This is a great neighborhood coffeeshop doing a lot of things right, in quite the unexpected location. During the day they cater to the usual Suburbanite Soccer Mom crowd with kids in tow, laptop shielded students and a handful of groups conducting business over their lattes. more ›

Keep going. The bottom is near. The real estate market has finally bottomed out says one agent. UW is cutting 600-800 jobs And they weren't bottom-heavy to begin with. Some of those people might consider opening an SBC franchise. We love how they put a little chocolate bar on each mocha. more ›

The plaque to the right is found in an elevator at Starbucks HQ. A Seattlest tipster snapped a photo and sent it along, wondering if maybe this indicates an unusual "reverse psychology" approach to motivational phrases. more ›

Cuppa Joe by aaronbrethorst more ›

SBUX downsizing is in the P-I: A managing director at McAdams Wright Ragen is quoted as saying Starbucks may cut up to 1,000 jobs from its headquarters, and also some district managers and field employees--but not baristas. Over at Starbucks Gossip, the...well, the gossip is that previous layoffs have already affected customer service. more ›

Is your vita not so dolce? Go to Stella on First Avenue across from SAM, order a doppio, and drink it at the bar just like those I-talians do. It's cheaper than taking a seat at one of the marble-topped tables, and makes you feel all cool and Euro. Owner/barista Rob Wilson wants to encourage customers to sip and chat, rather than sulk behind laptops. Don't worry--we'll still be here when you log on again. Ciao. more ›

Here's a creative idea for how to support the presidential candidate of your choice in this last, crucial week: mail an exhausted campaign worker a pack of vacuum-sealed Vivace coffee beans to help them fight the good fight in battleground states like Ohio, North Carolina, and Florida. The Hoosier State works, too, as Obama supporter/Seattlest's housemate Sarah Moon found out when she received this email back in thanks from an expat Seattlite working for the Campaign for Change in Evansville, Indiana: more ›

Things are cash-only at the moment, since there's a glitch with the swipey-reader system, but otherwise it's all systems go. We also got a dark chocolate graham-cracker cookie. more ›

Seattlest works from home, as we've mentioned before, and these days home is a darkish (albeit big-ish) studio apartment on First Hill. Especially on days like today, it can get a little dark and quiet, the patter of rain against our window and our weird-ass cat can be a bit much. So we like to shake things up a bit by heading out into our neighborhood and spending some of our hard-earned cash at any food-and-drink-serving establishment with free wifi. more ›

Despite closing stores all over the world, Starbucks announced today they'll be opening their first non-airport store in Amsterdam in 2009. Sadly, the mermaid has decided not to go the traditional Amsterdam coffee shop route, which means no Purple Haze with your Frappucino, folks. more ›

"Espresso making at Vivace" by seattlerealtorgal
more ›

Back in February (brrr!), we reported on the venerable Capitol Hill institution, B&O Espresso, being forced out of its longtime location at the corner of Belmont & Olive because the property owners had plans for a multi-story apartment building there. This weekend we stopped in and saw the B&O's owner Majid behind the pastry case, and asked how things were going. Turns out that he's still planning on moving up to Broadway to take over the old Dilettante's spot (who in turn are relocating to the first floor of Brix, along with Vivace), but now the development of the original B&O location is on hold, and he's renting month-to-month. The opera posters are still hanging. The lemon chiffon cake is still flowing (so to speak). If the real estate downturn stays turned down, we may not lose a B&O, so much as gain one. more ›

All is not well in the land of the mermaid. After weeks of whispered words like "bloodbath" around Starbucks headquarters and gossip sites, the coffee giant announced today just how large this round of lay-offs will be. Today's cuts will affect 1,000 employees, 180 of them located in Seattle at Starbucks HQ or the regional office. This comes hot on the heels of news that Starbucks will be closing 616 under-performing stores and that the 12,000 workers that run those stores will also be jobless. The way it's going, we have a feeling 2008 will be muttered about and cursed in Starbucks circles for decades to come. more ›

Straight from the mermaid's pressroom, Starbucks has quietly released the full list of U.S. store closures. There are 19 stores in Washington on the list and 7 stores in Seattle. If Seattlest went to Starbucks, or if we weren't fond of brewing our own strong drip coffee, we'd be mourning the loss of our neighborhood store on 15th Ave E. Also facing closure? Starbucks stores all over the city--from West Seattle to Northgate Mall to the CD. No word yet on when the actual store closures will start. more ›

After announcing on July 1st plans to close 600 retail stores nationwide, the powers that be have released the locations of the first Starbucks stores that will close. None of the doomed stores are in Seattle or even Washington state. Heck, even Oregon and Idaho's Starbucks are safe for now. The closest Starbucks store facing closure thus far is in California, but there are hundreds more to come. So, breathe easy Seattle Starbucks baristas. Your jobs are safe, for now. more ›

Attention, Seattle caffeine addicts....wait, let's rephrase that. Seattle, what a week it's been for free coffee! more ›

"I humbly recognize and share both your concern and your disappointment in how the company has performed and how that has affected your investment in Starbucks," Schultz told investors. "I promise you this will not stand." more ›