How will Seamonster be different when it reopens, aside from being bigger?
When sea monster reopens we will have a capacity of 220, up from what the city had deemed a 50 seat establishment as the original Seamonster. There will be a new double stalled ladies room in addition to the two existing bathrooms. There will be a giant west facing patio with awning along bagley ave, another bar for faster service, lots of nooks for dining and drinking privacy, a proper stage and a little dance floor. It will be grand!
Do you see yourselves strictly as a live performance space or are you looking to attract a dinner crowd earlier in the evening?
We have been primarily a music venue, but I foresee us quickly building a reputation as a great neighborhood breakfast, lunch, and dinner spot open every day from 9am-2am. Our menu will consist of simple recipes with great ingredients made by people that care about giving healthy, affordable, and reliable food options to our community. We will allow minors entry until 8 or 9 pm. We plan on starting out with weekend brunch and adding a few dinner options to our menu once we’ve expanded which should be towards the end of August/beginning of September.
The side of the building facing Bagley is a blank wall. Do you have any plans for that space?
Other than the new fenced in patio and awning, I would love to mural the west wall of the building facing bagley. My landlord does not want any painting of the bricks, but they look terrible after so many years. I’m hoping we can convince him that it would be a vast improvement to the neighborhood to get rid of the eyesore that is his beat up, graffiti laden, mismatched colored brick wall and replace it with a great work of art. I spoke with the Wallingford chamber of commerce and we are in agreement that we want to see more murals/artwork in Wallingford, especially on 45th st. Perhaps we can get enough neighbors to endorse the mural project and he will be swayed.
The building has been there a long time. Any surprises during the remodel you can share?
The remodel has been a huge educational process. Working with the city has been difficult. Working with my landlord has been difficult. The cost is enormous. This building has stood for 100 years and was built to last another hundred. I hope to buy the building someday so I can continue to bring the neighborhood a great local social gathering place featuring world class live music for decades to come.
Any message you want to get out to your neighbors in Wallingford?
My message to my neighbors is.. I have undertaken the task of improving a dilapidated building with dying businesses. The cost has been great, and I haven’t been able to enjoy these last two years while we’ve been trying to get this project through the permit process and into reality. We are almost there. I say we because I live in this neighborhood and I’m part of this community. We will all see and benefit from the fruits of this hard work. World class live music, great local fresh and affordable breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a space to meet, greet, wine, dine, dance, and enjoy family and friends.
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Thanks for your commitment to the neighborhood by investing your time and money in the improvements. I wish you well in your endeavors.
If you talk the landlord into letting you do a mural and you need someone to do it for you I can give you the info to contact the guy that did our mural on the Iron Bull. As you can see he is pretty damn good with a can of spray paint.
I am sure all your hard work and bucks you put into the place will come back to you in the years to come.
Glad to see it,
Gerald
whoa – red flag!
what i hear is “i worked hard and spent a ton of money so you better love this place”
I appreciate that this old building is staying.
Small biz ownership – especially in WA state – is not for the faint hearted for sure!
But honestly, the work is just beginning.
it has often been my expereince with small neighborhood venue/restos that proprietors burn out on the build out and the final product gets short shrift.
then there is despair and hurt feelings when paying customers are unimpressed with the promised “fresh healthy affordable” food options or whatever it is that brought them in
my interest lies in fresh healthy food and continuous service on a patio so I personally hope this is the case because the last thing we need on 45th street is more mediocre food.
sure we are neighbors but we are also customers paying our hard earned money for a product/experience.
And I am sure that the product/experience you hope to offer is what drove you in the first place.
Hang in there – it is the home stretch. I know lots of neighbors are excited for this, but there must be a reason to return after the initial couple/three visits.
and I like the brick wall.
Glad you are so enthusiastic. The demo/construction has been a big mess. No protection for the asbestos removal; debris, including fiberglas has been left on the sidewalk for weeks. So sorry they are getting an outdoor patio. More noise for the neighbors.
I saw no red flags. I really appreciate this perspective from Sarah and Andrew and their commitment to the neighborhood. We’re looking forward to the opening and will definitely be coming by!
I haven’t been to the Sea Monster in years and don’t really see myself going too often in the future, but I have to say that I fully love the project – even though the idea of more noise and more bar noise in particular right there isn’t ideal. Andrew has been a very passionate small business owner since I first met him and it’s been great to watch this locally nourished business flourish. Also, when he first opened the food was impeccable and amazing – if he does have as good a job this time around it will be a win for the neighborhood.
Sure there’s some issues with the project, but overall I’m a huge fan.
Thank you SO much for investing in our neighborhood! We’re looking forward to SeaMonster re-opening. Please put out the word if there’s anything that we can do to support you and your efforts — including who to contact with our support for a mural! All the best to you.
There’s no red flag of entitlement. It’s a positive attitude by someone who’s poured a decade of work into a rare Wallingford venue and has ‘ruined’ two years of his life for your potential benefit. I wish him all the luck in the world, and to add some noise of joy to the one of the busiest arterials in Seattle with some street life is just an improvement to the landscape. Enjoy it if you can! Hoping too that the menu and bookings are stellar again!
I can almost see the new patio from my house, and I’m looking forward to the grand reopening. We’ll see how the noise goes, but I’m delighted to see the investment in the neighborhood and wish the best for the business and owners.
I know Boulangerie very well and most of the story. I tried to get a public art piece installed there in the early nineties. May I suggest that you get the mural painted on a separate surface and then carefully install it on the side of the building? The landlord might be more open to that than permanently changing the facade of a historical building? A business on Phinney did that and then took it with them when they lost their lease. Best of luck with your endeavors and that’s a great corner for outdoor dining, it was there a couple of decades ago 🙂
Excited for you both! And for the rest of us fellow Wallingford-music-goers.
I can certainly sympathize with you on the long-ass wait, loads-o-money, painstaking, permitting, process. It can take a huge toll and feel like it’s never going to come to fruition. I can see light is brighter though! CAN’T WAIT to visit the ‘new’ and improved space. Good job, good luck with the mural and hang in there!
Hopefully they can get the go ahead for the mural but if not other options would be to sandblast the first floor bricks on that side of the building. They will then regain a more uniform patina over time. And of course another option is greenery such as vines such as hops on trestles or Boston ivy or some such greenery.
I am not somebody who goes out to hear live music, but this is the first I’ve heard of this “lounge” serving a full menu. Outdoor seating with delicious (not mediocre as some else mention), healthy but not boring and affordable meal is exactly what this neighborhood needs! Fingers crossed. Good luck!