Posted by Will in Seattle at 10/7/08 4:43 p.m.

Will the last artist to leave South Lake Union please turn off the EMP?

Thanks!

Posted by unregistered user at 10/7/08 4:58 p.m.

Update to the Update: We are actually stopping our coffee campaign to head back to Washington D.C. to deal with the economic blow up. -- Kapow!

Posted by Clark W. Griswold at 10/7/08 5:28 p.m.

EMP...short for "EMPty."

Posted by Clark W. Griswold at 10/7/08 6:45 p.m.

(commenters take note: Vulcan, the neighborhood's dominant developer, is not involved)

"South Lake Union is up and coming and he sees an opportunity to profit in his own business endeavor."

Vulcan is leading the charge to make SLU " up and coming" so they ARE involved. If Vulcan wasn't making over SLU, Kapow's landlord likely wouldn't be kicking this business out.

Posted by unregistered user at 10/7/08 7:41 p.m.

Exactly Clark. You nailed it.

Posted by jafabian at 10/8/08 8:35 a.m.

They should check out the Amli 535 building. There's empty space for lease there and it's been empty for quite awhile. They might be willing to cut a deal and it's only a block away.

Posted by unregistered user at 10/8/08 12:19 p.m.

Yes, if only the neighborhood could stay depressed so that the space wasn't more valuable fully utilized.

Why is no one commenting on the owner's chutzpah in starting his own small business, rather than selling to a developer or renting to a Starbucks?

I think people have a one-sided view here.

Posted by unregistered user at 10/8/08 3:12 p.m.

A developer or Starbucks wouldn't be interested in that space. It's too small for development. Not even on the radar. Blocks and acres are being purchased right now, not postage stamp parcels like theirs. That's the next wave.

Starbucks sure wouldn't want that funky spot at market rate when the Amli is gathering cobwebs much like a lot of the shiny new empty spaces.

It is interesting that he has the chutzpah to open his own business and he is right in doing so, but not to want to work with the current tenant takes chutzpah as well.

The other side is saying that the value of Kapow! is nothing and should not be utilized. The other side is cruel and predictable, something that is not in the spirit of this special little coffee house that will soon disappear.

The neighborhood was only depressed when Vulcan bought property and sat on it for years turning it into a ghost town and then revived (built ugly box after ugly box)added a SLUT, and re-named the neighborhood. The owner missed his chance in the 90's to sell his property and leave it empty like the rest of the ghost town. Now he gets to start up a restaurant, which is a lot easier than cashing a Vulcan check as we all know.

Why am I even writing all this, who cares?

Posted by unregistered user at 10/8/08 4:13 p.m.

He "gets to" start up a restaurant?

Do you have any understanding of how hard that is to do?

It's a big gamble. The safer thing to do would to be to accept a trickle of rent.

But I understand that friends of Kapow are angry. That's one of the stages of grief and completely normal.

Posted by unregistered user at 10/8/08 4:27 p.m.

I wrote "gets to", as well as "start up a restaurant, which is a lot easier than cashing a Vulcan check as we all know." I forgot to add a wink wink. I apologize.

Posted by bobh at 10/9/08 9:38 a.m.

I've worked in the Cascade neighborhood for 15 years. Back then it was a wasteland. Not a place to eat, not a bar you'd want to set foot in, and the only stores were grubby "convenience" stores. The only people on the streets were the homeless, or workers heading to their cars to get the hell out of here.

I do feel compassion for the people at Kapow, but I'll take today's neighborhood over the old one anytime.

Posted by unregistered user at 10/11/08 7:42 a.m.

Month-to-month lease and the Kapow! people are complaining now? What kind of lease security is that upon which to operate a business?

The guy who owns the place wants to do something differently with the property-- that's his right as an American, in case you all forgot.

With a monthly lease, Kapow! should have prepared for this contingency by continually keeping a list of potential relocation properties for a contingency like this. Kapow! is not run by smart business people.

Posted by riter76 at 10/21/08 5:04 p.m.

This is a SHAME that Kapow is leaving :(
No more walk out of my front door step and smoke and joke with Angela :(

1 month notice or NOT still doesn't give a small business enough time to pack, find a new place and relocate and continue on their business.

I agree with Clark, I've lived in the neighborhood for 4yrs and seen it evolve to what it it now with frustating parking situations for residents there.
Unfortunately its how business works, but its crappy sometimes.
I guess the offended "unregistered" user sees it at his "Right as an American" but wait til it happens to him, with the "unregistered user" feel the same when the tables are turned??