffee from Rococo Coffee and Tea. And from Gino's mother's Jerusalem background Shish Kabob's and other yummy Middle Eastern delights !!      Gino will also have delicous pastries like Baklava, Poppyseed Rolls and other excellent homemade desserts !!  The restaurant hours will be 6am to 11pm.   

      The new Pho Lotus Chinese and Vietnamese Restaurant opened  where the old El Tijin  Mexican restaurant used to be down by the old Jade Pagoda Chinese Restaurant and next to the old Siam Thai Restaurant.

4 out of 5 blocks of North Broadway now have a pho restaurant (North of E Olive).  So in case the other 3 don't hit the spot, you can try Pho Lotus Chinese & Vietnamese Restaurant, opening soon in the old El Tajin location.

The “last house on Broadway,” was (mostly) torn down yesterday.  Since 1974, the house has been home to a U-Frame-It franchise, owned by Randy Lewis.  It was built in 1904, when the Capitol Hill area was still being built up, and just two years after the nearby Seattle (later Broadway) High School at Broadway and Pine.  The house was originally occupied by Alfred J. Bretland.  Bretland owned the whole property which then included the lot directly behind it, on which he built the Agincourt Apartments facing 10th.

I took this video yesterday (March 18) and was expecting to go back today and see that it had been completely torn down, but as of about 3 pm today it looked about the same as it did at the end of this video.

I couldn’t find any info on the house between 1909 and 1974.  Anyone know what was there before the U-Frame-It?  Or when it turned from residential to commercial?

UPDATE: Didn't realize this looking at the article online but this article is on the front page of today's PI.

Seattle PI talks to Broadway business owners about the changes that will come with light rail station construction.

At the nearby Annapurna Cafe, on the corner of Broadway and Denny, owner Sujan Sharma noted how businesses in the demolition zone have moved to the north end of the Broadway shopping district, where the Brix condominiums have opened.

"That end is going to feel more alive," said Sharma, who also worries if his Tibetan restaurant will be around to see Broadway's better days.

Interesting to see Sharma point to the north. I've been worried about that end of Broadway possibly being cut off from Pike/Pine by all the work. No argument about the middle -- it's going to be a challenge around the construction area. There's another good reason to do what you can to support those businesses now, though, Dick's, I'm sure, will weather this just fine.

(BTW, I can't help but wonder...

That big hole in the ground across the street from SCCC will soon be "The Broadway Building," consisting of 14,000 sf of retail, 12,000 sf of offices, 100 apartments, and 27 SCCC International Student Loft Apartments. This project seems to have flown under the radar somewhat, even hugeasscity hasn't said anything about it! The only thing I could find on it is this DJC article, which I can't get in to.



I usually keep up with new developments that are happening and since I hadn't heard anything about it I had assumed that it was a new SCCC building, but I guess not. The design is nothing special, but I'm really glad to hear that this building is going to have retail and housing. If the right kind of retail goes in here (aka not Kinkos, or Money Tree etc), this should really help bridge the growing gap between Pike/Pine and North Broadway. Hopefully they put some effort into making the back look nice too, since it'll be right up against Cal Anderson.

EDIT: Over one month later they are still playing religious songs that can be heard at least six blocks away. The songs marking noon and 6:00pm go on for a minute. I understand that church bells evoke a nostalgic response from many of the commentators, but I find it hard to believe that if an Islamic call to prayer were blasted over the neighborhood you would approve.

For those of you who live within earshot you have probably already heard the All Pilgrims Church Christmas chiming. Starting on November 30 they have been banging out such classics as "Oh come all ye faithful" to mark the passage of time.

I have lived four blocks from them for over three years and this is the first December that they have chosen to create noise pollution every half hour. While Broadway is far from a quiet street and it has its fair share of obnoxious music (think Panache's love of Cher for instance) the bells at All Pilgrims have a far greater radius of impact.

While All Pilgrims should be commended for their inclusive style to...

Found this very talented guy outside the Harvard Square QFC. He was using an amp with the cello. Very talented. He really cranks it up near the halfway mark. I think he said his name is Brandon Smith.

A Slice of Cello Heaven from Brad Kevelin on Vimeo.

It's not often that you see a cop run down a suspect on Broadway, but there we were, walking to an election night party, when 4 police cars came whirling up the street.  One cop jumped out and started running up Broadway towards The Alley, and aprehended the suspect.  Although the officer on the scene told me it was a car break-in, CentralDistrictNews Scanner reported it as a mini crime spree, and we got to see it come to a close.    Hopefully that was the end of the crazy crime for tonight.  Have fun at your election parties!

According to this article, Neighbours may lose it's lease.  No official word on what the building would be used for if Neighbours loses.  I'm going to hazard a guess that potentially we may see mixed use condo/retail at this location within 3 years. 

The stop light cameras at the junction of Pine and Broadway are keeping busy. They have been in place for a while but I've only noticed the flashes going off recently - maybe they've only just been activated.

They've been going off a lot. That means a lot of people cursing when the $124 tickets arrive in the mail.

I think the cameras are a great idea for 3 reasons:

1: If you don't get the whole 'red light means stop' idea then you need an incentive to change.

2: I know a family that was badly T-boned in this intersection by a red light runner

and most importantly of all...

3: Tim Eyman is against them

My husband and I walked along Broadway tonight from Denny to John, a stretch of one and a half blocks.  No less than 11 people asked us for money, even rudely interrupting our conversation and physically stepping in our way.  I haven't seen my husband since Friday morning and we were catching up, so I was a bit irritated.  I usually avoid Broadway so maybe I haven't noticed the increase in beggars but it seems to be getting out of control. Has there recently been a push to shift the homeless out of Downtown, perhaps to hide them from the summer tourists?

I feel bad for the homeless and I do what I can to help by volunteering in the community at a local homeless women shelter, previously volunteered at CAMP (which helps with energy assistance and provides a food bank for those in need), and participating in food drives.  I do not have money lying around to hand out to everyone.  It's frustrating and we will go back to avoiding Broadway in the future.  Is this what we want for our community?  Is there something...

We stopped by the park for weekend fun in the sun, and got to see the start of the Seattle Alleycats "Posse on Broadway" race.    From the racers I asked, the race is blind, you only know the next stop in the race when you get to the destination given to you from your last stop.   Some estimated the race could be around 25 miles, with all the stops being listed in mix-a-lots rap.   For those there (or within earshot) that didn't know the lyrics, there was a racer with a loudspeaker strapped to him playing the track.   There were some 40 people signed up, and the race starts and ends in Cal Anderson over by the playground.     Looking over the other race results at the Alleycats Myspace, it looks like there will be a pretty kicking afterparty, prizes for winners, and a big pile of fun for everyone involved.

Probably the best bit of knowing this was all happening was when I walked home and saw the POSSE UP tear sheet in front of the hole that used to be Taco Bell.  That sort of thing really twists my brain up.

 ...

Miss the pride dyke march on Broadway today?   I didn't even know it was happening, and only figured it out because some people had set up chairs in front of the Urban Outfitters.    Thanks random strangers!

Here's some pictures in a handy-dandy Flickr Set.

• No parade on Broadway is kind of sad. Not creating an unnecessary conflict with a bigger, better event is smart. What about next year?
  
• Which alt rocker is behind your favorite bar?
• The Segway Man of 15th Ave E. caught on video.
  
• Olive at Denny just got flashier.
• MSM visits Smith. Calls this part of Hill "less edgy." Says nice things. Gives it 2 1/2 stars.
• MSM II visits WET. Writes up The Ten Thousand Things. Reminds us that we should go see it because it sounds very cool. Plays through June 16th.
• Sounds like the Medhane Alem Evangelical Church won't be condos after all. Unfortunately, we can only see this headline -- Great acoustics save church from demolition -- from the DJC paid site so we're just guessing.