Yet another bastion of Seattle weirdness went quietly into the night with nary a whimper. Employer of punks, artists, college kids, salty lifers, drag queens, and pretty much the entire assortment of people who helped make Capitol Hill such a desirable, vibrant community, Value Village was a cornerstone of the local economy while being an almost magical destination to boot. Even if you don’t live here, you might know it from that one Macklemore video I hear the kids like. Yeah, THAT one. But the store was much more than that. For folks looking to find unique, affordable, environmentally-friendly clothing options, books, records, vintage treasures, home furnishings, cosplay materials, and everything in-between, Value Village was a Mecca. Sadly, it has closed its doors for the final time.
Sitting outside Value Village as the lights went out indefinitely, while eyeing the empty and “For Lease” space which used to be home to The Crypt, it was hard to ignore that sinking feeling. Seattle is changing. Rapidly. Scarily so. Old band practice spaces, beloved dive bars, affordable housing, and various indie businesses are being pushed out at an alarming rate; only to replaced by condos, upscale retail boutiques, and pretentiously overpriced restaurants. Gentrification. It’s happening everywhere. Probably where you live too. Hell, before they got their fancy current digs, world-renowned outdoor supplier, REI, used to slum it in the space Value Village once called home. By no means am I one of those anti-progress types. Cities change and evolve. For better or worse. I accept that fact. It comes with the territory. Yet I can’t shake the feeling that I’m watching my city lose its soul and slowly die in an excruciating manner, every day by passing day.
Once the lights had dimmed for the final time, a “Value Village Goodbye Party” was being held across the street in a venue with vintage video game cabinets, local art, and most importantly–a bar. Would it be a party or a wake? Expecting to run into a few friends who had just lost their jobs, I thought I should stop in and maybe buy a couple of drinks for them as a show of support.
The scene that met me was more upbeat than I had imagined. A slideshow of memories was being projected onto a wall, met by hearty laughs and ribbing from former employees and customers. There were more of them than I expected, and less people than I had hoped would be there to pay their respects.
I’ll miss JP Farquar’s murals and art at Value Village most of all. Just seeing his work always made my days that much better.
It was difficult to breach the topic of how employees felt about the change. Apparently they only had two weeks notice. Many were transferring to other stores. A few seemed dismal. A few seemed to be taking it in stride and saying it was just the kick in the pants they needed to move on to bigger and better things. Almost all of them were adamant that, despite everything, they would not be pushed out of their neighborhood.
As I surveyed the crowd one last time before leaving, I realized that they were made up of the very people I loved and moved here to live with. Old Seattle. Determined. Wickedly intelligent. Creative. Diverse. Delightfully weird. I hope we all can manage to surf the tsunami of change washing over this city. Knowing there are others out there makes me feel even more resolute. Godspeed, you magnificent bastards.
pilesofdeadhipsters 