The Take 5 Urban Market Grand Opening celebration starts today.
They’ll be giving away treats such as homemade Take 5 donuts. Customers can enter all weekend to win some tasty prizes. The grand prize is two dinner specials and two desserts, second prize is two sandwiches and two cookies, third prize is choice of two desserts, fourth prize is Take 5 salsa and chips and fifth prize is Take 5 hummus and pita chips. The drawing will be on Sunday
The neighborhood market replaced the Wicker Basket on the corner of 8th Ave NW & NW 70th. They’ve been open a few months now selling fresh sandwiches, soups and a nightly dinner special. They also sell produce, groceries, espresso and a good selection of beer and wine.
Take 5 Urban Market celebrates its Grand Opening
Really my only beef with this place is that it doesn't carry cat food. I don't have a car, so I usually go into whatever I happen to be closest to when I remember I need cat food.
But it's a pleasant store to go into if you're in need of picnic fixin's, and the lady behind the counter is a sweetie.
Trix – I know they take suggestions and might be willing to carry your favorite brand of cat food.
This place is a little slice of heaven I think. It's a nice alternative to Ballard Market's deli. I am glad they are in the neighborhood.
And Trix- I bet if you asked they would get your cat food. That's the beauty of a place like that. :)
Thanks, AlonzoNeighbor!
Great neighborhood place!
I recently stopped by for a sandwich with my 12 yr old son. My son is a terribly picky eater but has not stopped raving about how good the sandwich was and that he wants to go back!
The hot club sandwich special the other day was awesome. Some of their other sandwiches land right in the middle, not bad, but not great either. Prices are reasonable and when you hit a good special this place can't be beat.
I live a few blocks away — really like the place as well – but with them being open for 2 months, I will say they are still extremely slow in being able to ring up purchases and work the register. Also, they are a little slow on making coffee.
But still — great!
Ditto on that comment B-Boy, they sure do take a while. They should bring in a more experienced gehind the counter employee that knows how to handle multiple customers/order in an efficient manner.
I suppose one reason they can be slow is the food – it is slow to prep. Maybe some pre-lunch preparation would help too.
Just talking about them is making me want to head over there today!
So far I am not too impressed. So so coffee and limited offerings in a location that just does not have enough foot traffic to draw from. I doubt they will ever turn a profit. All they really offer that constant traffic stops for is beer.
I'm not impressed either. As someone in the food/grocery business, going from consumer to owning a store is basically impossible. I don't know if these people have any experience, but from perusing the store it appears they don't. Slow service, lack of products, and ordering the wrong quantity all kill small businesses. And apparently, they already have 2/3. I give it a year, tops.
They have a lot of nice fruit and they sell wine/beer, but they don't carry the stuff that would get me to stop in. I don't want a pre-made sandwichmost of the time — I'd rather they sold artisan breads (pref. something like Columbia City/macrina, etc that's rarer in Ballard), cheeses and deli case. Also nice would be yummy pastries, etc, to go with that coffee. Bread, milk, fruits and veg, salsa, chips, cheeses all are the kinds of things I'd just stop in for. I walk by there almost every day, but never bother going in any more (for a while I was going in an buying a plum). Now it's easier to walk to Top Banana. I was hoping for something more like the Sunset Hills Greenmarket. Take 5 is a nice space, but see how empty the floor is? There's nothing to buy in there!
Also, for those saying “they take suggestions!” — I suggested the breads to them a couple of times, in person and in their suggestion book. I took the time to talk to the female owner about the types of breads available in stores around Ballard and what wholesale bakeries they might check out. She seemed really unclear on the whole process, which made me wonder. In any case, nothing seems to have come of it. She kept showing me her sliced sandwich bread and saying it was really good. I'm sure, but it ain't no pain au levain neither.
The sandwiches are excellent (we had veggie ones that even my meat-eating FIL was drooling over), and I like the ice cream bars. The guy making sandwiches seems pretty “with it” and extraordinarily helpful.
But I agree with others: I wish that they had more produce and pickins,like Sunset Hill Greenmarket. That store really knows how to pack a lot of great stuff into a small space. And if they could also get some fresh ice cream like Scoop — mmm, instant neighborhood favorite.
I don't get the extensive Italian dinner prep selection either. I guess I'll go here when I need canned tomatoes and pasta…maybe some wine…but how about some other staples? I'm sure they don't want to invest in a lot of items that may sit unsold, but you have to bring people in somehow.
The best suggestion I can give them is to find a better location. Ballard used to have dozens of small neighborhood tiny grocery stores and they did well. One, up on third if I remember, even had a soda fountain. They sold the things people are willing to walk for when they need them RIGHT NOW and did not feel like getting in a car and going to a large store and waiting in line. Cigarettes, beer, toilet paper, lotto tickets, soda, candy, bread, milk, etc. Basically everything a Seven 11 or a gas station store has and that’s who put them out of business of course. A restaurant or sandwich shop will never make it where there is no foot traffic or parking. A neighborhood corner is just never going to be a destination.
Studies have shown that people will walk no further than a quarter mile for convenience. Figure a quarter mile radius from this place and you will not find enough people living in single family houses wanting wine or a sandwich in the area often enough to make a profit. However the folks in those single family houses do need some small thing every day or so and that will bring them in. Now if they were located near multiple condos they might make it. Even if it was located at a bus transfer point it might help but I have noticed they also are not open during rush hour so they miss the busiest time for foot traffic they do have. That’s really dumb. How many people living near there walk 6 blocks for a latte mid day?