Three Newer Spots in Pioneer Square

With so many new shops, galleries, and venues arising in Pioneer Square, why profile just three? Well, three is a magic number. But also, these particular spaces each embody a contemporary spirit while advancing age-old traditions — a fitting theme for the Seattle neighborhood most connected to history and creativity.

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Ideas about antiquarian bookstores are dated. At Long Brothers (at the corner of Jackson and Occidental) you find not just the collected works of William Shakespeare, but ephemera from Seattle’s punk/new wave underground (each ‘zine or gig poster in a protective pouch) and lovingly curated pulp fiction from the 1940s and 1950s. You even find a sleek bar serving wine, beer, and pizza. Sleepy, dusty, and faded this shop is not.

Thick tomes from by-gone eras pack the shelves, sure enough. Here are leatherbound volumes with marbled endpapers and gilt lettering on their spines. They are cultural artifacts, not just reading material. There are books and manuscripts on any subject you can name, though Pacific Northwest Americana seems like the strong suit here. 

Modern literature is another focus. Many of the volumes are first editions, some signed and inscribed, usually in their original dust jackets. A few are true rarities, like the recent arrival “Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood (Uncorrected Proof in Clamshell Box).” Recently published books are available too, including those that may seem ordinary now but which could become collectors’ items in time.

Art lovers won’t want to overlook the paintings, drawings, and antique maps and charts for sale, or the wide range of portfolios, monographs, and exhibition catalogs on artists as varied as Toulouse-Lautrec, Jacob Lawrence, and Annie Leibovitz. And speaking of art, Long Brothers doesn’t just stay open for First Thursday Art Walks, they bring in bands and DJs. (One DJ spins vintage 78 rpm records, which should get even the antiquarian purists dancing.)

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Ever since the Prohibition era, Pioneer Square has been a jazz hub. The scene drew legends from Jelly Roll Morton to John Coltrane, and spawned a few stars of its own, like Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, and Ernestine Anderson. Here in the 21st century, the neighborhood said goodbye to fixtures like the New Orleans Creole restaurant, Bud’s Jazz Records, and the OK Hotel (where Bill Frisell played his first show in Seattle in 1989). So we are fortunate to now have the Seattle Jazz Fellowship, located in the underground space at 103 S. Main St. 

Seattle Jazz Fellowship is not your typical jazz club: all shows are all-ages, and they start early in the evening. No tickets in advance (entry is by donation), no pricey dinners: just show up. And bring your ears: You’ll find local luminaries on the bandstand most nights—D’Vonne Lewis, Gail Pettis, and Julian Priester each played there in recent weeks. You might catch KNKX’s Abe Beeson DJing a set to start the night, or an open jam session in full swing. New and emerging artists are showcased too, like the mercurial Kelsey Mines, and players currently in local high school and college-level jazz programs.

Engagement with the larger community is another priority for Seattle Jazz Fellowship. It teamed with the Salt Harvest restaurant in the nearby Populus Hotel to serve up “Jazz Brunch” on the first and third Sunday of each month. And the Fellowship orchestrates Jazz Night in Pioneer Square, when over a dozen venues stay open late to feature live jazz. The essential mission for Seattle Jazz Fellowship is to cultivate young local talent—exactly what’s needed to keep the jazz tradition vital. For its schedule, visit seattlejazzfellowship.org. Support live jazz.

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When a mature tree falls in the forest, it may become a nurse log, giving purchase to new life. The scenario came to mind on a visit to Gallery No.85, at 85 Yesler Way. The new gallery has sprouted up in the space that the Davidson Galleries moved to in 2023 (before closing for good with Sam Davidson’s retirement). Gallery No.85 can rightfully claim to have lineage and rejuvenation on its side. 

Just when the Davidson Galleries was wrapping up as a business, a new-comer to the Seattle arts scene saw an opportunity arising. Elizabeth Hawley brings youthful energy, bright ideas, and the means to see those ideas through as owner/director of Gallery No.85. She is retaining some members of the Davidson staff, with their expertise and dedication to works on paper and printmaking. Hawley has also retained some familiar names from Davidson’s stellar roster: one example is Lockwood Dennis (1937-2012). Dennis’s woodblock prints of Pioneer Square captured the essence of the historic neighborhood. Though some of the structures Dennis used as scenic backdrops are gone—the Viaduct, the Kingdome—the artworks themselves are indelible. It’s reassuring that this artist’s prints remain in expert hands in a part of town he depicted over and over.

So, what’s changed, then? Gallery No.85 plans to deal exclusively with new work by contemporary artists. It is