SEATTLE — A beloved family-owned coffee house and wine bar in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood is expanding to a second location.
Luis Rodriguez and Leona Moore-Rodriguez first launched The Station as a small storefront in 2010 with the idea of creating a place to bring people together.
"Coffee for me is everything, it represents my childhood. My father introduced me to coffee when I was five years old,” Rodriguez said. "It's sentiment, it's love, it's community."
After moving into a larger space across from the Beacon Hill Light Rail station, the small business served a critical role for neighbors during the early months of the pandemic. In conjunction with Cleveland High School, they distributed food to students and community members in need.
"A lot of places were shut down," Rodriguez said. "So we filled up The Station with food for the community. It was such a successful love."
“It went on for months and months," Moore-Rodriguez added. "Community is the same as family, basically."
That fundamental belief underscores The Station’s general vibe. Moore-Rodriguez serves as both barista and DJ, and her varied playlist features hits from the 1980s and 1990s that appeal to a wide swath of customers.
"We used to call it the 'hip hop coffee shop' because that's what we play all day,” she said.
While it’s possible to sit and work quietly, most customers stop in to chat with their neighbors.
"Talk, gather, gossip, and debate,” Moore-Rodriguez said.
“Like old school coffee shops, that essence of community," her husband added. "It's so loud in here, it's never quiet."
Their signature drinks include the D’Angelo (a brown sugar latte,) the Mocha Mexicano (Rodriguez jokes it’s a combination of he and his wife’s heritages,) and the Bowl of Soul, a twist on the London Fog.
There is also a brunch-forward food menu including biscuits with chorizo gravy and the El Gringo (avocado toast.)
The new Columbia City location is scheduled to open in late spring or early summer and will be twice the size of the Beacon Hill spot. A Go Fund Me campaign is set up to assist the owners with start-up costs.
When it opens, "The Station CC" will serve as another gathering space for a neighborhood Rodriguez and Moore-Rodriguez love.
"When I knew we created a really cool spot is when our employees come and hang out here on their days off. Who goes to their jobs on their days off?" Rodriguez laughed.
The Station BH is open daily. It’s located at 1600 S. Roberto Maestas Festival St. in Seattle.
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