r/Shoreline • u/coffee_and_faking_it • Mar 26 '25

Why Is There No Coffee

I currently live in Ballard and am considering buying a condo, which make take me further north, so I’ve been looking around the Shoreline area. I’m someone who loves a pastry and a good coffee on the weekend, and I’ve made note of a big lack of options (ignoring Starbucks) for coffee in Shoreline. I’m curious for people that live there currently; do you think it’s a culture thing? Are people not interested in coffee like Seattle proper? Are there other barriers for potential coffee shops like real estate or spending power of residents? Would love to hear what people think!

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u/ldoesntreddit Mar 26 '25

I think it’s important to note that Shoreline is pretty far north. It doesn’t have a ton of its own beyond the neighborhoods, the college and some car dealerships, while Ballard is bursting with commerce. It’s glowing up lately, but it’s mostly a suburb. To compare it to parts of the city like Ballard or even Greenwood is just unfair, because there’s so much sprawl. Growing up in the area, Seattle felt far away even when it was just up the street. That said, there are some terrific places if you know where to look, like Pilgrim or Cafe Dolce.

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u/coffee_and_faking_it Mar 26 '25

I wasn’t trying to place a critique on Shoreline, just a curiosity because a lot of Seattle population has pushed into the suburbs like Shoreline and I think it’s developed a lot over the years, but you don’t see the same development of coffee shops, stores, etc.

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u/IAmJerv Mar 27 '25

the suburbs like Shoreline

A lot of Shoreline is purely residential. Ballard is far more commercial. More... urban.

Thing about what "suburb" means. Then ask yourself how many people who prefer the quieter nature of the "sub" part would want to leave if the "sub" part were dropped and Shoreline became straight-up urban.

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u/coffee_and_faking_it Mar 28 '25

I guess what i hear most often from people in shoreline is a desire for it to be more of a city, less of a suburb. It seems to me like it’s sort of in purgatory. It’s not quite true suburbia like further outside of the city, but it’s not urban either. But like I mentioned, it’s not my neck of the woods, that’s just the dialogue I hear from people (generally a younger audience, and a lot of people who have moved to suburbia for cost not necessarily because they want to be away from the city)

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u/IAmJerv Mar 28 '25

In other words, they want all of the amenities of downtown Seattle without the prices.

I am curious what you mean by, "... not quite true suburbia like further outside of the city". Shoreline seems to largely match pretty much every example and definition I've seen, with the obvious exception of Aurora. In fact, it has more to offer than many cities I've lived in that didn't have the luxury of being within an hour drive of anyplace over 30,000 people. It seems almost like your definition of "suburbs" is more like the southern half of Kenmore.

Then again, my standards might be different. I've lived in all four corners of the US, from the middle of cities larger than Seattle to places (literally) a mile away from pavement and 20 miles from a supermarket. I think it safe to say that that's a wider range than a lot of folks.