Columbia Citizens

We have a nice list of businesses in this area. Someone maintains a list here, for example: http://www.columbiacityseattle.com

But what do we not yet have?

I'll start:
- a sushi place
- a local hardware / garden shop

What do you want to see move into the neighborhood?

Great question!

Sushi would be really, really great. So would a good Chinese place that delivered.

A Le Pichet/ Cafe Presse clone — good, cheap French food.

More outdoor dining.

Another bar, like Linda's, the Hideout or the Bus Stop (maybe under the cinema?)

An art supply store would be good. An Apple store would be better.

Is there Pilates in the hood?

A comic book store? I don't think there is one in the South End…

Sustainable fashion? Clothes shops in general… the neighborhood could support more boutiques beyond the excellent Andalus.

A neighborhood credit union?

A big supermarket?

A hospital or at least neighborhood clinic?

A branch of Elliott Bay/ 3rd Place? A new book store would be great alongside the used book store.

Outdoor gear? An REI, Patagonia or Nau? Or a Second Ascent branch?

A coffee shop (in addition to the Starbucks and closer than the new Vita) on Rainier with big tables, wifi, good coffee and vegetarian food. And that stays open late for non-booze socializing

A home goods shop with a green angle.

More art galleries.

This has the makings of Columbia Citizens’ first-ever anonymous wiki-skirmish. Two Citizen regulars — .183 and .59 — have a history of interesting neighborhood posts, with the promise of many more to come.

National politics is off-topic in this thread, clearly. Elsewhere — not so clear. I’d prefer that Columbia Citizens maintain a purely neighborhood focus, and I think many Citizens share that preference. But the openness of the wiki makes our opinion just that — a preference.

My bigger concern is tone. Columbia Citizens has these groundrules:

There aren’t many. Mostly, they’re the same norms that make for good neighbors:

• Respect — allow for privacy and differences of opinion,
• Neighborliness — please pay attention to the tone and content of your edits,
• Communication — work out conflicts, assume good faith, and remember that often there’s no substitute for connecting in person.

.183, here are a couple options. One — you could let the comment and the discussion rest (my preference). Two — you could cut the latter half of your post and paste it into its own separate thread. A third (and least-preferred) option is to respond, which might ratchet up the wiki-volume.

.59, if you're offended by anything you read here, please assume good intentions. Or assume you’re talking to your next-door neighbor (because you might be).

For my part, it feels unneighborly to be referring to Citizens by their ISP numbers. Anonymous posts are OK, but I encourage Citizens to self-identify using their first names. Or at least sign on with your chosen internet handles.

Columbia Citizens has the allure of a public conversation and the anonymity of the internet, but it's in the context of a neighborhood. I encourage restraint — especially today, when we've got a spike in readership, courtesy of the Stranger. We’ve got something special here: an uncommon neighborhood wiki focused on an uncommonly neighborly place.

Hear! Hear!

- a local hardware / garden shop

Sporting goods

We need a sporting goods store that sells fishing licenses, trailhead parking permits, and fishing equipment.

A home goods shop with a green angle.

So, who wants to convince the peeps who just bought the Mission Baptist Church that they ought to open, um, "Mission: Outdoors" at that location? ;)

In thinking about what's important to me about the new development that's happening, I agree with a lot of what .127 (sorry Scott, numbers are sticking!) says here. But what I also want (and what makes this relevant to this topic) is some kind of local development covenant that prohibits large chain stores from leasing retail space.

I think it's a bummer that we have Starbucks and Subway here — which you can find in any other neighborhood. What makes CC unique and wonderful is the bakery, Lottie's, Roy's, Bob's Meats, Parcel & Post, Sweet Pea's, Awash, etc. I'd hate for the new big buildings to be filled with cookie cutter retail.

What defines a chain? Tutta Bella is a chain now, but I'd hate to kick them out. Bank of America is a chain, for sure, but I think a neighborhood credit union is a near impossible hope.

How might something like this be negotiated with or imposed on the developers?

Sushi and thai
SKATEPARK-why all the playing fields?
another bar or brew pub
Seafood market
Than Bros
Cheaper pizza by the slice
another breakfast joint
local"gear" store

Some of the things folks have called for are here, or at least relatively near:

Thai restaurants—there have to be several in the ID, if not along Rainier, yes?
Vietnamese restaurants will sometimes have pad thai, at least, and there are
several of them on Rainier within a mile north of CC.

(Since I'm thinking about it, the new Vietnamese/Chinese place at Rainier and
?Walden?, across from the old Chubby and Tubby site, has great inexpensive banh mi
at lunch, sandwich and soda for $2!)

I think there's Pilates in Mount Baker, across from the park, in the same building as Mio Posto
on McClellan.

Credit union—there's one on the street level at the big Dakota complex. There's also a credit
union (with FREE DRIVE THROUGH ATM!!) up by the VA. Turn off Columbian toward the VA, it's
about 100 yards from Columbian on the right.

And seafood market—the great granddaddy of them all, Mutual Fish, is a little ways north of the QFC
on Rainier.

While we're at it:

Another live music venue. Perhaps even a musical instrument store, with practice rooms and lessons?

A tool library.

More Flex Car stands.

A Korean BBQ place, with good Bi Bim Bap. (Mmmm…)

A better Pho place — they're nice people, but their broth isn't very good.

Another Sunday brunch place, now that the lines are getting long.

Sushi, again. Please!

Also, more P-Patches.

What else?

I'd love to see:

Sushi - ala Maneki (Maki & Yaki is okay, but everything is packed in 3 lbs of plastic).

Burger Joint - like Red Mill - I know they are technically a "chain" but love 'em all the same.

Kid-centric coffee shop - I think the new Soltice owners missed out big not turning that place into another "My Coffeehouse" or "Tuogo" - Columbia City is packed with new families.

Also - re: credit union - there is a credit union just North of Safeway (on Rainier) in the "new-ish" six story retail/apartment complex. My neighbor banks there and loves it.

Michele

Hey, Red Mill isn't a chain. There are only two locations and both stores are owned by the owners, not licensed.

Restaurants — Sushi. Burgers. Indian. Thai.
Retail — Music (Sonic Boom or Easy Street). PCC or a small grocery or True Value hardware.

Votes for:
• Late-nite coffee shop for non-alcoholic gatherings like writers groups (would be happy to see it kid-friendly during daytime hours, but more adult-friendly at night).
• Knitting/Sewing shop with quality stuff (not like JoAnn's) and classes—esp. for teens.
• No more restaurants, please. We can't afford to eat out much, but I do love to shop in CC when I need gift items (hooray Andaluz and Retro Kids).
• Quality consignment store for women (I know the last one failed, but I think more people are cost-conscious now). Maybe a retro store would draw from outside the neighborhood.
• Garden store that specialized in native and different plants (not the stuff Fred Meyer/Lowe's carries). City Peoples would be great.
Andie

I'd like to see a little more hip-hop clothing.
More ethnic based businesses.
A place for kids to explore graffiti as an art form.
More youth based businesses to compliment the incoming Boy's and Girls Club.
More social services for families.
Enhancement of Columbia Park with grills or a bread oven some tables benches and a play area.
A community center that can house some of the existing resources that will be displaced or lost by increased commercial property values as a result from the two new huge multifamily buildings going in at Columbia Plaza and St. Gobain.

What I don't want to see is another grocery store. No Trader Joe's. We have PCC and the farmers market if you want to buy local organic food. There is the Vietwah on MLK. Seattle's Supermarket on top of Beacon at Columbia next to two great produce stands and down the street from a family selling produce from WA farms (near the VA). And, if you absolutely need inexpensive organic it can be found at 2 Safeways. There's a Red Apple not far on Beacon Hill. I'd say we are pretty lucky for food options.

Nightlife! I recently bought a house and still find myself traveling north to cap hill when I want to go out on the town. Hopefully light rail will bring density. And all those new faces will need somewhere to drink, no? We also need a good record store and comic shop. But I'm not holding my breath.

It's encouraging to see so many wishes being fulfilled since this thread was birthed: independent coffee shop, ice cream, sushi, thai food, women's consignment clothes.

My two cents:

• Cobbler
• A small but well curated International/Cultural Magazine Shop (could partner with Empire Espresso perhaps? a la Cafe Presse)
• Vintage/Consignment Furniture Shop - with the discernment of the good folk running GATHER. Something similar to The House in Interbay or Space Oddity in Ballard.
• Men's clothing
• A simple but overachieving Sandwich & Soup shop. Fresh. Seasonal. With Columbia City Bakery's delicious breads.
• Garden Shop / Nursery … a Swansons / City Peoples for the southside.
• Small Indoor/Outdoor Swimming Pool where all the school portables are.
• I would have said a cheaper pizza by the slice shop, but Tutta Bella's happy hour $6 margarita pizza is working just fine now (and my wife has mastered pizza dough).
• Cheese shop
• Northern European food importer (preferably with some Dutch treats). I had to go to Poulsbo last December to get proper Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) chocolates and cookies.
• Straight Vegetarian Restaurant.
• And I do like the idea of a kid-friendly cafe. Little Nest in Vancouver BC was great with ample space for kids to play (can't find photos that do it justice - these will have to do: one, two).

"Garden Shop / Nursery … a Swansons / City Peoples for the southside."

That would be really useful indeed.

More nightlife options wouldn't hurt: seems to be the demand…

A credit union actually IN the neighborhood would be great. Unless you're driving (and we have a high concentration of car-free households), something north of Safeway doesn't do any good.

Older ideas:
"More outdoor dining…. An art supply store would be good. An Apple store would be better. …A comic book store? I don't think there is one in the South End… A hospital or at least neighborhood clinic?"
"would love to see more coworking spaces in the city - especially ones that managed to pair up daycare with coworking."
"Columbia City could really use a little bodega that's a step above Shola or the busy bee."
"Another live music venue. Perhaps even a musical instrument store, with practice rooms and lessons? A tool library. More Flex Car stands. A Korean BBQ place, with good Bi Bim Bap. (Mmmm…) A better Pho place"
Also still good ideas.

• A craft store with a classroom for knitting and beading classes
• An East Indian vegetarian restaurant
• A walk-in medical clinic open evenings and weekends
• A Trader Joe's

Does a knitting group exist in the neighborhood?