When Traci Fontyn moved from Portland to Madrona in 2009, she had already been bitten by the urban agriculture bug. She had been laid off from her job as an architect in the economic downturn and her family’s priorities had started to shift.  

“The job loss has actually helped open our eyes to what our values are as a family.  Saving money and slowing down our lives became our tenet,” said Fontyn.  “We found ourselves making more meals and spending more time at home and in our neighborhood.”  And, as many urban dwellers have discovered in recent years, planting a garden to save on produce costs can be a healthy and effective way to save money and build community connections.  

For Fontyn, the jump from urban gardening to keeping hens in the backyard for eggs wasn’t much of a stretch. The problem? Fontyn is an architect, and none of the coops she could find fit her clean and modern design aesthetic.

“It became a sort of obsession of mine,” she admits.  Fontyn had been missing the creative problem-solving aspect of architectural design, and developing the perfect urban chicken coop was the creative outlet that she needed.  She began keeping a sketch book of her ideas for chicken coops and after a year of brainstorming, sketching and researching she felt her design was ready to be built.  And thus, Kippen House was born.  

Kippen House chicken coops are designed to to be functional and attractive and serve as a home for up to three laying hens.  The coops are also designed to be modular, which allows the client to decide where to put the access gate and egg collection hatch.  Fontyn also wanted to address the issue that urban agriculture often means doing a lot without much space.  To make up for some of the gardening space that a Kippen House coop would take up in a small city yard, Fontyn added a green roof.  She ran tests on structural load and had an engineer assist her with the design to ensure that the garden roof is deep enough to be useful and still structurally sound.  As any architect will tell you, an added benefit to this design is the insulation properties of the roof garden, keeping the coop cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

For those who want to raise city chickens but don’t want to be so garden intensive, Fontyn has also designed what she calls a vertical garden chicken coop.  In this design the roof slopes towards three planters attached to the side of the chicken coop.  Rainwater is directed from the roof to the tiered planters.  

“Great for growing strawberries, herbs and succulents.  This would obviously need to be monitored if you let your chickens free roam your yard,” said Fontyn.

Currently within the limits of Seattle a household can have up to eight laying hens, but no roosters.  Additionally, coops must be set ten feet back from any neighboring structures.  For more information about raising city chickens, visit the City of Seattle Urban Agriculture website. 

Since relocating from Portland, Fontyn and her family have been renting their home in Madrona.  They are in the process of purchasing a home, and in March they plan to relocate to Bothell.  As much as they want to remain in the Central District, her husband works as a firefighter for the City of Edmonds and Fontyn has not be able to find a full time architecture job in Seattle.  Moving to Bothell means her family will be closer to his job and will give them more space to pursue their interests in raising chickens and expanding their garden.  Continuing to develop and build Kippen House coops is high on Fontyn’s list of priorities.  

The complete and assembled Kippen House coop goes for $875 and is built on site.  They are 3′ x 6′-7″, suitable for 2-3 hens, and include a nesting box, roosting pole and feeder.  You can learn more about her designs on her website and on the Kippen House Facebook page. 

Photos courtesy of Kippen House

corks, by eugene

The Central District will soon be home to a new wine market, but unfortunately it’s not going to be filling any of the area’s vacant storefronts.  CD residents since 2007, Ryan and Ashley Sytsma plan to open The People’s Wine Market online in mid-spring.  The website, which is currently under construction, will specialize in helping small, artisan wineries close out their inventory, and they are hoping to feature Washington State wineries in their online store.  Ashley is already familiar with the wine industry as owner and operator of Elemental Importers, a company that imports and distributes wines from Argentina, Portugal and France.  

The wine industry is traditionally three tiered, with wine going from producers to distributors to retailers.  That system works well for medium to large wineries, but very small cellars that produce just a few hundred cases of wine a year often do not have the volume to make a system like that pencil out monetarily.  Many small wineries end up only selling wine in their tasting rooms or directly from their websites because they cannot be profitable unless they cut out the middle man – the distributor.

Besides being expensive to produce and distribute, wine is an agricultural product and is, therefore, volatile.  Issues with growing seasons, drought, and freezes aside, wines simply mature differently from year to year.  

“When it’s ready, it’s ready,” said Ryan.  Therefore, a winery may need to release its latest vintage before their last one is sold out.  Currently there are websites that focus on closing out wines, “But a lot of these places need a larger inventory than an artisan winery can supply,”  said Ryan.

That’s where People’s Wine Market comes in.  They will purchase smaller allotments of wines than other “close out” retailers and sell them at slightly discounted prices through their online store.  The boutique wineries will have the opportunity to make larger sales to People’s Wine Market than they could through their own websites or through their tasting rooms, giving them the working capital they may need to stay operational or get through harvest or bottling.

For now The People’s Wine Market will be online-only, but when asked about opening a store in the future, Ryan said, “We’d love to stay in the CD.”  I’ll drink to that. 

In November we covered a local dance class geared toward women of all ages, body types, and dance experience. The classes are free with a suggested donation of $10 per class.  All proceeds from the class go to an organization working to remove women and girls from the sex trafficking trade and according to the class’s Facebook page the fall class session raised $400 for the organization, REST.

The winter class session will be a little different. Classes will be held only on Mondays from 7:00-8:00 pm at the Garfield Community Center and then any dancers 21 and over who want to can walk down the street two blocks to The Twilight Exit for some socializing and a drink (or two). 

The community class is also getting an official website: www.surrenderdance.org – still under construction.

Winter classes start this Monday, January 10th at 7:00 pm at Garfield Community Center. Come in comfortable clothing ready to have fun! 

In late 2009 Will Little and Brian Wells — who also owns Tougo Coffee — opened Cortona Cafe at the corner of 25th Avenue and E Union Street here in the Central District. The little cafe has succeeded where others might not have even tried with a community focus that has always pushed beyond coffee and waffles. A little more than a year since its opening, Cortona is placing even more emphasis on community. As it begins 2011, Cortona is transitioning to a nonprofit focusing on building community, reaching out to youth and young adults, providing job training, and more. It will also have a new leader. But, no worries. It will also continue to bring you delicious coffee, gourmet waffles, microbrews and wines, and free wi-fi. More on the changes, below.

Will Little, Brian Wells, and Foxy and Jason Davison (left to right, Image: Will Foster, Courtesy of Cortona Cafe)

Here is Cortona’s stated mission on its Web site:“The Central District is a diverse community. Our goal at Cortona is to provide not only good coffee, beer & wine, waffles, etc…, but also a platform and meeting space for people of different cultures to discuss, teach, listen, learn, and build friendships.”  The mezzanine space is available to reserve for community events, seminars, group meetings, and more — all free of charge.  So the changes aren’t completely out of the blue.

Besides owning Cortona Cafe prior to the transition to nonprofit, Little also volunteers as a pastor at Mars Hill Church’s downtown location, but says there is no relationship between the new project and his position at the church. Cortona is also a CDNews advertiser.

Jason Davison, who has known Little since they attended college together at UW, now serves as the Executive Director of Cortona Community, the new nonprofit organization running Cortona Cafe. Jason and his wife, Foxy, both feel passionate about education and expanding youth opportunities in the area. Jason used to teach history at Cleveland High School and Foxy taught 4th grade at T. T. Minor, but they left teaching to move to St. Louis for graduate school a few years ago.  When they returned to Seattle, the Davisons knew they wanted to settle in the Central District because of the deep connection they felt to this diverse community.  As parents to small children they also felt strongly about establishing family-focused groups and providing opportunities for residents of all ages and backgrounds to come together and learn from one another. 

There are a lot of issues affecting teens in the CD, like gentrification, said Jason.  “We want to work with youth that are caught, sort of lost in this phase of transition that the neighborhood is going through right now.” Little and the Davisons also see a lack of positive activities and job opportunities for young people in the Central District. These holes in youth services and outreach led them to want to develop a job training and placement program. With that in mind Cortona Cafe piloted this program last year by hiring two teens to work in the cafe. The teens learned barista and other food service skills and both completed the program and have moved on to other employment opportunities with solid training under their belts. 

This spring Cortona Community will be working with other local businesses to bring teens on to their staffs for vocational training and internships.  They are in the process of building their board of directors and are pulling together community organizers and business leaders for this grass roots organization.  

In the meantime, you won’t see too many outward changes at the cafe. Though they will be adding a couple of youth to their roster in the spring, the current employees will stay on board.  “They have a vibe with the clientele that is important and we don’t want that to change,” said Little.  The mood and setting of the space will remain as well, but prepare to see even more community events, particularly those geared toward teens and young adults.  Foxy said they are planning spoken word nights and expanding their rotating art collections to feature young artists.  

Current established family nights and group meetings held at Cortona will also remain and some will be added.  There are family game nights held on Thursdays, which may be moving to the fourth Friday of the month, and a Sickle Cell education and support group meets on the third Wednesday of every month.  Starting on January 17th Cortona will also be hosting web development classes every other Monday night.  The classes will be geared toward young people and run through December, though students will be able to join the class at any time through the year.  Check out their calendar of events for more information and updates, and stop into Cortona to show your support for their expanded direction. 

Last December we did a feature on the Top 3 business opportunities in the CD – vacant commercial spaces in prime locations with a lot of potential.  We decided to follow up and check on whether or not our community dreams had been realized.

#3 – 26th Ave & East Union St

This former burger stand has been sitting vacant for several years, and though we had hopes it would be transformed into a taco shop or a breakfast diner, nothing came to fruition in 2010.  Unfortunately, this new photo doesn’t look too different from the photo a year ago – just slightly different graffiti.  We’re hoping 2011 offers another chance for this little storefront to become another vibrant thread in the fabric of the Central District.  

#2 – Legacy at Pratt Park

Last year we hoped that the newly completed Legacy at Pratt Park building and the storefront space along Jackson would attract businesses along this major arterial in the heart of the Central District.  Today Corner Store & Deli at 1720 S Jackson Street is thriving.  Owner Negash Yassin opened the bright little store in August 2010 and stays busy with local foot traffic and neighbors stopping in for snacks and freshly made deli sandwiches, with meat and cheeses in a case at the front.  They also have a pretty impressive wine selection, so the next time you’re nearby and need a bottle of vino, stop in and give them some business.

Across the street, Dustin Daigle, Leasing Manager for the Legacy at Pratt Park complex, said that the building is at 93% residential occupancy and leased in record time.  In September 2010 the development celebrated its one year anniversary, and though the retail spaces are still mostly vacant, there are exciting things on the horizon.  Legacy has donated space in one of the empty suites to Pratt Fine Arts, which uses it as a gallery.  As Daigle put it, “We wanted to work with the community.  No one wants to look at empty space, so let’s fill it with art.”  By appointment the director takes interested parties through the space, which Daigle says has resulted in the sale of some original art.  

Additionally, Daigle said there has been some interest in the other retail spaces, but not from the sort of anchoring tenants that Legacy would like to see in the building.  “We don’t want someone who will move in here and then three months later be out of business,” he said.  “We want long term tenants,” who are going to strengthen the community. One such tenant may be a neighboring business owner who is in talks with Legacy to open a second business, a coffee bar in the southeast corner of the Legacy at Pratt Park development.  The business would be an internet coffee house by day, and at night would transition into more of a sports bar.  The intention would be to supply the residential neighbors with a place to grab a bite to eat or enjoy a drink with friends, and likely tenants at the Legacy building would be frequent patrons. 

Still, even with the new cafe hopefully opening up in Summer 2011, there are several thousand square feet of retail space for lease along Jackson, and that means there is still a lot of opportunity at Pratt Park. 

#1 – 23rd & Cherry, former home of Dilletante Chocolates

One of the gems of the Central District revival right now is this building, the future home of Seattle’s youth arts programming organization Coyote Central. Once the home of Dilletante Chocolates, this building is undergoing extensive renovations, including seismic upgrades and a new roof.  No easy task, Coyote Central is scheduled to open its new doors in April 2011.  Considering the tile art on the historic brick building, metal tree sculpture across the street at Garfield Community Center, and the ceramic mosaics lining the exterior of Medgar Evers Pool down the block are all Coyote Central projects, it seems more than fitting that the organization’s first permanent home will be at 23rd & Cherry. 

So where are the Central District’s biggest opportunities of 2011?  As for 2010, two out of three ain’t bad. 

As we approach the close of 2010, plan a safe and happy New Years celebration close to home. Here are a few highlights of the happenings around the CD this year, including a few of our sponsors. Have something to add to the neighborhood 2010/2011 party? Let us know in comments.

All Purpose Pizza is open their regular hours, 4:00-9:00 pm New Year Eve and New Years Day for dine in or take out.  Stop in for some pizza before you head out to later events.

Twilight Exit is going to have their annual New Years Karaoke Night with champagne toasts at midnight and amazing sing-alongs and drink specials the entire evening.  (I can say from experience that this is one New Years tradition you should take part in!)

The Bottleneck Lounge will be open on New Years Eve with no cover charge.  They will be featuring $6 champagne cocktails from 4:00 pm to close and glasses of bubbly will be $6 as well all evening.  On New Years Day the Bottleneck will be open at 12:30 pm for a build-it-yourself Bacon Salt Bloody Mary Bar.  Folks can choose from a myriad of fixin’s to make that perfect Bloody Mary.  They’ll also be featuring discounts on their Bacon Pop Pecorino and making BLT sandwiches all day long.  (Sounds like a good hangover cure).  

Central Cinema is throwing a Footloose “Dance Your Ass Off New Years Party”.  The event kicks off at 9:30 pm with a viewing of the classic 80s musical film with subtitles and interactive moments followed by a midnight toast and one solid hour of the best dance music videos!  Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 the day of, but get yours early in case this event sells out!  2009’s “Decade Do Over” New Years event at Central Cinema was a blast!

Thompson’s Point of View at 2308 E Union is going to have Darnell Parker in for a Karaoke Night.  There will be music and dancing until 2:00 am with a champagne toast at midnight.  There’s never a cover at Thompson’s and of course it is adults-only after 9:00 pm. 

Pony, our neighbor on the Capitol Hill border line at 1221 E Madison, is going to have DJ El Toro from KEXP spinning for them at their no-cover New Years dance bash. 

And finally, if you decide to stay in and celebrate at home, your friends at the Washington State Liquor Store at 23rd & E Union will be open until 9:00 pm on New Years Eve, so stop in for supplies before then.

Please keep our streets safe, drink responsibly, and have a safe and happy New Year!  

Back in 2007, CDNews looked at an East Columbia house as a possible physical manifestation of the real estate pricing bubble. Here’s a look at what happened to 2315 E Columbia in the next three years.

Three years ago here at CDNews Scott predicted that a $1,000,000 price tag was too high for the heart of the Central District. 2315 E Columbia Street, then listed for $999,950 was one of several homes that seemed “priced not to move” as the housing boom started to bust in Seattle in 2007-2008. 

Prior to our first post on the house back in 2007, the property was purchased for $185,000 in 2006 and the rundown home at the site was demolished to build the new residence. So what became of it after the bubble burst or started leaking or whatever happened to real estate in the United States?

After its time on the market with a near-$1 million price tag, this 3,850 square foot home, boasting 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, was eventually sold at a foreclosure auction on January 12, 2009 for $500,000 and then resold at a slight profit on August 17, 2009 for $597,500. Today, presumably, it makes a happy home.

Its jumbo sized nearby neighbor sold for more at $635,000 on June 9, 2009, after being listed at $879,000.  That property also has 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, but  is just slightly smaller at 3,320 square feet.  It appears that the property never having gone into foreclosure probably kept the price higher than its counterpart.  In researching comparable sales to 2315 E Columbia we discovered some very nice properties: Newer construction at 825 27th Ave which sold this summer for $710,000, and a beautiful 1918 craftsman at 130 29th Ave that went for only $600,000 this October. 

While $1,000,000+ homes are common north of Republican on Capitol Hill and east of 34th in Madrona, the 23rd Avenue and Martin Luther King Way corridor between Madison and I-90 still seems an unlikely area for homes over $700,000. Considering that in recent years the Central District seems to have attracted a lot of young families, it’s likely going to stay that way for a while.

Image: jseattle

The corner of 23rd & East Union here in the Central District has been getting a lot of attention lately.  With the sudden closure of a gas station, the long vacant restaurant space that used to be home to the best cheesesteak sandwich in Seattle, and an empty lot waiting impatiently for stalled development to start, three of the “Four Corners” are barren. As one long time Central District resident put it, “Sometimes it seems like a vortex, and you worry that it’s sucking the rest of the neighborhood with it.”

But thankfully there is a group of local business and land-owners who are committed to long term development and are making plans to see the area thrive.  Although the patience of many neighbors is wearing thin, the determination and enthusiasm being shown by The Union Street Business Group’s members is bringing hope to the neighborhood.

The Union Street Business Group (USBG) was started in 2004, and its original members included, among others, Central Cinema, Katy’s Corner, 20/20 Cycle, Mind & Body Pilates/Yoga Studio, and Tinnea & Associates. **

Kevin Spitzer, who operates Central Cinema at 21st & Union, explained that when the group formed over six years ago the intention was to create something more established and formal, with a president, vice-president, treasurer, etc.  The group started out strong, but after a few years things started to wane, and understandably so.  “We’re all so busy trying to run our small businesses that it’s hard to find time to organize a committee too,” Spitzer said.

Thankfully there is strength in numbers, and the Union Street Business Group is growing.  In 2009 Cortona Cafe opened at 25th & Union, and others have purchased local properties that were neglected or ignored in the fallout of the recession these last few years.  

Spitzer explained that recently the USBG decided to “decentralize” some and started a Facebook page to replace their website, which was more cumbersome to update and maintain.  He said that currently there is no official board for the group, but there are a lot of people showing involvement.  With this momentum the group is working with the Central Area Development Association, or CADA, to apply for a grant to improve the neighborhood.  CADA is the organization behind the the revitalization of 23rd & Jackson a few years back.  

Will Little and Jason Davison own and manage Cortona Cafe and they are excited by the “synergy” they are experiencing as they meet with other local business owners to discuss what they can do to support the neighborhood and create an environment that is “economically beneficial and diverse.”  When we spoke on Sunday, Little was looking forward to Tuesday morning’s meeting to discuss the grant they are partnering with CADA to apply for. 

Ian Eisenberg is also excited to be involved in the USBG and said that in the future he would like to see the group become more of a formal entity with membership dues, advertising and marketing.  Besides owning and operating the car wash near the intersection, Eisenberg also is working to lease the long-vacant restaurant space at the corner of 23rd & Union.  He had six serious inquiries into the property, but he said five of the six proposals were from large, national chains that wanted 10-20 year leases.  Eisenberg didn’t want to tether the property to one corporate entity when the neighborhood is in transition and there may be opportunities for redevelopment that would better serve the community in the next few years.  So instead he is working with a friend to open a coffee shop and bakery in the space in about two months, which will likely be a welcome addition to the corner. 

Eisenberg also said that he is under the impression that Jim Mueller is committed to getting his mixed use development at 23rd & Union underway in 2011, and that Merle Richlen, the owner of the recently vacated gas station, has repairs and improvements planned and a tenant lined up to move in. We’ll have more from Mueller soon.

Tom Bangasser, who owns MidTown Center, said some of his tenants are planning holiday promotions and he would have more to share about that soon.

While the Central District is fortunate to have some established, successful businesses along Union Street, there is still a lot of work to be done to make it a thriving business district.  In the meantime, some of these local business owners have pulled together to bring a little holiday cheer to the downtrodden intersection with hundreds of LED lights strung on the four corner properties.  And Little says a holiday event is planned for the evening of December 18th, likely on the plaza at MidTown Center – stay tuned for more details on that. 

**EDIT & CORRECTION** Jean Tinnea has notified us that Tinnea & Associates is a tenant in the building near 21st & Union, which is owned by 21 Union, LLC.  The building also houses 20/20 Cycle, Mind & Body, Central Cinema, Reel Grrls and Hollow Earth Radio.  Tinnea & Associates is a corrosion engineering firm.  21 Union, LLC owns one (1) building at 21st & Union that houses the above-referenced tenants.  Thanks for the clarification, Jean!  Sorry for the oversight.

How is Nova Alternative High School doing in their “new” location, a year and a half after their move?

“The people you should be asking are the students,” said Dr. Mark Perry, Principal at Nova.  And so we did. 

When the Seattle School Board voted to close numerous schools two years ago Meany Middle School, one of the smallest middle schools in the district, was slated to close.  At the same time Horace Mann School, once an elementary school which had housed Nova Alternative High School for decades, was deemed unsafe and unsound.  The district used this opportunity to move the Nova school from the Mann School building to the Meany School building, which it would share with the Secondary Bilingual School.  Mann was left vacant, its fate undecided. 

Now, just as Nova is midway through their second year at the old Meany Middle School building, a nonprofit group has arranged to lease the Horace Mann School from the Seattle School District to start a school for at-risk youth, focusing on 16 to 21-year-olds who have dropped out of high school and would like to earn their diplomas and get their lives straightened out – and they’re using a $100,000 Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Grant to do it.  Volunteers joined forces with BEAN Seattle and the Work it Out project to make repairs to the building, and it is slated to open in January 2011.

But wait a minute… didn’t the district say the building was unsafe and unsound?

“They said it was not restorable, that it had not been maintained so it wasn’t safe. But who was it that didn’t maintain it? The school district.  They were the ones who were supposed to be taking care of it, and they didn’t.”  That’s the opinion of Nova High School student Carter Allen, who attended Nova school for two years at the the Mann building and is now in his senior year at the Meany building.  

Though the Nova school was moved ostensibly to provide a safer school environment for its students, Allen said that wasn’t the case.  The Meany building also had structural and safety issues.  “The walls were not attached to the floors or the ceilings,” said Allen.  Additional safety concerns popped up, including chemistry labs with no running water – that meant no water for eye flushes, no water in the sinks, and no water in the emergency shower.  

Those structural and plumbing issues were eventually addressed, but Allen said that there were many small inconveniences that made the transition from Mann to Meany difficult for Nova students.  For example, Meany was designed as a middle school, so Allen said that things were simply smaller than the high schoolers were used to – chairs, desks, lockers, restrooms.  Additionally, even with running water the chemistry lab equipment does not meet the technological standards of a high school curriculum, says Allen, because it wasn’t designed to.  Though Horace Mann had been originally designed as an elementary school, Nova had been housed there for so long that things like desks and lab equipment had been retrofitted for high schoolers. 

Then there were the bells.  “We asked for them [the district] to separate the bell systems in the building” because Nova does not use bells to signify the end of classes, but the Secondary Bilingual School does.  Allen said that though they were assured the bell system would be adjusted for them before the school opened in September 2009 it was not, and though the district fixed it quickly in most of the classrooms some of them still had bells ringing months into the school year, which was a big distraction for teachers and students.

The architectural differences between the buildings has also affected the school dynamics.  Allen said that at the nearly 100-year old Mann school people were up or downstairs, but always easy to find and interact with.  In the Meany building its mid-century design means Nova’s approximately 300 students are housed in 13 classrooms in one long hallway. For Allen, it feels less connected.

Students we talked with say it was the sense of community that Nova faculty and students missed the most and are working hard to rebuild in their new home.  Students had painted murals and created art installations all around the Horace Mann building, and losing those was painful for students and teachers – but they are creating new art.  Nova students and faculty are doing whatever they can to stay positive and look forward instead of backward.  Allen said they didn’t want incoming freshmen and transfer students to feel like they missed out on anything by not attending school in the Mann building.  The first year it was discussed a lot more in terms like “old” and “new” because it was all so fresh, but now in their second school year in the Meany building, it comes up a lot less often.

Tammy Do, a senior at Nova, transfered from West Seattle High School after her sophomore year.  She never attended Nova at the Mann building, but said that she still senses anger from the other students and some teachers regarding the school’s move.  “It was a great loss in our community here at Nova,” she said. 

Do chose to attend Nova when she realized that what she was learning in a traditional high school wasn’t being applied in her life outside of the classroom.  While the opportunity to shape her own education and “stretch [her] mind beyond what is just needed to graduate” really appealed to Do, she admits that her first year at Nova was challenging because it was so different.  Students are not forced to attend specific classes or do standard homework, but rather work with education coordinators to create a curriculum for themselves.  They have to be self-starters. She said, “motivation is very hard” for some teenagers, but that help was always available to her when she asked for it and she always knew she had a support network there to go to, and so she did.  Do is very happy with her decision to attend Nova.

For Carter Allen, news that the district would be leasing out the building his school had been forced to vacate was upsetting.  He said even now there are rumors circulating at Nova that the district plans to move the school again, which he hopes are false.  While it is wonderful to see the Mann building used for education again, it does make Allen feel as though Nova may have been cheated out of something.  Certainly this turn of events is bittersweet. 

When Whitney Aguirre graduated with a degree in dance from Cornish College of the Arts she noticed something was missing in Seattle’s dance scene.  There are numerous dance schools for children.  There are classes for adults who want to learn swing and ballroom dancing, and belly dancing is gaining popularity.  There are several local studios with vibrant modern dance programs, but many of the classes are geared toward women with dance backgrounds, even professionals.  It seemed to her that classes for women with no dance background were lacking. 

Aguirre decided she wanted to fill that gap with a class that was designed to be fun, to build a community for women, and to promote healthy living. She chose the Central District as a starting point and started renting studio space from the Dancing Yogi, formerly at 18th & East Union, and taught a class on Monday nights last summer.

With her mission in mind she submitted a proposal to Sprout for a community arts grant, and was one of six finalists to present their plans to help develop art that has a positive impact on their community.  She was selected as the winner and was awarded a $1000 grant to continue promoting dance for women in her local community.

With the Sprout grant Aguirre has rented studio space in the Garfield Community Center and now holds dance classes on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00-8:00 pm.  The classes are free with a suggested donation of $10 per class, which goes directly to R.E.S.T., an organization that works to end the sex trafficking of women and girls.  

The classes are designed for women of all ages and physical abilities.  Feet are barefoot and attire is comfortable clothing that you can move around in – leggings, yoga pants, tank tops.  The music is fun and upbeat, from Lady Gaga to hip hop.  Aguirre starts with a warm up similar to the start of many aerobics classes at gyms.  The class then focuses on learning a short routine.  Aguirre breaks the routine down into short combination pieces which then build upon one another.  Little by little, block by block, a short dance comes together and before you know it you’re bouncing around the room and breaking a sweat.  The last few minutes are spent stretching and cooling down, much like a yoga class.

Give yourself an hour to have fun and enjoy the company of other local women.  Learn more about these classes on Facebook or better yet, stop by for a class on Monday or Wednesday night at 7:00 pm.