Tag Archives: coffee

New Starbucks store is coming to Kingston

A coffee shop planned for Kingston will feature a familiar mermaid logo.

A permit application has been filed for an 1,800-square-foot Starbucks store and drive-thru near the intersection of Highway 104 and Miller Bay Road, according to county records.

The store will be part of a retail complex we reported on back in March. The development is planned for an undeveloped parcel next to Rite Aid. The site should position the coffee shop to take advantage of busy commuter traffic.

The Kingston property is owned by a developer who is also bringing a Starbucks store to the corner of Silverdale Way and Bucklin Hill Road.

Ribbon cutting set for Clearwater Casino hotel

Tad Sooter

Casino1_13289723_ver1.0_640_480 A ribbon cutting ceremony for the Suquamish Tribe’s new Clearwater Casino Resort hotel tower is set for 3 p.m. May 18.

The 98-room hotel was part of the second phase expansion at the Clearwater.

The new addition includes The Clearwater, a fine dining restaurant that opened May 6. The new Beach Glass Cafe and Beach Bru Coffee shop opened Tuesday.

A large conference room was also built into the hotel addition.

The Monday ribbon cutting event will include speakers, tours and a reception.

You can read our February story on the Clearwater hotel expansion here.

Campaign launched to “save Bainbridge Bakers”

Tad Sooter

994135_5519785_ver1.0_640_480 UPDATE: Labor and Industries confirmed it’s investigating five wage complaints lodged against Bainbridge Bakers this year.

It’s hard to imagine Bainbridge Bakers, one of Bainbridge Island’s oldest and busiest coffee shops, being in financial trouble.

Apparently, it is.

An employee launched a campaign on GoFundMe.com Monday to raise $100,000 and “Save Bainbridge Bakers” from closure. The campaign had the blessing over owner Mike Loudon, according to the description.

Bainbridge Bakers opened a new location in the upscale Island Gateway development a year ago, and expanded its original home in Winslow Green.

The new location was a financial failure, according to the GoFundMe page and posts by the Bainbridge Bakers Facebook account. Recent posts also alluded to theft by an employee.

Bainbridge Bakers closed the Gateway shop and plans to relaunch it as a full-service restaurant, but the original location is now also in dire straits, according to the GoFundMe page. Donations will be used to keep the original shop afloat.

The GoFundMe campaign had raised about $6,000 as of Tuesday evening.

Storyville Coffee selling space in Winslow

Tad Sooter

Storyville Coffee is selling its Winslow Way storefront, laying to rest years of speculation it would open a shop there.

The Bainbridge-based coffee company’s space at 240 Winslow Way was listed for sale Monday for $1,885,000. Storyville still maintains its roastery in the Coppertop Park, where it operates a tasting room.

A marketing manager, who asked his name not be used, said Storyville shifted focus to starting stores in Seattle, and decided against opening on Winslow Way. Storyville has three Seattle shops, including one on Pike Place.

The marketing manager declined to comment on whether a Storyville still has plans for a shop in downtown Winlsow.

The 6,350-square-foot 240 Winslow Way building was long home to the town’s hardware store. Winslow Hardware closed its doors in 2005 and was replaced by Port Madison Home, which shut down in 2011.

Storyville bought the property in November 2011 for $1.55 million, according to assessor’s documents. The coffee company put signs in the windows and held “pop-up” shops there, but the cafe many islanders were expecting never materialized.

Storyville recently took a beating from local media outlets for reported connections between its ownership and recently-disbanded Mars Hill Church.

The marketing manager said there are no connections between the coffee company and defunct church, and said the media reports played no role in its decision not to open a shop on Winslow Way.

“We love Bainbridge Island and welcome everyone,” he said.

Photo by Andrea Mackin

New bank and coffee shop proposed in Poulsbo

Tad Sooter

A developer hopes to build a new bank and coffee shop buildings off Highway 305 in Poulsbo.

The 2,500-square-foot bank building and 1,700-square foot coffee shop/retail space would be constructed on vacant property sandwiched between 7th Avenue and the highway, just south of Forest Rock Lane and north of Union Bank.

Both the bank and coffee shop would have drive thru windows, according to a conceptual plan posted on the city website (and embedded below). No specific tenants were mentioned.

A pre-application conference for the project, titled RPI Retail, will be held at 1 p.m. Sept. 16 at Poulsbo City Hall. Comments can be submitted at the meeting or to kboughton@cityofpoulsbo.com. Click her for full details.

PacLand of West Seattle is the applicant for the project.

Kitsap Bank on Wheaton Way opens Monday

Tad Sooter

When the newly-rebuilt Kitsap Bank branch in East Bremerton opens Monday longtime customers may recognize a familiar face.

John Glomsted, the manager who opened the original branch in 1961, will serve as the honorary first customer. The new campus, at 3425 Wheaton Way, is set for a 9 a.m. soft opening.

The Starbucks coffee shop integrated with the bank is expected to open later this month. A grand opening for the campus is scheduled for Aug. 8.

Kitsap Bank Marketing Director Shannon Childs said contractors are putting finishing touches on the 5,000-square-foot building (about half of the space is dedicated to the coffee shop). A solar array is still being installed. The glass-sided structure includes drive-through windows for both banking and coffee.

Kitsap Bank emphasized recycling and the use of reclaimed materials during demolition and construction. The new branch will also feature new technology, including automated cash counters and tablet computers. Special equipment available for business customers will be on display.

Childs said the Port Orchard-based bank is looking forward to renewing its presence in East Bremerton.

“We’re very excited about bringing this new branch to Bremerton and especially to this neighborhood that welcomed more than 50 years ago,” Childs said. “We’re pleased to be part of the revitalization of this area.”

The old Wheaton Way branch was demolished in May.

(This post was corrected to reflect John Glomsted’s role in the opening).