What a disgrace if the Virginia Inn — as it’s immediately — had been to close its doorways, by no means to return.
Except saved by a miracle or some renewed willingness to compromise, this storied venue within the Pike Place Market is about to shut by the tip of the month, a sufferer, maybe, of its personal success.
Serving food and drinks from the nook of First Avenue and Virginia Road since 1903, the Virginia Inn has been in style with each vacationers and locals — together with a hard-bitten set of politicians, Metropolis Corridor gadflies and journalists (however don’t maintain that in opposition to it).
Craig Perez signed a lease for the spot in 2019. His settlement with the constructing proprietor, the Pike Place Market Preservation & Growth Authority, which maintains and operates the nine-acre historic district, included each a base lease and a proportion of whole gross sales over $1.2 million.
After quite a lot of laborious work, Perez mentioned he acquired the Virginia Inn properly into the black, with constructive critiques and a steady workforce of 20.
“I doubled gross sales in 5 years! We’re crushing it. It’s a profitable enterprise. That’s why, ego-wise, I can test that one off,” he mentioned in an interview.
However with elevated labor and different prices, he requested the PDA to tinker with the proportion of gross sales he needed to embrace within the lease. From his perspective, negotiations didn’t go properly.
“They put the ‘lord’ in landlord,” he mentioned.
Rachel Ligtenberg, govt director of the PDA, mentioned her workforce tried to work with Perez in good religion, however to no avail.
“That’s the place we’re shifting our power, to seek out the following steward and associate for the Seattle icon, and it’s our expectation that we discover somebody who will take the mantle and proceed the Virginia Inn,” she mentioned.
Lease agreements with the 220-plus companies within the Market have typically the identical construction, and the newest lease proposal put forth to the Virginia Inn by the PDA was on the decrease finish of the rental vary, the authority contends.
And what of the title, Virginia Inn?
The PDA says the “Virginia Inn” title is owned by the Market and stays with the property. Perez says the title is his and can go if he goes. He already eliminated the well-known neon signal.
Oy.
On the earth of diplomacy, the phrase “unimaginable” doesn’t exist. Right here’s to hoping that spirit extends to lease negotiations over a treasured municipal asset: a snug bar with good meals, good individuals and a storied historical past.
