White Center’s Dubsea Coffee has new art going up on the walls on August 15, and it looks to be another fantastic show.  Jeanette Jones creates dynamic and colorful paintings that are easy to get lost in.

Many of her works blend abstract shapes with artful, classic portraits, creating numerous layers for the viewer to peruse.  After watching an online slideshow of Jones’s paintings, its hard not to get excited about seeing her works on canvas and up close. Her art will be on display at Dubsea through September 14.  Stop by Dubsea between 7 and 9 pm on Saturday, August 21 to peruse the installation and discuss the works on display with Jeanette Jones herself.

WHAT: Artist reception with Jeanette Jones.

WHEN: Saturday, August 21, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

WHERE: Dubsea Coffee, 9910 8th Ave SW, Seattle, 98106.

INFO: Check out Jeanette Jones’s website for more info.

For years, the city of Seattle has been synonymous with good coffee.  Maybe its the gray days, or the longstanding tradition of local coffee roasting.  Either way, there’s no question that the majority of Sea-town residents love a good cuppa joe.  This coming Saturday, White Center residents will have the chance to partake in a coffee-lovers tradition: a cupping, (aka a gourmet coffee tasting) hosted at White Center’s own Dubsea Coffee.

Coffee professionals have employed the technique of cupping for years, as a method of evaluating the flavor profiles of various coffees and the subtle differences between coffees grown in various regions around the world.  Multiple varieties of coffee are prepared and set out in cups next to corresponding coffee beans.  Samplers then deliberately taste each brew, much like wine-tasters, endeavoring to describe the aroma, mouthfeel, and taste of each variety.  Sampling a selection of coffees from around the world alongside one another is said to enhance one’s ability to appreciate each coffee’s flavor, and some professional cuppers are even able to identify the region in which a coffee was grown from tasting alone.

Generally, cuppings are the province of professionals, but in recent years, northwest coffeehouses have begun to offer cuppings to the public.  Portland’s Stumptown Coffee pioneered this practice, and this coming Saturday, Stumptown’s experts will be on hand at White Center’s very own Dubsea Coffee, hosting a cupping with single-origin coffees from around the world for White Center’s coffee-curious and coffee-connoisseurs alike.  Space is limited, so email Dubsea to reserve your spot.

WHAT: Coffee cupping with the experts from Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

WHEN: Saturday, July 31, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

WHERE: Dubsea Coffee, 9910 8th Ave SW, Seattle, 98106.

INFO: This free event has limited space available, so email Dubsea at info@dubseacoffee.com, or call Dubsea at (206) 708-6806 for more info.

This coming Saturday evening, White Centerites will have the opportunity to feast their eyes on a stunning collection of photographs at Dubsea Coffee, where photographer Anne Jennings will host the opening reception for “A to Zambia,” a sampling of some of the astonishing images she and her husband have captured while living in Zambia with their two children over the past two years.

The Jennings, formerly of West Seattle, headed to Zambia in 2008 to throw their weight behind the “War on Malaria.”  They took along a digital camera gifted by their children’s grandparents, who provided it so as not to miss out on the special moments in their grandchildren’s lives.  As it turned out, they got more than they expected; the Jennings have produced a wealth of exceptional photographs of the people, wildlife, and countryside of Zambia, documenting everything from giraffe knees to coffee plantations to portraits of their new neighbors and friends.  The family keeps an absorbing blog of their adventures and selected photographs; check it out if you’d like a preview of the art you can see at Dubsea.

Artist Anne Jennings will be on hand at Dubsea this Saturday evening to answer questions about her photographs and her family’s work and adventures in Africa.  Come out for a cup of good coffee and some wonderful art.

WHAT: Artist reception with Anne Jennings at Dubsea Coffee.

WHEN: Saturday, July 17, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

WHERE: Dubsea Coffee, 9910 8th Ave SW, Seattle, 98106.

INFO: Visit the artist’s blog or the Dubsea blog for additional info.

This coming Saturday night, White Center residents will have the opportunity to meet artist Amanda Kay Helmick at the opening reception for her installation at Dubsea Coffee.

Inspired by nature photography, jewelry-making and sewing, Helmick creates visually arresting canvases that blend multiple medias and techniques, often incorporating found objects with backdrops of altered canvas and acrylic paint.  “The paintings are vessels,” Helmick explains, “holding discarded and repurposed objects and transforming their existence to a life of beauty and admiration.”

Come out to Dubsea this Saturday evening for what promises to be another stimulating night in the White Center arts scene.

WHAT: Artist reception at Dubsea featuring the work of Amanda Kay Helmick

WHEN: Saturday, June 19, from 7 to 9 pm.

WHERE: Dubsea Coffee, 9910 8th Ave SW, Seattle, 98106.

INFO: For more info, visit Dubsea online, or check more of Helmick’s work online.

White Center’s new Dubsea Coffee is hosting a FREE, live music show this Saturday night, featuring Brandon Decker & Lets Get Lost.

Brandon Decker is a musician/singer from Arizona with a degree in Philosophy who sings about “romance, personal relationships and coming to terms with his sometimes checkered past.” His influences include Tom Waits, Portishead, Neil Young and PJ Harvey and his music has been called “gritty, soulful, acoustic rock,” and has also been dubbed “grunge folk.”

“My songs are my catharsis of everything I’ve been through, coupled with my empathy experienced from the different profound relationships I’ve had.” Decker said on his website. “In every song, I’m taking a moment and trying to work through it honestly.”

The show starts at 7pm and goes until 10pm.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Live, FREE music at Dubsea Coffee, featuring Brandon Decker and Let’s Get Lost

WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 30th from 7pm-10pm

WHERE: Dubsea Coffee, located at 9910 8th Avenue SW in the Greenbridge ‘hood.

INFO: From Dubsea’s website:

This is going to be a great music show to come and check out at Dubsea Coffee, Free !!  Live music by Brandon Decker & Lets Get Lost .
Brandon Decker “vocals, guitar,and producer ” is on his Long Days tour from Sedona, AZ. accompanied by Nanci Mcdonald ” Cello Vocals “.  The duo will be playing his narrative work on redemption with poignant lyrics and resonating vocals.  This folk rock duo is something to witness, supremely you will not be disappointed.

Lets Get Lost is a local Seattle treat, Nick Shadel & Peter Kowalczyk frequent the cafe as they are White Center boys.  If you come to the show you’ll get to experience a flood of the groups indie-pop-rock-carnival aesthetic.  Their music is cotton candy for the ears, sweeter and bolder to the core the longer it resonates in your audible system.

Come to Dubsea Coffee and listen, witness this delectable feast for your temporal lobe.  Let your internal audiometer get the
frequencies and vibrations it deserves.

VIDEO: Here are two videos we found of Brandon Decker:

More info available at the bands’ websites:

• http://www.myspace.com/brandondecker
• http://www.myspace.com/letsgetlosttogether

Dubsea Coffee, White Center’s hip, new and artsy coffeeshop (located at 9910 8th Ave SW in Greenbridge), has put out the following “call for artists”:

Call to ArtistsDubsea Coffee Art Submissions

Guidelines for All Artists

Dubsea Coffee is a new café and public art space located in White Center, nestled in the heart of the Greenbridge community. We are dedicated to bringing quality art and progressive content to the public. Our intent is to work with artists (of a variety of mediums), willing to share their work in a café/community setting. Our supreme hope is to share art that provokes positive energy and pride in the neighborhood. With this intent and these hopes it is possible for us to work with artists and be a catalyst for thought and positive creativity within our community.

<> We request that you send color copies, transparencies, digital files, or links to your website. Please do not send original work.
<> To make the nicest impression, you may want to send a cover letter and/or biographical content when submitting your art work. (OPTIONAL)
<> If you are mailing your submission please send an enclosed self addressed stamped envelope in a suitable size for the safe return of your art submission.
<> Send your submission to:

Dubsea Coffee

c/o Joerael Elliott

9910 8th Ave SW

Seattle WA 98106

* if you are emailing your submission please send to [ joerael@dubseacoffee.com ]

Dubsea Coffee (get it – “Dub C,” as in W.C.?), an independent coffeehouse serving organic and direct trade coffees and teas, will open its doors at its location (9910 8th Ave SW) at Greenbridge at 7am on Saturday, Nov. 14th.

The café will be the first retail business to open at Greenbridge, the 96-acre master-planned community being developed by the King County Housing Authority.

“What better way to build on the vision of Greenbridge than to offer a warm, comfortable destination where people from all walks of life can share great coffee and conversation,” said Stephen Norman, executive director of the King County Housing Authority. “Dubsea Coffee will also provide much-needed jobs in this community.”

Dubsea Coffee is located on south side of the Greenbridge plaza in the newly constructed Salmon Creek apartment building and across the street from Nia Apartments, an 82-unit complex that houses seniors and people with disabilities. To celebrate, the first 250 customers will receive a free 12-ounce drink, courtesy of Synergy Construction, Inc., the company that built the Salmon Creek building.

The café is the brainchild of Sibelle Nguyen, who sees her shop as a place where civic interaction can take place. She hopes Dubsea Coffee will be a hub for coffee, art and inspiration at Greenbridge and in the White Center community.

“Being open and loving — and inspiring each other to be that way — is what I hope this space will achieve,” Nguyen said. “There’s so much going on in this community that I want Dubsea to be a catalyst for fostering connections and friendships. I want to offer a place that fills residents with a sense of pride.”

The space is a reflection of this sentiment. With its simple, clean lines, cerulean blue ceiling, celadon green concrete floor, scored oak bar, and tall window banks defining its perimeter, the interior of the coffee shop evokes an airy, natural vibe. It’s also consistent with the attributes of the award-winning Greenbridge community, which has been certified as Three-Star Built Green™ by the Master Builders of King and Snohomish Counties and features a number of creative approaches to environmental sustainability.

Dubsea Coffee will serve organic and direct trade (even more socially responsible than fair trade) Stumptown coffee, organic Rishi teas, hot chocolate and chai. A variety of baked goods from Little Rae’s Bakery, Macrina Bakery & Café, and High Five Pies will be featured as well as breakfast items including bagels, granola, and yogurt. Sandwiches and Boylan sodas will also be offered.

“Stumptown looks to source and roast the best quality coffee in a socially and environmentally responsible way,” said Luke Dirks, sales and wholesale account manager at Stumptown Coffee. “We’re delighted to provide our products to Dubsea Coffee, which embodies an enviable business model: It’s an approachable café where fabulous, high quality drinks will be served, and it’s a place that will create a lasting, uplifting impact in its local community.”

Beyond coffee and comestibles, the coffeehouse features gallery space for local artists. Dubsea Coffee will debut with “Fractured Parables” by Joerael Elliott, Dubsea’s art director, and plans to feature the work of about a dozen artists per year. Free wireless Internet will also be available.

Though she grew up in Edmonds, Wash., Nguyen has strong ties to the neighborhood. As a toddler, she lived for a brief time at Park Lake Homes, the now demolished former public housing community that Greenbridge has since replaced. As a young woman, Nguyen returned to work as an AmeriCorps volunteer at Neighborhood House at Park Lake Homes. Now a resident of White Center once again, she is eager to fulfill her dream of owning a coffee shop here.

Even the name Dubsea Coffee is a kind of homage to the neighborhood residents. At one time, White Center was considered by many outside the area to be an undesirable place to live. Those living in White Center often felt otherwise. To overcome its (unfair) negative reputation yet still identify with their neighborhood, residents took to calling their community “W” (Dub) “C” (Sea) – an affectionate nickname for White Center.

Nguyen is already making a difference in the community; she has hired a Greenbridge resident and a White Center resident as baristas-in-training.

Bryant Sim, the Greenbridge resident, is a 16-year-old Evergreen High School student who will work part-time at the café.

“Coffee is really interesting to me – and this job is really close to home, so I can walk to work,” Sim said. “This is also my first paid work experience. It’s a great opportunity because it will help prep me financially for college.”

Greenbridge residents are excited by the prospect of a coffee shop in their neighborhood, said Tim Locke, president of the Greenbridge Association.

“Dubsea Coffee is an ideal business for Greenbridge,” said Locke. “It will offer a fantastic product, local jobs, and a lively environment with art and music. It’s a perfect fit.”

Calendar of Events for Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, Nov. 14th:

• 7am: Doors open. Any 12-ounce drink will be free to the first 250 customers, courtesy of Synergy Construction, Inc. The bottom of each cup will be numbered. Numbers will be drawn in a random raffle; winners receive a 1-pound bag of Stumptown coffee.
• Noon: Program begins with Laudan Espinoza and Sean Larson on Spanish guitar.
• 1:30pm: Program concludes. Music by DJ Jon Lemmon and DJ Murdoc commences.

Dubsea Coffee will be open from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and from 6 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

We like the joint already, just ‘cuz of the name “Dub-C“, which we’ve used for a long time.