Save B&O Espresso!

Visiting our venerable espresso/brunch/lunch/dinner/pastry coffeeshop, B&O Espresso, today, we saw an ominous sign outside: land use action notice.

Our friends and I blinked and read the sign three times. "What? They're going to tear down B&O? To make way for condos?"

A quick recap for those who aren't in the area: B&O Espresso opened its doors in 1976, and was one of the first three espresso-based cafes in the city. Flash forward a few decades and they're still an institution on Capitol Hill, serving old and young, day and night. Their food and atmosphere are excellent, and their pastries are sublime (they're practically our Pacific Northwest version of Atlanta's Cafe Intermezzo). And, B&O holds a special part of thousands of people's memories (think first dates, get-togethers with friends and family). Heck, Pearl Jam came up with their band name while sipping some coffee at B&O.

So, what's the plan now? The P-I has an article that summarizes:

Now the venerable coffee shop is in limbo, with a proposal to tear down its one-story building for a mixed-use development with apartments or condos above retail space...

John Stoner, the owner of the building at the corner of East Olive Way and Belmont Avenue East, said he'd love to keep B&O Espresso as a tenant in the ground floor of the new building, which could be up to six stories...

B&O owner Majed Lukatah said he's not sure what will happen, but that his family intends to keep the business going...

"I have mixed feelings. I don't know whether I should just wait and come back to my own location or go somewhere else," he said.

B&O's building isn't the best on the 'Hill, but it has character. A brand-spankin' new space, after a yearlong construction, probably won't do it justice.

So, we can save B&O in a couple of ways:

• Save the building, and/or ensure the new building will have enough retail space for B&O. The first design meeting for the property is scheduled for Wednesday, April 19th, at 6:30PM at the Seattle Central Community College, (1701 Broadway, Room 3211). Go there and give your feedback. If you can't attend in person, you can view the land use notice, and offer written/emailed feedback.
• Help find a new home for B&O. Know of a good retail space, present or future? Call it in to B&O.

Here's to hoping that there will still be a B&O Espresso on Capitol Hill for years to come.