Chai House to close, possibly relocate

Mr. Spot's Chai House, located at 5463 Leary Ave. N.W., is set to close its doors Jan. 30.

The landlord raised the rent by 50 percent, hoping to lure wealthy renters as new condos are built in the neighborhood, said Chai House employee Rita Foreman.

Chai House owner Chris Tutor, of Tutor Holdings LLC, plans to reopen the business but has not yet chosen a specific location, Foreman said.

She said Tutor hopes the new location will be within a few blocks, but there is a small chance it will be outside Ballard.

The Chai House has been in its current location since 1997. The founder of Morning Glory Chai, Jessica Vidican-Nesius, opened the Chai House and sold it in 2008 to Tutor Holdings LLC.

Foreman said the business is community-oriented and feels like a family.

“Everyone is really sad about [the move],” she said.

She said she estimates that Chai House customers are about 90 percent regulars and said it is “a counterculture hippie joint that has grown up a little” in recent years.

Tutor said he hopes to reopen the business within five months with a bar, which Foreman said is very important to customers.

She said they hope to keep the same customer base, but if they move too far that may prove difficult, as many customers do not have cars.

Owen Ross, a regular customer of the Chai House since he moved to Seattle in September, said it is unfortunate it is closing down because it is a place for people to meet and hang out.

He said there will be a lot of Chai House refugees when it goes.

Jon Salzman, an employee at the neighboring Field House, said he thinks the Chai House is a staple of the Ballard community, and he has grown fond of the people who spend time there.

“Some of the most interesting people in Ballard hang out at the Chai House,” he said.

He expressed fondness for the business, but said he acknowledged it is a polarizing issue for some Ballardites.

Nicole Miller, owner of Blackbird around the corner from the Chai House, said she supports the Chai House and is sorry to see it go.

She said the new owners made improvements and provided jobs for the community.

Regarding the people who loiter in front of the business, Miller said they have never had problems with them.

“If they were soccer moms without jobs hanging out drinking lattes, nobody would have cared," she said.

Victoria Sangrey of Friends of Bergen Place, the park next to the Chai House, said the group received a few complaints stemming from the Chai House. But, the park was not affected by the business too much, she said.