February 22, 2008
Victrola Coffee: Under New Management
So we hear that Chris and Jen, founders and owners of Victrola Coffee, have sold "Capitol Hill's living room" to a new guy, an established independent coffee entrepreneur, whom we believe is Dan Ollis of the Whidbey Coffee Co.
Dan owns a string of java joints up Whidbey way, and has been looking to break into the Seattle coffee scene for some time. Meanwhile, Chris and Jen are still running things during a 90-day transition period, after which they'll sort out their future roles.
The sale is not all that surprising, given that the development of Victrola's roasting operation meant there were really three businesses to manage, one wholesale operation and two bustling retail locations. It was a long, long way from the tiny little shop Victrola was when it opened.
Photo courtesy of Seattlest Flickr pool member Christoph J.
|
Wow, nice scoop. Funny because we were lucky enough to spend a winter week on Whidbey not long ago and enjoyed a few visits to the Whidbey Coffee "flagship" store. Coffee was lacking but the 12 1/2-year-olds running the joint didn't seem to know. They did seem to care, however. It was extremely Whidbey Island and small town and I kind of liked it for that. Beans we bought and ground made good brew back at the beach house.
You brought coffee back to Seattle? That's like bringing ... coffee back to Seattle. I was gonna say coals to Newcastle but who really knows what that means anymore? Coffee to Seattle, people understand that.
Hey, I told you I was gonna drop a trey on you!