Victrola Coffee & Art, 411 15th Ave E, Seattle

I like your drops, tracks, ceiling fans, and the exposed heating ducts.  I like your basic table set up, the two and four seat variety and the ample space between.  I like that sofa back there and the soft chair next to it.  I'm hip to the musical acts that Sara, the café manager, books into the bar.  I'm down with the artwork on your walls, and I'm glad that it changes every month, thus giving new artists a chance to display. I do like your coffee offerings, your loose leaf tea collection, and your selection of Italian sodas but your baked goods menu is way below par for a cafe with your rep.  Where you win big is the cross section of coffee aficionados that patronize your espresso bar: readers, surfers, journal writers, gabbers and lovers.  You don't offer free wifi on weekends, as Fri, Sat and Sun are big money nights, and you need to keep patrons moving in and out.  On the other hand I do like how you welcome gays, bi's and others.   Inside your café, gender transgressors can be themselves w/o ridicule or bash.  I like the manner that you employ to market your name "Victrola" (www.victrolacoffee.com) -- not in the customer's face, the way some café's do it, but a soft and subtle imprint on traveling cups, kitchen mugs, ½ pound bags of Joe, espresso cups, saucers and spoons, t-shirts, etceteras.  I like your parfait menu --honey, fig, hazelnut and yogurt, and your selection of dark chocolate bars.  The décor of the unisex b-rooms is off the hook, and the b-boards for patrons to post is on time.  You've got a classy cafe, on what is arguably the hottest spot on the 15^th Avenue East strip. 

Review by: albert bliss

Posted: Saturday, August 29, 2009