Rachel K. Flammable

I went to work at the Kümon Tutoring Center in Phinney Ridge on Monday only to see that my favourite pre-children coffee shop was no longer in business on the street. As a matter of fact, the surrounding Pho and Schezuan restaurants surrounding it were also gone -- all of this due to a three alarm fire that occurred over the weekend.

News Release/Statement
Re: Green Bean Coffee House burns down
10/23/2009
For immediate release
We announce with great sadness that this morning, Friday October 23, 2009 a fire consumed the Eleanor Roosevelt Building on 85th Street in the Greenwood Neighborhood of Seattle. The fire destroyed four businesses, including The Green Bean Coffee House. Taproot Theatre was also damaged to a lesser degree.
We are grateful that no one was hurt in the fire. The damage is extensive and it appears that the Green Bean is a total loss.
The Green Bean is a non-profit organization owned and operated by Sanctuary Church. Sanctuary meets in the Greenwood area at Taproot Theatre on Sunday mornings at 10am. Much of the church’s equipment appears to have also been lost in the fire.
Dr. Randy Rowland, CEO of the Green Bean Coffee House and pastor of Sanctuary Church, responded to this morning’s catastrophe: “A church and a community development organization are about people, not about buildings. The people are unharmed and we remain resolute in our vision and mission in Greenwood.” Asked how they would function without the building, Rowland said, “We are here to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. None of that will change. We will carry on beginning today.”
Sanctuary Church will meet on Sunday mornings at 10am at The Upper Crust banquet facility located on the Southeast corner of 85th and Greenwood. Donations to rebuilding the Green Bean may be made to Sanctuary Green Bean Fund. In addition, a fund is being established at the Chase Bank Greenwood Branch to benefit the businesses affected by the fire.
- Taken from The Green Bean Coffee House Blog

The fire also came close to the local cat shelter, which was hastily evacuated. I'm thankful that all the cats were rounded up to safety -- as we know it's not an easy task to herd cats.

I've been thinking about the coffee shop (The Green Bean) a lot this week. I work at a coffee shop... and if mine burned down I'd be bummed since I'd be out of a job for awhile, but it's just a chain and there are a million other cafes JUST like it only blocks away. It wouldn't be a tragedy at all, just a nuisance. The poor Green Bean was the only Green Bean, and now it's gone! It just doesn't seem fair. Though, as my friend Ian (still in Japan) pointed out, it's better for an establishment to go out in flames than to go out of business. It's just so blasé in a time like this.

RIP Green Bean!