Ghost Alley Espresso

Once again it's time for the "Monthly Grind". This is where I put the spotlight on a local coffee shop. The visit this month takes us to Ghost Alley Espresso to see what all the buzz is about! 

With it being the Fall season and Halloween already here, I knew I wanted to do a spooky blog for October. I actually was told about Ghost Alley Espresso from my friend Ryan who sent me a photo and suggested I check it out.

The coffee shop is located at 1499 Post Alley in Seattle WA. It's in a unique location right under the iconic Pike Place Market. If you make it to the gum wall...Yes I said gum wall…you went to far! For the non-Seattlities, there is a wall on the side of a building full of gum from random people donating their used gum. This will have to be a different blog all together. 

The history of this coffee shop is really very interesting. With the history of the space dating back to the 60's! It was once used as a woman's restroom, then a storage unit for a couple different business in the market. Another interesting fact. there are two access tunnels, now closed up, was told to me was once used to move people who had overdosed on drugs. They would then move the individuals through the tunnel and away from the market and away from public view. Apparently not everyone was lucky enough to be saved in time. I was fascinated listening to Jim, the lead manager, tell me countless stories about the history and background about the location and the market in general. 

Jim not only helps manage the coffee shop, he also leads the daily ghost tour offered by the coffee shop! Ghost Alley Espresso started serving coffee about two years ago. I was fortunate it too be visiting the cafe when Mercedes the Owner, and her dog Nicolas stopped in to refill supplies. I got a chance to talk to her for a little while. She is very proud of how far her little coffee shop has come and what it has become today. She also mentioned it's too bad I wasn't going to be visiting next week. They are very excited to be getting a ModBar installed. She told me this is the first of it's kind to be installed in Seattle. This unique coffee bar system is installed under the counter. Be sure to click on the link and check it out! I will definitely be back to see the new installed and sample a coffee from it!

I ended up ordering one of their most popular coffee's…the Salty Nut latte. It's a mix of two flavors: salted carmel and hazelnut flavors. As Jim prepared my latte I continued to ask him a lot of questions and find out as much as I could about the coffee shop. Of course one of the questions I had to ask…"Is it haunted, and have you seen any ghosts?" He did say that yes the market is haunted and there has been numerous occasions of spooky things that has happened inside the coffee shop. Instances such as books falling off the shelf, strange noises and a few other unexplained occurrences. He mentioned that with the market being a landmark and it's long history there is bound to be some spooky things to happen.  I suppose that is why there is a ghost tour offered. Being that myself has always been fascinated with the paranormal, I will definitely be booking a tour soon! The coffee shop is meeting point and the start of the tour. You can grab a latte and indulge yourself into some of Seattle's history while enjoying some great coffee…and maybe even see a ghost! 

Overall I really have to hand it to Mercedes and her team for creating a unique and fun coffee experience. While it isn't the biggest space, it really is a cosy and inviting space. Be sure to check out their ghostly items for sale and maybe pick up a bag of coffee from their partner Middle Fork Roasters. A local Seattle roaster about 4 miles from the market. Apparently delivered to the cafe by bike! If you still don't have plans this Halloween why not book a ghost tour? You can by visiting their website: http://www.seattleghost.com

In closing, I highly recommend checking out this coffee shop. Why not grab a cup of coffee and stroll the beautiful and exciting Pike Place Market!