Coffeeshop Conundrum: Why Can't Tacoma's Music Hubs Survive?
Much to the dismay of local music enthusiasts, the beloved Mandolin Café at 3923 S 12th St. will be handed over to another business following July 15th.
With a consistently jam-packed roster every week, Mandolin has maintained a loyal following from Puget Sound students and Tacomans of all ages.
Even now, Mandolin continues to provide nightly entertainment and community-focused music events, such as last night’s songwriter workshop.
This week features a variety of blues, folk, power-pop and experimental jazz-rock acts; check the website’s calendar for details.
Appropriately, the café’s final day of business this Sunday, July 15, will conclude with an open mic night from 6-9 pm, cementing its legacy in the local music scene.
Thus, Mandolin Café will soon join the fray of other popular coffeeshop music hubs that have sprung up, gained momentum, and then vanished all over Tacoma.
On 6th Ave., the phenomenon has been tragically apparent as places like Beyond the Bridge Café and Temple of the Bean attracted audiences to many shows yet ultimately closed. Downtown has seen similar stories – some of you probably remember Grounds for Coffee, among others.
With Mandolin Café out of the picture, Tacoma’s coffeeshop music scene has tethered itself to the few places that continue to sponsor open mic nights, with places like Amocat and Metronome taking up the challenge.
Yet even the latter location has an appalling past of frequent management shifts and stagnant vacancies. And a vibrant music scene seems to demand more than a venue or two.
Perhaps Mandolin Café suffered from an unfortunate location, in a kind of business district no-man’s land, neither in Proctor, nor a part of the 6th Avenue Business District, but not in the West End or MLK neighborhoods either. Despite locational challenges, however, the reason for the closure, according to a note posted on the Mandolin webpage was the sale of the building by the property owner. They do not, however, plan to reopen.
So the question arises: how can Tacoma sustain its oases for local music when so many coffeeshops seem to be in constant flux?
Filed under: Tacoma Business, Tacoma
5 comments
D Dylanjo July 12, 2012
Anyone trying to run an independent coffee shop today is… well… kinda dumb. Margins are small and the market is well beyond saturated. The most successful independent coffee shops today are smaller locations (where you can’t exactly have a band playing) and they sell an outstanding product (I’m looking at you Satellite). Perhaps, music just isn’t compelling enough or profitable enough to justify the cost for the extra square footage.
I frequented the Mandolin in the earlier days but inevitably stopped because I really disliked the regular music “acts” (that piano kid was annoying), the coffee was inconsistent, often sub par and the good baristas left for other coffee shops.
I’ve worked in a few coffee shops that you’ve listed.
M Maria July 12, 2012
Anthem Coffee across from UW Tacoma has done a good job of having live music consistently. Parking’s not the best, but at least it’s free after six. The space is gorgeous, and in summer they have outdoor cafe tables which is very nice.
The Warehouse is probably the longest-running and most successful group sponsoring small live shows. They have done a good job of finding various intimate venues and bringing in amazing bands especially before they get big (the Head and the Heart, for example).
Amocat could probably host more music shows. Every time I’ve attended, it’s been almost a full house. Their capacity isn’t huge, though. There’s a good show there tonight, actually, Hive Dwellers etc.
Metronome has a nice space too. I haven’t seen as much publicity for their performers, though.
Northern Pacific Coffee Company by PLU is a great venue but a bit out of the way. I’ve seen a few good bands there, but they are also pretty small. (They have an open mic also.)
I guess the Mandolin was unique in that it served real food, good coffee/tea, had a large venue, decent parking, a great European cafe feel, and a long history in the community. Sad to see that go.
J janemckane July 12, 2012
In Seattle, coffee shops rely urban density, which is difficult here. In the absence of that, you need great product and great bands for the draw, and as we often see (tragically), it’s not always enough. Maybe Bluebeard or Valhalla can take up the torch.
F fredo July 12, 2012
All 3 comments were really good.
I would say that live music at this level doesn’t throw off a lot of cash. People want to get in without paying a cover charge then nurse a cup of coffee for hours.
Also there’s the problem of modern people shunning social activity in general. There’s redbox, streaming video, cable TV, applications, ebooks, etc. cutting into what used to be social opportunities.
T talus July 14, 2012
As you note, the Mandolin would still be around but for the building owner’s decision to lease the space to another business, so let’s not use this situation to overgeneralize. There are many more good full- or part-time music venues than when I moved here a few years ago, such as the New Frontier, Tahoma Tea & Co., Amocat, The Space, various Warehouse events, etc. And if McMenamin’s ever remodels the Elks, they’ve said they’ll book some of the same acts that come to their Crystal Ballroom in Portland, which would (will?) be a huge step forward for the music scene here.