BIZNOTE: Eviction notice posted at West Seattle Brewing

Thanks to Jeff for the tip. An eviction notice is posted at West Seattle Brewing (4415 Fauntleroy Way SW), warning that the King County Sheriff’s Office (which handles evictions) plans an eviction action there as soon as this Friday (February 7).

Court files show that this has been in the works since last August, with the first “unlawful detainer” notice served in September. The building’s owners allege that they are owed $35,000 in back rent and fees (with current monthly rent listed in documents as $5,329). The documents say West Seattle Brewing has been leasing the building since 2012, with lease renewals offered in 2017 and 2022 but the owners choosing to stay month to month. No one was there when we went by a short time ago to verify the tip about the notice, but the venue’s website suggests awareness of possible closure, as events last weekend are listed as “last Friday party” and “might be the last Saturday party.” The venue has most recently focused mostly on music. We have an email inquiry out to ask about future plans. They had just completed a remodel a year ago.

39 Replies to "BIZNOTE: Eviction notice posted at West Seattle Brewing"

  • Here come apartments February 4, 2025 (2:20 pm)

    Bummer. These little holes in the wall give the neighborhood character. But I’m sure the inevitable 6-story apartment building with no parking will take that into account.

    • Alki Jack February 4, 2025 (3:03 pm)

      It will be like the building going in on Avalon Way….83 Units….4 Parking spaces.

    • Meow February 4, 2025 (3:04 pm)

      While it does seem likely there will be apartments or change in this area, it’s seems like a quick jump to conclusion that is the case here. Based on what information has been provided in this post, it sounds like they have not been paying rent. Did I miss something else?

      • WSB February 4, 2025 (3:50 pm)

        Just to calm the speculation, there are NO permit filings for this site, redevelopment or otherwise; I already checked. But it’s zoned for 7-story mixed-use.

      • people like talking parking February 4, 2025 (3:51 pm)

        You didn’t miss anything besides the last 209 times an article about zoning or school rehab or bus lanes or monorails or street fairs or whale watching devolved into debates over parking spots. People have their bugaboos and you’re reading the parking bugaboo blog of preference.

    • Helen Lovejoy February 5, 2025 (8:35 am)

      Oh won’t somebody please think of the automobiles!

  • West Seattle Lite February 4, 2025 (2:32 pm)

    I’m surprised it lasted this long, especially with so many other better tasting beer options in the area.

    • Adam February 4, 2025 (4:50 pm)

      I can also vouch for the fact that I’ve been stunned at how rude I’ve seen ppl treated in there. Not myself directly, but I’ve seen it while there and wondered if they forgot that ppl like to tip based on service. This isn’t a catch all for every employee, just my experience the few times I’ve been. 

  • RA February 4, 2025 (3:36 pm)

    Hoping Future Primitive takes over this space like it did the Alki spot!

  • HTB February 4, 2025 (3:53 pm)

    Sigh – is it THAT difficult for businesses to pay the rent they owe?

    • walkerws February 4, 2025 (4:48 pm)

      it is if their business is brewing very bad beer in a city with a high level of competition

    • Owning and operating a restaurant is really hard February 4, 2025 (8:18 pm)

      HTB, if you ever want a primer on how brutal the restaurant business is, watch a few episodes of the show “Restaurant Impossible.” One of the many take aways is how quickly restaurants can go from thriving to unprofitable and, ultimately, go into what I can only describe as the death spiral as diners’ tastes change, competition around them changes and the economy goes through its normal cycles of boom and bust. Some of the episodes are hard to watch, but I feel for the owners because there are so many things beyond their control that can derail their business. 

    • Archer February 5, 2025 (1:35 pm)

      Yes it actually is. Combine that with the mandated $20.80 minimum wage, and running any business where margins are razor thin becomes a very unstable situation.  The last thing any business wants is to lose the only space from which they can generate revenue.

  • Beer February 4, 2025 (3:57 pm)

    Terrible beer and terrible service, not surprised.

    • Beer2 February 4, 2025 (11:15 pm)

      This exactly. How they stayed open this long is a mystery.

  • Beer Man Bill February 4, 2025 (3:59 pm)

    Maybe Ounces could move into this space?

    • Rando February 4, 2025 (4:26 pm)

      Folks that don’t live in the area don’t realize how horrible the vibe has been in there for the past year. Late 2023 it was totally sorta a cool place to watch a game, then they changed their whole thing and only play mid-2000s music on the TVs too loud. I live close by and I avoid it at all costs now. Sorry this is happening, it’s been a weird year for them I think. 

    • Amy February 4, 2025 (4:33 pm)

      Oh interesting! 

    • walkerws February 4, 2025 (4:47 pm)

      that would be a great solution. 

    • D February 4, 2025 (11:58 pm)

      Perfect solution for their future. Better location. 

    • PDiddy February 5, 2025 (10:41 am)

      i like what ounces has done in their space and the parking in rear is a huge help. I dont think moving there would be a good idea and I also think the bring the kids thing would be forbidden in this location which honestly I think is great at ounces when I see it.

    • Katrina February 6, 2025 (10:49 am)

      Love Ounces, but is the WSB space safe from the demolitions happening for the light rail station going in that area (which I believe is going to do away with Taco Time & SBUX drive-thru, probably others also)? 

  • West Seattle Mad Sci Guy February 4, 2025 (4:50 pm)

    I liked this place. For a minute I was part of the mug club. The owner and staff were nice. I have to admit I stopped going once they became a late night music venue. Their music would thud thud thud in every room in my house. Until 2 am – 3 am. I turned my smart speaker to max with white noise and could still hear it, but I could at least sleep.  I was going to move in March when my lease was up primarily because of this business. Sad for the owner. Happy I have one less reason to move. Good luck on your future adventures Drew (and was it Brian? It’s been a minute)

  • Derek February 4, 2025 (5:06 pm)

    As someone who lives nearby and attended someone of their recent “live shows” it was embarrassingly bad vibes wise. 

  • Admiral-2009 February 4, 2025 (5:46 pm)

    HTP – you clearly do not understand what it takes to operate a small business!  It’s a farce to think just because someone owns a business they have money, many owners work an obscene amount of hours at far less than minimum wage just to make ends meet.  

    • West Seattle resident February 5, 2025 (9:13 am)

      If the business model is to lose money, then I suggest trying a different business.   It is not landlord’s job to give the space away for free.   West Seattle brewery has the habit of not paying rent, nothing new.    Just like they never tried to improve their beer.  

  • Shufflerunner February 4, 2025 (6:35 pm)

    I really liked this place when they first opened but the vibe definitely degraded over time. Competition also moved in and set a high bar for a neighborhood brewery. Ounces would be a prime candidate to take over the space. 

  • WSBrewingFan February 4, 2025 (7:06 pm)

    I liked getting bbq next door and chilling with a beer on my commute home. Crossing Avalon and Fauntleroy from the bus stop was a real chore though. 

    • crosswalkgal February 5, 2025 (2:15 pm)

      There are crosswalks. With lights that tell you when to walk. I am not sure how that is a chore.

  • ProbablyYourNeighbor February 4, 2025 (8:45 pm)

    Agree with the sentiment of others- under the latest ownership, this place was more a nuisance than anything else. Even on nights when there was an empty parking lot, music could be heard (and often felt) over a block away until 2 am, to say nothing of the customer base. Rare to root against a small, local business, but the neighborhood will be better without ’em.

    • thump thump February 5, 2025 (6:46 am)

      I live nearly 4 blocks away to the NW and I could sometimes hear their music.

  • Mike G February 4, 2025 (10:59 pm)

    I really wanted them to succeed but the whole AI visuals and unprofessional approach to events (START ON TIME) was a turnoff. I would also go by and see they were closed at highly popular times, like friday at 6 pm. I can’t know what was going on, but I’ll miss having them in the area. And no, ounces should NOT move to this spot.

  • M February 5, 2025 (5:48 am)

    They lost me in community when they took that cool Sounders sign down. 

  • AlkiRenter February 5, 2025 (7:17 am)

    Having Ounces and Jones BBQ as neighbors would be a game-changer! I hope they consider the location. I’m sad to see WSB collapse, but at the end of the day they *seemed* to not care about the one thing they should have: the quality and types of beer they were offering. They tried all of these other, likely costly, changes when the one thing they needed to succeed was just focusing on the quality and variety of their core product. I wish them well – especially all the very kind staff that were some of the first to make us feel welcome when we moved here years ago. 

    • walkerws February 5, 2025 (10:01 am)

      I’m not sure it would have mattered. I don’t think the folks involved were fundamentally capable of brewing good beer.

  • Will February 5, 2025 (7:22 am)

    I’ll always be grateful for all the great regulars and for WSB being my big break into hosting trivia! Good times.

    • Collin H. February 7, 2025 (7:20 am)

      I am very grateful for all the cool people I was able to meet and befriend at WSB, the list is long and my appreciation is sincere. I wish nothing but the best for Drew and Brian, and hope to stay connected with my friends from WSB. Good luck to all. 

  • IslandTruth February 5, 2025 (8:18 pm)

    Not to kick a business when they’re down, but the sheer number of people commenting on the bad beer, bad service, and bad vibe is pretty telling. I gave it multiple chances since it seemed like a place that SHOULD work, but it just fundamentally didn’t. And knowing now that they’re a bad tenant that doesn’t pay rent on top of all that leaves me not feeling particularly sorry to see them go. 

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