Capitol Hill’s Tailwind Cafe is keeping the cycling culture as sibling bike shop Good Weather Bicycles pedals off for new start

(Image: Tailwind Cafe)

(Image: Tailwind Cafe)

After seven years as a staple of Capitol Hill’s Chophouse Row, Tailwind Cafe is beginning a new ride under new ownership as its sibling bike shop Good Weather Bicycles makes its own way in a new location.

Originally moving into 11th Ave’s Chophouse Row development in 2017 as a hybrid bicycle shop and cafe, the business celebrated its five-year anniversary in 2022 by expanding its food menu and cocktail efforts. To allow both concepts room to grow, co-owners Brandon Waterman and Jason Marqusee moved the bicycle repair and shop operations a block away to 1423 10th Ave last October. The move separated the “dirty work” of bike maintenance from the community cafe space, paving the way for the cafe’s latest evolution.

This summer, Waterman and Marqusee finalized the sale of Tailwind Cafe to new family owners Tushar and Vivek Gupta. A central condition of the sale for the founders was preserving the existing team and culture. Waterman says the entire staff is being kept on as the new investors take over.

“They want the cafe to keep working as a neighborhood gathering spot, and they’re looking for people who need a home for a club, a ride, a book thing, a get-together, any event really,” Waterman said. “The door is open. If people have an idea, they should reach out to the cafe. We regularly do fiber/knit meetups, Sunday Bike Rides, and regular drag nights.”

In May, Tailwind announced it had signed a new lease to remain in Chophouse Row.

(Image: @waterman_made)

The sale comes a few months after the founders announced they were beginning a search for new owners. The arrival of new ownership will keep Tailwind spinning forward even as the neighborhood’s year began with the closure of a bicycle cafe after global cycling brand Rapha shut down its Capitol Hill clubhouse.

The change comes as Waterman announced the launch of his Vashon Island bicycle studio where he does custom paint, powder coat, design work.

The hope is for the relocated Good Weather bike shop to also keep riding forward.

“Capitol Hill deserves a community bike shop,” the post inviting interested possible new owners to get involved reads. “The cycling community in this city is what made any of this possible, and we want to put energy into finding the next operator in honor of that.”

Waterman said this week to watch for news soon on the shop.

Tailwind Cafe is located inside Chophouse Row at 1424 11th Ave. Learn more at tailwindcafe.com.

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