Three Fun Things for December 22, 2024
Rethinking downtown spaces, a "dry" bottle shop, and a bar that treats non-drinkers like adults.
1. STÖR/Rethinking Downtown Spaces
Mayor Bruce Harrell has expended a tremendous amount of public funding and civic energy on the idea that downtown Seattle is on the verg of dying, and that the only solution is pouring money into police (to prevent “disorder” and arrest addicts), plug-and-play park activations (giant Connect Four games, government-approved buskers) and graffiti eradication efforts.
PubliCola’s office is in Pioneer Square, where, last week, several local gift shops were bustling and an affordable Korean restaurant saw a steady flow of customers. That’s the part of downtown I see most often—and it isn’t dying. But what about the other end of the center city? Last week, I stopped by an art exhibit in the former Bergman Luggage storefront—a place I never had reason to visit when it was open, pre- or post-pandemic. The exhibit that’s on now, STÖR, is a surreal, anti-consumerist (ish) version of IKEA where, instead of mass-produced BILLY bookcases, the goods on offer include an inflatable fireplace (FLUFHARTH) and a lamp cheerfully shaded in a sheath of blond hair (HÅRIG). Like the Swedish retailer, the show has directional arrows to guide visitors through a series of blind corners, a setup that had me whisper-shouting “look at this!” every few steps as I stumbled on a torn cane chair “repaired” with sparkly beads, or a “Mini-STÖR” filled with tiny replicas of the furniture for sale.
For a year or so, the massive old luggage storeroom—a business that was arguably obsolete before the pandemic took it out—has been the site of public art exhibits courtesy of BaseCamp Studios, which took over the space in 2023 and recently received a boost of funding from the Allen Foundation. The show gave me a reason to take a walk around Belltown—an area some of its residents seem to believe has been destroyed by graffiti—and put some money into the local economy (I got this kitschy glass nightlight), something I never did when the space was an expensive suitcase store.
STÖR, through January 10, 1901 3rd Ave. Details about current and upcoming exhibits: BaseCamp Studios
2. Cheeky and Dry
How did it take me so long to visit Seattle’s only non-alcoholic bottle shop? One reason, I suppose, is that it’s way up on Phinney Ridge, a place I don’t frequent unless I’m making a pilgrimage to Windy City Pie (with a stop at Phinney Books before or after). About a year after it opened, I finally stopped by a couple weeks ago, and was blown away by the sheer variety of n/a beverages packed into such a tiny storefront. They have many of my favorites, sure—for me, Pathfinder and Wilderton are the gold standard for “adult”-tasting nonalcoholic cocktails—but also tons of unfamiliar labels, from whiskey substitutes to 0-proof sparkling wines to n/a beers I haven’t seen in other Seattle stores.
Aesthetically, Cheeky and Dry reminds me a bit of Boisson, the (now-bankrupt) chain of bottle shops that spread across New York City over the last few years. Vibes-wise, though, it’s a closer sibling to Manhattan’s Spirited Away, which bills itself as “America’s first booze-free bottle shop”: Both stores offer tastings, encourage questions, and are eager to educate you on the pros and cons of different options, which are often different than their alcoholic counterparts in ways you might not anticipate. Want something that tastes more like a “real” drink? Go with Pathfinder or one of the tequilas spiked with capsaicin for a booze-like burn. Looking for a bottle of wine for dinner? You basically can’t go wrong wirh a dry white or rosé sparkling bottle, but stay away from the still reds and whites, which just aren’t there yet. Better yet, don’t listen to me—go to Cheeky and Dry and ask the experts.
Cheeky and Dry, 6120 Phinney Ave., Seattle, ,website for hours and product list
The Nonalcoholic Menu at Liberty Bar
3. When I quit drinking in early 2015, there really was no such thing as a sophisticated adult beverage for non-drinkers; the best most bars could muster was soda water with a dash of bitters—maybe a fancy flavor like black walnut if they had it on hand for other, “real” drinks.
These days, though, it’s possible to go out with friends to a regular cocktail bar (no Hecate in Seattle, yet) and get a thoughtfully constructed beverage, dreamed up and developed by an actual bartender, for about the same price as a “real” cocktail.
(There’s a whole discourse online about whether bars charge “too much” for n/a drinks. The answer is that, generally, they don’t, especially if they’re stocking up on nonalcoholic spirits, which can retail for $40 or more. Even if I am paying a bigger markup for, say, a shrub and soda than my friend who ordered a complex Manhattan, it’s worth it to be treated like an adult, not a child asking for a juicebox. If you’re gonna charge me $5 for soda water from the gun, though, I’m never coming back).
Liberty, on Capitol Hill, has a rotating menu of five n/a options, all between $12 and $17, and only one is a shrub and soda. I recently tried the Jennifer N-Aniston (“lemon and lime juice, fig syrup, peach bitters, and topped with ginger beer,” per the menu) and the Blacker the Berry (“Wilderton lustre, brambleberry syrup, and lime. topped with Jøyus sparkling rosé”); both were complex, worth savoring slowly, and made me feel welcome at a cocktail bar—a welcome evolution from the blank looks I got from many bartenders just a few years ago.
Liberty, 517 15th Ave. E, hours on website