A long-vacant storefront at 23rd Avenue South and South Jackson Street is finally getting a new tenant: a local cafe with a mission that extends far beyond serving coffee.
The former Starbucks location, which opened in 1997 in the heart of Seattle’s Central District, has sat empty since the chain closed the store in 2022. In the years since, community members pushed to see the space become home to a locally owned Black business, and while Black Coffee Northwest announced plans in 2023 to move in with the assistance of the City of Seattle, the project ultimately never came together. Meanwhile, the intersection lost several longtime businesses, including Catfish Corner in 2025, followed in 2026 by the Amazon Fresh across the street and the nearby Walgreens.
Now, Coffee TAB is preparing to breathe new life into the corner.
Founded in Seattle by entrepreneur Jonathan Tran in 2022, Coffee TAB is a nonprofit coffee shop and workforce development organization that pairs specialty coffee with a social mission. Through its paid 8-to-12-week barista apprenticeship program, the organization helps young adults facing barriers to employment (including those experiencing housing instability or transitioning out of foster care) build job skills, gain work experience, and receive mentorship, along with resume, interview, and life-skills coaching.
Customers can expect a menu of specialty coffee, single-origin espresso drinks, breakfast sandwiches, and fresh pastries. Beyond the café itself, Coffee TAB also hosts community events, including popular “Barista Basics” and latte art workshops that give coffee lovers a chance to learn professional espresso techniques.
The Central District shop will become Coffee TAB’s third Seattle location, joining its existing cafés in Belltown and Pioneer Square. While an official opening date has not yet been announced, “coming soon” signs now cover the windows, and the organization recently shared on Instagram that it’s “getting closer to creating another space where great coffee, community, and opportunity come together,” adding that it hopes to open “as soon as we can.”
We’ll share an update as soon as an opening date is announced.
