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Back in March, a post on the Wallingford & Fremont Community Facebook page alerted me to trouble at Changes Bar & Grill (2103 N 45th Street), where financial woes prompted them to start a GoFundMe. Changes has been a special place for the gay community ever since Floyd McIsaac bought the business 35 years ago. According to my sources, it’s the only bar north of the Montlake Cut specifically for the LGBTQ+ crowd, and it’s known for karaoke nights.

My partner and I went over to investigate. It was burger night, so we sat at the bar and ordered a couple (on special every Tuesday for $5.75). Floyd poured our beers. When asked about the post, he told us not to worry, the place isn’t closing anytime soon. However, he was struggling to pay off a loan he took out during the pandemic, which has continued to be a sore spot. He said he felt that the winter months can be particularly rough for bars, but business was starting to pick up, and he was optimistic overall.

This got me thinking about restaurants, bars, and other small businesses on 45th Street and how the pandemic has affected them. It’s been five years, and some places have closed. Rumors abound about how the ones that have made it through are faring in this economic climate. Mask mandates are gone, but many places have had to adjust their business models. Also, most have been hit by vandalism and break-ins, although the proprietors were hesitant to discuss this topic. Some of the regulars are no longer going out as often or altogether. 

Nearby, Murphy’s Pub (1928 N 45th Street), the oldest Irish bar in Seattle, also set up a GoFundMe last year due to the threat of losing its unique location. The owners are in the process of renegotiating their lease, which is up at the end of the year. We got this update from Eamon Davey, one of three owners, who welcomes customers with his wry wit behind the bar most weekends. He said that in the aftermath of the pandemic, things are practically back to normal, except that they don’t have the lunch crowd anymore and have had to cut back weekday hours to reflect that. They suspect that this is related to more people working from home. He also brought up the issue of the rising minimum wage for their staff and regretted having to raise prices to offset this cost. He has noticed that some of their customer base has relocated, but said that not many new regulars have come in to fill their spots. Last fall, they hosted the Historic Wallingford Roaring Twenties Speakeasy fundraiser, and word on the street is that another one is slated for September 14th.

On a Saturday in April, we were out on the Earth Day trash pick up and stopped by The Octopus Bar (2121 N 45th Street) to ask how they were doing. Trevor Marsh, the owner, happened to be setting up. He bemoaned rising costs across the board, including supplies, insurance, and rent.  He has noticed that people have been going out less often, but seem to be spending more on special occasions, resulting in fewer visits from regular customers but more birthday- and wedding-related parties.  We speculated that this is related to the economic downturn and patrons cutting back on nonessential spending. We chatted about a Wallingford pub crawl (or pup crawl), which would be fun during the warmer months. I exchanged notes with Trevor in advance of this story to see if there were any updates, and he said, “Our Salty Shack window is now open every day from 11 am – 4 pm before the bar opens. We’ve seen a huge increase in lunch sales, specifically the Chicken Caesar Wrap, which has become our best seller.” They are updating their signage to reflect this.

Tangentially, I even spoke to my dentist about his business and the demands he faces related to factors such as supply chain shortages and difficulties with third-party payors. I hadn’t thought much about a medical office as a small business, affected by so many stresses over the last five years, but realized there’s a story there, too. So you can see, this article has so many rabbit holes to get lost in, I have had difficulty wrapping it up. 

We wandered up towards Green Lake in May. One place that has been flying under the radar recently is the TangleTown Public House, on 55th and Meridian. I spoke with the current owner, Mi Mi Priyapas, who quietly took over the lease in December of 2023. Previously, David Buhler of Elysian Brewing had become the sole owner in 2019. He brought in more live music, which was pretty popular at first. However, the timing and new business model didn’t work out for him, and who could have predicted what 2020 would bring? Mi Mi got into restaurant ownership after many years working behind the bar and developing cocktail menus. She’s determined to make this iteration of that place a success and feels that those efforts are starting to get noticed. She said that My Friend Derek’s opening next door has brought them some new clientele, and she has amped up the cocktail menu for folks who might be waiting for a table over there. 

So maybe this is where I’ll leave it for now. The stresses of the pandemic, the economic downturn, and increased costs of running a small business have had some lasting effects. As a community, we want to continue to support small businesses as they provide enrichment and services that bring a special sauce to our little corner of Seattle. And in writing this, I discovered a few more stories that I can explore in more depth in the coming months. I’m wondering if our readers have observations they’d like to share about the pandemic and how it has changed their habits related to going out. Please, chime in!