We’ve had several tips from readers this past week about a sign going up at the shop across the hallway/courtyard from Chase Bank at 1417 Queen Anne Ave N, so I took advantage of the splendid weather to stop by and take a look – sure enough, there’s a sign for a new tea shop, and the owners are keeping it local while sharing their South African heritage.

Cederberg Tea House is set to open in June, and it puts a different spin on the typical tea shop with traditional South African sweet and savory baked goods, South African Rooibos tea, and espresso for those of you whose beverages take a coffee form.

The new shop is a mother-daughter venture – that’s right, a new family-owned, independent business is moving into Queen Anne. Native South Africans Natasha Robson-Lovato and Cecile Robson, now at home in Seattle, are at the helm of the new tea shop. Cederberg Tea House originally began as a local catering company named after the region where Rooibos tea grows, and now they’re putting down roots on top of Queen Anne.

Photo courtesy of
Cederberg Tea House

Natasha and Cecile are busy getting it ready for a June opening, and the menu promises delicacies you can’t get elsewhere in Seattle:

• Rooibos Lattes and Cappuccinos: Rooibos tea is pulled through an espresso machine to produce a strong shot of tea with the strength and body of a regular espresso latte, but the unique flavor of tea. Cederberg promises you can’t get this traditional South African drink anywhere else in Seattle.
• South African treats: you can taste a wide range of baked goods including Koeksisters, syrup soaked doughnuts; Melkterts, traditional custard tarts; Hertzogs, jam filled tarts with a coconut meringue topping; Crunchies, coconut, oatmeal and butter cookies; South African Fudge (which has no chocolate – check it out), and more.

Co-owner Natasha says they’re looking forward to being part of the Queen Anne community and sharing a taste of South Africa:

Mark your calendars for June, and get ready to experience some new treats, teas, and coffee at the corner of Galer and Queen Anne Ave N.

The Seattle Parks department is joining with Citizens for Off-Leash Areas (COLA) for a general meeting this Wednesday, May 8th, and the public is invited to join in the discussion. The meeting takes place at the Park Board Room (100 Dexter Ave N), 6:30pm-8:30pm.

Lower Kinnear Park Off-Leash Area

COLA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was formed to obtain and maintain off-leash dog exercise areas in Seattle. Along with Seattle Parks, the COLA Board of Directors will be celebrating the openings of two new off-leash areas – one at Magnolia Manor Park and the other at our local Lower Kinnear Park.

In addition, the meeting will be a forum to share important updates and upcoming events, as well as hold a roundtable discussion on key topics such as events, fundraisers, marketing, education, volunteers, partnerships, and newsletters. Attendees will also be able to learn about the benefits of COLA membership and how to join. COLA member dues help improve existing off-leash areas, support the newsletter, phone line, and creation of educational brochures and materials.

All are welcome – although, please note, dogs must stay at home and sit this one out.

Some local bookstore news to share – this week, Queen Anne Book Company is hosting an author event and kicking off its QABC Reads book group.

First up, the author event: tonight, Monday, May 6th, 7pm-8:30pm with local author Jennie Shortridge. Her latest book  is “Love, Water, Memory” and she’ll be joined by the Seattle 7 band. Shortridge is a member of the band, as is Garth Stein, author of “The Art of Racing in the Rain”. The Seattle 7 band (aka The Rejections (and Trailing Spouses), will be providing background music and entertainment for Jennie’s event.

And, if you’re looking for a book club, look no further than Queen Anne Book Company! They’re kicking off the inaugural QABC Reads book group on Tuesday, May 7 at 7pm. QABC Reads will meet the first Tuesdays of every month from 7:00-8:30pm, and is open to all interested readers. Discussion titles will be posted on the QABC web site and in the store.

The first meeting of QABC Reads will be a discussion of the top ten best-selling book group titles in the Pacific Northwest by co-owner Janis Segress and bookseller Wendee Wieking. Feel free to bring your favorite titles along with you, and by the end of the evening, the group will decide on the first book to be discussed at the June 4th meeting.

Happy reading!

Several weeks ago a sign went up outside Calva Café – “restaurant space for lease”. When a “for lease” sign goes up with a long-time staple still in the advertised spot, it’s usually not good news for said business. In this case, Calva Cafe is the only restaurant space at 1905 Queen Anne Ave N… and it’s closing.

In the past few days, we’ve received tips from multiple Queen Anne View readers who’ve recently dined at the mom-and-pop Chinese/Sushi restaurant, and I also talked with owner today about the restaurant’s future. After 7 years in business on Queen Anne, Calva Café will indeed be closing on May 24th, just a few weeks away. Calva, like other local Queen Anne businesses, is faced with limited options – pay an increased rental rate they can’t afford or close up shop on Queen Anne.

The landlord of the building has increased Calva’s rent twice in the past few years, and with the end of their current lease, the increase is just too much for them to stay in business on Queen Anne. Just as with Tup Tim Thai, Calva’s owners have always paid their rent and have been good tenants. They just can’t keep up with the cost of renting restaurant space on Queen Anne – an increasing cost that’s hard to understand given the number of empty retail spaces on both Upper and Lower Queen Anne.

Although they would like to keep the restaurant open, Calva’s owners have no plans at this time to relocate, so stop by to get one last home-cooked stir-fry meal or plate of hand-made sushi, and say goodbye before May 24th.

FREE woodchips ready for the taking!

Gilman Gardens, the self-sufficient community garden on West Queen Anne ordered two truck loads of wood chips for spring garden work… then the service showed up with four. Now that Gilman Gardens has used what they need from the pile of wood chips, they’re now offering the rest of them for free to the community.

The wood chips are located in the median just north of the main garden (down the hill on Gilman). There are about 15 cubic yards left, and it’s first-come, first-serve. All you need to do is show up at Gilman Drive and 13th Ave W, and have a way to haul what you need away – by the bucket, wheelbarrow, or truck!

Queen Anne is losing another long-time independent business to increasing rents. After 24 years at 118 W Mercer Street, Tup Tim Thai will close its doors on May 28th.

According to a tweet by Hanna Raskin, Seattle Weekly food critic, the restaurant’s landlord is doubling the rent, forcing Tup Tim Thai to close. Per Raskin, Tup Tim Thai’s Nat Chien says that the restaurant has never been late on rent payments or short on customers. So, if you have a favorite dish, you have 25 more days (and counting down) to get your orders in.

As for the new tenant, no word yet.

Photo courtesy of SPD Blotter

According to the SPD Blotter, a 35-year old man was arrested today after leading SPD officers on a car chase through Queen Anne – traveling via a stolen SPD patrol car.

The incident began just after noon today when SPD received a report of the suspect attacking another man on a Metro bus near Aurora and Denny Way. He fled south through the Battery Street tunnel, where two SPD patrol officers intercepted him. He then attacked a female officer and escaped in an SPD patrol car.

Photo courtesy of Jim Leach

Officers pursued the suspect up Queen Anne to W Olympic Place and 8th Ave W, with the chase ending when the suspect crashed the stolen SPD patrol car into a retaining wall.

According to Queen Anne resident Jim Leach, “it appear[ed] to me when the perp passed the Kinnear Park swing set, he saw two Police cars coming toward him on the arterial and he made a late decision to drive up 8th West, but he entered the corner way to hot.”

Post-crash, officers took the suspect (who appeared to be “very intoxicated”) into custody. Since he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, he suffered cuts to his hands and face. He was transported to Harborview for treatment.

The Blotter reports that SPD in investigating the suspect’s possible involvement in a hit-and-run on his chase route, as well as further details around the day’s events.

The Queen Anne Community Council meets tonight at 7:30pm at Queen Anne Manor (100 Crockett St), and if you haven’t had a chance to get up to speed on the Ballard to Interbay Corridor project yet, the meeting is offering the Queen Anne community another chance to learn about the future of Interbay.

Here’s tonight’s agenda – all are welcome to attend:

• 7:30 – Adoption of Agenda, Approval of Minutes, and Treasurer’s Report
• 7:35 – Open Forum- Comments
• 7:45 – Duwamish Cleanup- Heather Trim
• 8:10 – Picture Perfect Queen Anne
• 8:15 – Ballard to Interbay land use corridor study
• 8:45 – Committee Reports:
  • LURC/Planning, Parks, Transportation, District Council, NAC, Communication, Social Issues, Police & Crime
• 9:20 – New Business
• 9:30 – Adjournment

Sherlock Holmes first came to life in 1886 in the page of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s A” Study in Scarlet” – a work that he wrote in 3 weeks and published in 1887. Since then, over 125 years later, Holmes has appeared in books, television shows, and feature films, remaining relevant today.

A free talk by the Seattle Times’ Tom Keogh will examine the history and allure of Doyle’s character over the years. The discussion is part of a series of arts lectures from Humanities Washington and is being hosted by Bayview Retirement Community. “Dr. Doyle and Mr. Holmes: The Cultural Staying Power of Sherlock Holmes” will be held at 7pm next Tuesday, May 7th at Bayview’s Albertson Center at 11 Aloha St.

Tom Keogh
Photo courtesy of Humanities Washington

A member of the 2012-14 Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, Tom Keogh is an arts journalist and critic for The Seattle Times and contributor to various arts-industry magazines. A lifelong Holmes fan, Keogh was recently commissioned by Seattle Children’s Theatre to write an original drama featuring the detective.

The presentation will take a conversational format, with Keogh leading the discussion about Sherlock Holmes, the story of his creation by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Doyle’s subsequent love-hate relationship with the character over decades. Key issues for the talk include why Holmes still matters in the 21st century, and why we remain so attached to a character invented in 1886.

The talk is free and open to all, so Holmes fans should mark their calendars for next Tuesday!

For more information, contact Nancy Weinbeck via email or at 206.284.7330.

Looking for an outlet for the boundless energy that kids always seem to have? Well, this Friday, May 3rd, the Queen Anne Community will be hosting a Family Fun Night from 5:30pm-8:30pm.

Kids can expend that energy jumping around in large bounce houses, playing games, and checking out the toys on hand. All for $3 a “walking” child.

Support our local community center this Friday!

A new series of walking tours highlighting our neighborhood’s real estate and architectural history begins this Sunday, with a 10am start every first Sunday through September. The tours will begin at Kerry Park, and a minimum $20 donation per person will benefit local organizations.

Kerry Park will be the starting point for these walks

This series of tours will focus on the historical development of Queen Anne and the residential architecture of homes on the hill. It’ll also include information on the evolution of real estate ventures from the late 1800s to present day.

The organizers of these walks are asking for a minimum donation of $20 per person, with the tax-deductible proceeds benefitting three Queen Anne nonprofits:

• May 5th & Aug 4th walks benefit Bayview Intergenerational Childcare
• June 2nd & September 1st walks benefit Beginnings School
• July 7th walk benefits the Queen Anne Historical Society

The walking tours will be just under 2 miles, taking about 1.5 hours to complete. Limited spots are available for each walk, so if you’re interested in the history of real estate and architecture on Queen Anne, be sure to RSVP via email or call 206.271.1267.

You may recall the Queen Anne neighborhood stairway walk back in January that sold out almost overnight – it was one of many neighborhood walks sponsored by Feet First. And, technically it didn’t sell out (it was free), but it was limited to 20 people and those 20 slots filled up fast.

Fast forward to next weekend, and there’s another Queen Anne walk being led by Feet First, this one to celebrate Jane Jacobs, an urban activist who championed a community-based approach to city development. In honor of Jane’s work, free walking tours are held on the first weekend of May, many led by local residents who know the walks well (hint for what’s to come later in the post).

This year, Feet First is hosting free Jane’s Walks all over Seattle, and this time, there’s no limit to the number of participants. Based on that past stairway walk, this one is sure to be popular – and no one will be turned away!

Bhy Kracke Park, a stop along the walk

The Queen Anne walk is free, and begins Saturday, May 4th at 2pm. The walk will last about 2 hours and will follow a route that winds from Upper Queen Anne to Lower Queen Anne/Uptown, highlighting our business district, neighborhood streets, architecture, history, and parks, ending at Counterbalance Park.

If you’d like to join the Feet First Queen Anne Jane’s Walk, meet at the corner of Boston St and Queen Anne Ave N, in front of Starbucks. And, if Saturday doesn’t work for you, but you know and love our neighborhood and want to share it with others, become a Neighborhood Walking Ambassador and lead your own walk. Contact Darcy Edmunds to become an Ambassador, and if you lead a walk, be sure to let us know!