Highland Park Corner Store wants to be your neighborhood third place
Grand opening is set for Saturday March 27
Highland Park Corner Store wants to be your neighborhood third place
Meaghan Haas is the owner of the new HIghland Park Corner Store at 7789 Highland Park Way SW. Open for coffee and to go food at first, she's planning on making it a neighborhood hub for everyone with groceries, beer and wine and indoor seating too.
Photo by Patrick Robinson
Sun, 03/21/2021
Meaghan Haas has a vision. After a long time in the events industry, working for One Reel among others, she felt a a yearning to create a space in her Highland Park neighborhood that could become a gathering place and a hub for local activities.
West Seattle and other parts of the city have a long history of corner stores where people can get needed items. But more than that they serve as a "third place" for everyone in the direct area. Adults who need a place to walk to for a cup of coffee or a meal and for kids who can ride their bikes or walk somewhere safe and local. "This concept of this multi purpose corner location is something I've seen work in lots of places," said Haas, "My husband and I know some people involved with these in Charlotte, North Carolina. We saw those and thought, 'this is perfect for Seattle' because there are a lot of neighborhoods that may not have a space they can walk to and gather. Highland Park, when we moved here can really use a space like that.. I really missed creating that shared experience for people, especially after Covid hit, so I'm still looking forward to that."
Haas chose to lease and renovate the Highland Park Corner Store at 7789 Highland Park Way SW. Now the painting is done, the floors have been polished and she and her three person staff are ready for their Grand Opening on Saturday March 27.
Haas said, "At first we will offer coffee (by QED), tea, ready made sandwiches and salads plus baked goods from Macrina Bakery." If everything goes well, in about 60 days she hopes to offer deli sandwiches, salads and a quinoa grain bowl so people in the neighborhood have some lunch options. The store will offer vegan, vegetarian, gluten free options and more. She's open to suggestions too. "If anyone wanted to contact me via the website, or come to the store or via social media, I'd love to hear what kinds of things they think we should carry."
Also in the works are grocery staples (think milk, bread and eggs) but also beer on tap/wine by the glass and full seating as conditions allow later in the year. She's thinking about soft ice cream at some point too.
Even though it's 1500 square feet she has a plan to expand it to allow outdoor seating in a patio area and hopes to rely on her event experience to "lean into local events" like soccer tournaments, or other neighborhood happenings to really become part of the fabric of the community.
