(Image: Coffee TAB)
Thanks to CHS reader Lindsay for the picture
A major hole in the hopes for growing the community around a core of the Central District is about to be filled. Not-for-profit Seattle cafe chain Coffee TAB is making plans to open soon at 23rd and Jackson.
The four-year-old nonprofit is set to open its third Seattle cafe in the former Starbucks where efforts by Vulcan Real Estate, the City of Seattle, and Black Coffee Northwest to open a new venue at the center of “a vibrant core for Black businesses” fell apart and left the corner empty for years.
CHS reported here in early 2025 on the scuttled effort from the Office of Economic Development and one of the city’s leading developers in Vulcan Real Estate, plus Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office, and District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth to help the cafe open amid efforts of rebuilding Black ownership in the neighborhood.
The coffee project had been hoped to be the start of a new era at 23rd and Jackson with Black Coffee Northwest taking over a space being left behind by global coffee giant Starbucks over public safety concerns at the corner.
Tran (Image: Fulcrum Coffee Roasters)
The 23rd and Jackson Starbucks had been one of the company’s proudest achievements: its first ever stand alone cafe as it teamed with investors like NBA great Magic Johnson on a string of “inner-city stores.”
It will now represent exciting growth for Coffee TAB. Launched by entrepreneur Jonathan Tran in 2022, Coffee TAB is a nonprofit coffee shop and workforce development organization its backers say functions as a social enterprise designed to break cycles of poverty and marginalization for underserved young adults.
For customers, the cafes serve top-tier specialty coffee, single-origin espressos, and breakfast items like ciabatta sandwiches and fresh pastries in bright, modern, and inclusive settings. Beyond daily cafe operations, Coffee TAB connects with the community by hosting popular, public “Barista Basics” and latte art workshops where coffee enthusiasts can learn to pull professional espresso shots and steam milk.
The social core to Coffee TAB’s concept is an 8-to-12-week paid barista apprenticeship and mentorship program. The initiative works with young adults facing employment barrier including individuals experiencing housing instability or those transitioning out of the foster care system, by offering hands-on job training, resume and interview prep, and life-skills mentorship.
“We really dive into the nitty-gritty craft of coffee and the science behind it,” Tran told the International Examiner about Coffee Tab as it expanded in 2025. “We try to bridge the gap between people who want to provide for themselves, while also identifying a very practical, tangible skill to teach them.”
Coffee TAB currently operates a Pioneer Square cafe in addition to its Belltown original.
At 23rd and Jackson, the neighborhood landscape has continued to shift since the plans for Black Coffee Northwest imploded. In January, CHS reported a twin set of massive changes as Vulcan sold off its Jackson Apartments development on the southeast corner of the intersection. Amazon also announced it was shutting down the neighborhood’s Amazon Fresh grocery store as the property deal was finalized. Two months later, Walgreens announced it was closing its 23rd and Jackson drugstore.
The area around the closures continues to be a priority for the city. As hundreds of soccer fans waited to watch Team USA play Monday night in a watch party beneath the Space Needle at Seattle Center, a city-sponsored documentary short on 23rd and Jackson’s culture, community, and businesses was part of the pre-game show. The news about new life in the old Starbucks will be a welcome addition to those hopes.
There is no word, yet, on the opening plans for the new Coffee TAB in the Central District but paper has gone up on the windows with “coming soon” promises.
Coffee TAB is planned to open soon at 2300 S Jackson. Learn more at coffeetab.org.
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