Back in May, we brought you first word that White Center’s Future Primitive Brewing would open an outpost at 2536 Alki Avenue SW. Thanks to Ian for the tip that Future Primitive has just announced it’ll open there this Friday (August 4th). Hours will be 11 am-10 pm seven days a week.

If you’ve been to Alki in the morning or early afternoon recently on a Saturday or Sunday, you might have noticed the new coffee cart outside Driftwood (2722 Alki SW). Jackie from Driftwood emailed to tell us that it’s Numa, a new mobile coffee business launched this spring by West Seattleites Nathan and Seth. They’re operating as a pop-up 8 am-2 pm weekends throughout the summer. The proprietors have been best friends since college and a combined five years of experience in the coffee-service business, for companies small and large. Their philosophy is that “coffee is a gift to be stewarded well while service is an opportunity for creativity and goodwill.” According to the Numa website, they’re serving coffee from Olympia and Passenger. As for the name – they explain that “Numa is the Greek word for spirit.”

Several people have asked about work under way at 2536 Alki SW, the site vacated by West Seattle Brewing at the end of last summer, when a redevelopment project was expected to start soon for the site holding this small building and the home of Ampersand Coffee next door. That hasn’t happened; Ampersand has stayed in its location, and now another brewery is preparing to open an outpost next to it: White Center’s Future Primitive Brewing. After noticing via state records that they had applied for a beer/wine license for the Alki space, we inquired both there and at their WC location, and got confirmation that Future Primitive is opening at the beach. After some renovation work, they’re hoping to be open sometime in June, and once they open, we’re told, hours will be 11 am to 9 pm, seven days a week. Future Primitive opened its headquarters in White Center more than four years ago. As for whatever happened to the project on the Alki site, described previously as a renovation of the two commercial spaces with a residential addition above them, we have an inquiry out; city files show no new documents filed for more than a year.

(Tony Larson and Derek Moon – photo courtesy Revelry Room)

West Seattle entrepreneurs Derek Moon and Tony Larson are putting the finishing touches on the bar they’re opening behind the new home of Moon’s Jet City Labs at 4547 California SW – Revelry Room. We stopped by this morning to talk with Moon about their plan for what was previously speakeasy-style In The Heart. He said they’ve just gotten the last pre-opening approval, so it’s full speed ahead for opening night Saturday (April 1st).

(WSB photos from here down)

The space has many woodwork touches, against the walls, in the center, and at the bar, which has been moved back from its previous location, for more room to work the beverage magic.

Among the unique features at Revelry Room, they plan to highlight Black-owned spirits, wine, and beer providers. The cocktails will be “nice but not super-pretentious,” Moon says, prepared with a process that won’t leave you waiting long once your order’s in. “Elegant but approachable,” he says. And of course the atmosphere is meant to live up to the bar’s name – fun. That’s what the retro mural, across the south wall, still awaiting its final additions, which will depict – what else? – “revelry – the vibe we’re going for in this space”:

On the north wall, a screen can roll down – that might also bring in streams from whatever’s happening in Jet City Labs’ event/pop-up space in front, Moon explains.

There are plans for live entertainment, too – a DJ space in a corner, for example. Moon is hoping to showcase upcoming artists and entrepreneurs. Some guest-chef food pop-ups too, as they’ve had in the space during open-house previews the past few Sundays. Regular fare will include tamales and snacks like cheese curds and jerky. The event space out front has been in action for a while – you might have stopped by during the West Seattle Art Walk, for one – and now it’s time for Revelry Room to join the party. Look for the door off the alley. Hours wil be 4 pm-midnight Sundays-Thursdays, 4 pm-2 am Fridays and Saturdays.

Just out of the WSB inbox, a big party starts tomorrow at The Admiral District’s award-winning The Good Society Brewery and Public House:

We are celebrating turning 3 and we’ve got some good stuff lined up for you!

On Friday we will release our 3rd Anniversary DIPA, 3rd Time’s a Charm. We added Phantasm and used a thiol-boosting yeast to release some awesome tropical notes. Combined with the boozy 8.7% abv, it’s reminiscent of sitting on the beach with a drink in hand!

We are also release Rye Hard 2: Rye Harder. We took Rye Hard, our Imperial Rye Stout we brewed late in 2021, aged it in rye whiskey barrels, and then blended it with a young batch. We will have a sixtel of the original on as well.

On Saturday, we are doing weekend versions of Music Bingo and Trivia! We love these events and often hear how folks have trouble making it to these events during the week, so here’s your chance! Come win some prizes!

We also partnered with our friends at Shug’s Soda Fountain to bring you ice cream sandwiches and beer floats!

The Good Society opened on Valentine’s Day 2020 on the southwest corner of California and Lander.

Animated Café proprietor Melanie (aka “Ana”) just sent word that her coffee trailer is now open at its new location, a week later than originally hoped, so we went over for photos. We reported on the move 2+ weeks ago. Animated Café is now on the same Triangle lot as the Chapulín Oaxaqueño taco truck, at 4518 Fauntleroy Way SW [map]:

She first opened her coffee stand last winter at its original location in Westwood. She offers a deal on weekends where customers who come dressed in the spirit of the weekend “theme” get $2 off; the November schedule is in our previous report.

(WSB file photo)

Thanks for the tips. 3 1/2 years after opening at 35th/Webster, Best of Hands Barrelhouse announced today that it will close as of November 30th. From the announcement made via social media:

As many of you know we were only open for normal operations for a year before the pandemic hit. Unfortunately, among other things, the toll of the pandemic, the slower than expected recovery, and the skyrocketing costs of everything from CO2 to raw ingredients has made it unsustainable for us to continue to operate even with our current skeleton crew. We’d like to thank everybody for their support and interest through the years.

If you have any questions or know of anybody looking for two talented brewers, please don’t hesitate to reach out to nicholas@bestofhandsbarrelhouse.com

Thank you West Seattle!

Best of Hands opened in the cow-topped former Corner Deli spot in March 2019.

Thanks to Eric for the tip. Till Dawn is soft-opening today at 5048 California SW, but note that it’s a very soft open – mostly for coffee (Boon Boona), no food or games yet. But at least it’s an opportunity to see inside what its founders intend to be a “super-nerd bar”:

Once Till Dawn is up to full speed, its regular hours will be 8 am-10 pm Tuesdays-Sundays. (We first reported on this plan for the former vehicle-licensing space last October.)

Tonight, you might want to visit Bin 41 at 4707 California SW during this month’s West Seattle Art Walk. Not only is proprietor T. Frick the featured artist, she’s just made a big announcement: After 12 years, she’s closing her wine shop. Sunday, August 28th, will be the last day. In the meantime, she’s having a sale, and also mentioned to us in a brief phone conversation that if you have a gift certificate for Bin 41, now’s the time to use it. Store fixtures will be available too. For now, the shop remains open its regular hours, 1-6 pm Thursdays (open until 8 tonight for Art Walk) and Fridays, noon-5 pm Saturdays and Sundays. Providing inventory isn’t sold out sooner, the shop will be open daily its last week (starting August 22nd), 1 pm-6 pm Monday-Friday, noon-5 pm Saturday and Sunday. Any late-breaking changes, Frick says, will be announced via social media.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE SPACE: Before Bin 41, the space held children’s-clothing store Georgia Blu for 2 1/2 years. We noted here last year that the building was purchased last August by owners associated with the Maharaja restaurant/bar, who also had purchased the building a few doors south that formerly held Taqueria Guaymas. We spoke briefly today with Sam Virk from the ownership group; he said he hasn’t started seeking a new tenant yet, but said there are no plans to redevelop the building. (We also asked Virk about the status of the ex-Guaymas space, where a new restaurant, Indochin Wok, is planned. He told us they had more work to do inside the space than expected, but it’s still on the way.)

The texter who sent that photo is one of several who pointed out the new signage at 5048 California SW, the former vehicle-licensing office. As we first reported last October, it’ll be the home of Till Dawn. In February, we got a few more details from co-proprietor Andrew Spence (who’s also a co-founder of South Delridge’s 2 Fingers Social) – who described Till Dawn as a “super-nerd bar,” for “beer nerds, coffee nerds, gaming nerds.” We checked in with him today; he says they’re ready to go, just waiting on inspections. And yes, he confirmed that as the window signage suggests, Boon Boona Coffee will be their roaster.

Food/drink notes:

MA’ONO: Though its website says the West Seattle fried-chicken-and-more restaurant is “temporarily closed,” tipsters told us it was permanently closed, and we’ve been trying for a week to reach its owners to confirm that. Yesterday we caught up with Mark Fuller at his new project, the Admiral Benbow revival, and he declined comment on Ma’ono’s status. However, Seattle Met is quoting him as confirming he has closed and sold the West Seattle Ma’ono. The restaurant at 4437 California SW was first opened by Fuller and wife Marjorie Chang Fuller as Spring Hill in 2008, and they morphed it into Ma’ono in 2012.

(added) ADMIRAL BENBOW: Speaking of which – it opened tonight. Main food item, hot dogs – so far!

WEST OF CHICAGO: Shawn Millard was hoping to open the new sit-down home of his deep-dish pizza at 3770 SW Alaska this week, but we went over to check and learned they’re coping with a few last-minute equipment problems, so they won’t be able to open sooner than next week. West of Chicago Pizza Company formerly served its signature pizzas out of a Delridge commissary kitchen; we first reported in October that he was taking over the former Chaco Canyon Organic Café space in The Triangle.

BEST OF HANDS X EASY STREET: Beer and music collaboration for these two – starting today, Best of Hands Barrelhouse has rolled out three new hazy IPAs in cans and on draft. One of them is the Easy Street Records “house IPA,” The Bar Is Open! To celebrate, a release party is planned at Easy Street (California/Alaska) this Saturday (July 9th) at 6 pm – with live music from local bands Panic Grass and Lite Sleeper (which, Best of Hands’ announcement points out, features Frank Gross of Thunder Road Guitars [WSB sponsor]).

Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) is pouring in a just-for-tonight satellite location right now – Capers, one of the stops on the spring West Seattle Junction Wine Walk. This time 15 wineries and 14 businesses are participating, but if you don’t already have tickets, you’re out of luck this time – it’s been sold out for weeks.

P.S. The Junction will be hopping Saturday, too – it’s part of the One Seattle Day of Service, with more than 200 volunteers signed up to help in a mega-cleanup, according to Junction Association executive director Chris Mackay.