Aug 3, 2026 - Things to Do

Coffee TAB to fill long-vacant 23rd and Jackson space

Melissa Santos

Street scene with a brick building and a clock tower topped by exposed wooden beams. A round clock hangs on the tower; power lines cross the blue sky, and a Jackson St sign marks the corner. — The spot on 23rd Avenue South and South Jackson Street has long sat empty. Photo: Melissa Santos/Axios

A new coffee shop is coming to Seattle's Central District, filling a former Starbucks space that has sat empty for four years.

Why it matters: Coffee TAB is set to open soon at the corner of 23rd Avenue South and South Jackson Street, long a hub of Seattle's historically Black neighborhood.

Zoom in: The plan is to open the new cafe by the end of the month, Coffee TAB founder Johnathan Tran told Axios.

The nonprofit offers paid eight- to 12-week barista training programs, and has two other locations in Belltown and Pioneer Square.

Catch up quick: The retail space at 23rd and Jackson has been vacant since Starbucks closed its store there in 2022.

That cafe had become a popular neighborhood gathering place before it closed.
Plans for another coffee shop to move in later fell through.
On the same block, a Walgreens and the Amazon Fresh grocery store both closed this year.

Melissa's thought bubble: As someone who lives a few blocks away, I'm glad to see a coffee shop return to the corner. The fact that it might save me from the weekend line at Temple Pastries is a bonus.

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Coffee TAB to fill long-vacant 23rd and Jackson space

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