Take action to support neighborhood cafés like Rockwood Bakery and The Grain Shed

The state legislature is debating a bill which could either help or dramatically hurt these beloved community fixtures

Meeting House opened in South Perry using Spokane’s innovative code allowing neighborhood retail and cafés to reopen in buildings which were once commercial.

I remember the first time I visited the Scoop. A friend who lived in the neighborhood had invited me for coffee, and I was shocked that I had missed the place from years and years of driving just a couple blocks over on Bernard. The place was so perfectly hidden!

I’m glad that I had found it though, because the Scoop is just one of Spokane’s spectacular neighborhood businesses. With its simple, urban-designed space, it somehow fits perfectly with nearby homes and structures despite not really resembling any of them. Doyle’s, Rockwood Bakery, Rocket Market, and The Grain Shed all serve similar functions in other parts of the city.

These types of small, neighborhood-oriented coffee shops, markets, and cafés dot our city and play an important role in many residents’ daily lives. They’re cultural institutions, equally perfect for coffee before work, a treat with family, a bag of groceries, or live music on a Friday evening.

That's why the Washington State House of Representatives passed HB 2252 earlier this year––to make sure more Washingtonians have access to these types of third places. As originally designed, the bill would have required cities to plan for and allow neighborhood cafés, within some common-sense standards.

Unfortunately, after the popular bipartisan bill passed the House unanimously, a committee in the state Senate dramatically altered the bill, not only removing the requirement for cities to plan for cafés, but also placing existing cafés at risk. If the current version of the bill passes and the House provides assent, many of these community treasures would have to stop providing evening service, stop serving alcohol, and perhaps even close entirely. Even for cafés would be spared, the current bill could invite further restrictions or attacks in the future.

Fortunately, there's still an opportunity to fix the bill.

The Senate Rules Committee could remove the detrimental changes to the bill and/or revert to the original version which has strong support from local communities and passed the House unanimously. The Senate has until Friday, March 1 to pass the bill, after which it would return to the House for concurrence on any changes.

Now is the time to share your love for The Scoop, Doyle’s, The Grain Shed, and Made With Love! Now is your time to share your support for neighborhood cafes as a vital part of more Washington neighborhoods, including in places like Liberty Lake Spokane Valley, and Mead which don’t yet get to share in the joy and serendipity of a quick morning coffee or pastry just a quick walk from their homes. Send a quick note to the Senate Rules Committee today (including our local Senator and Majority Leader Andy Billig) expressing your support for the House version of HB 2252.

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To support neighborhood cafés across the state and ensure the full Senate gets to vote on the original House version of HB 2252, we need people to share their stories with legislators. Please send a quick note to Sen. Billig and the rest of the Rules Committee:

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With only a few days left until the end of the session (bills must pass out of the Senate by Friday), this is our last opportunity for the year to protect neighborhood cafés across the state and ensure more Washingtonians have access to them. Let’s take action now to ensure the House version of HB 2252 receives a vote on the Senate floor.