The little private drive-up coffee huts in the Seattle area have always amazed me. Having previously lived in NJ, NC, SC and GA, I have never observed this concept anywhere else. Probably because they don't have as many coffee fiends in such a concentrated area as we do. But I have to say I have been converted to a coffee stand addict.
Market Street Perk is the bright orange coffee stand that resides on Market St. and 16th Ave W in front of the Zip Market. And Rich Connelly is the owner, and local resident, that you can find there almost every day of the week to greet you with a smile and hot cup of joe. When I'm pulling up to the window I can already hear him bellowing, "Heyyyyyyyy, darlin'! What can I get for you this mornin'?" Somehow the foggy cloud starts to lift from around my head as I smell the fresh roasted coffee beans. I don't know how he's so happy and energetic in the morning but it's kind of contagious, so I proceed with ordering my vanilla latte. And I love that he knows my kids will stop whining if he hands them a hot pink straw to play with ( in lieu of a lollipop).
These coffee houses aren't just about the coffee, they are about the people. There's no traffic flagger directing me through the long line so I can talk to the speakerphone with my order. This is just a neighborhood place. Rich has been in business for nine years, serves up about 150 cups of coffee a day, and does all of his own Brazilian bean roasting daily. He bought it from his sister (it used to be on 7th/Market) and -go figure- has never had a cup of coffee in his life (!). That's quite an achievement living out here and owning a coffee stand. But maybe that's a good thing. Like a big lady owning a bakery or pill-popper owning a pharmacy, if he drank coffee in that little hut all day his teeth would be brown and he'd be bouncing off the walls like a pinball machine.
I asked Rich if he gets claustrophobic in there. "No, just bored," he says. So, what do you do? "I clean or I've got cable and my computer in here, or I flirt," says the single Connelly with a chuckle. He also said lots of drivers hit his stand with the back of their cars when pulling away and don't even realize it- "it's like an earthquake in here," he says. But just one of the dangers of the job I guess.
Rich's stand is open from 6:30am-5pm Mon-Fri and 8-4 on weekends. Be sure to stop by and visit him from 3-5 M-F for happy hour when drinks are only $1.50.
~Janis
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