Update: As planned, Hattie’s got hearts, and here’s the photo to prove it:
(Courtesy of the Ballard Historical Society)
Earlier: When you look through all those 1970s photos of Ballard — of businesses that have come and gone — there’s one that looks nearly the same as today: this photo of Hattie’s Hat.
Hattie’s Hat has the distinction of being Ballard’s oldest continually-run restaurant. It began as a saloon back in 1904, and then it added a restaurant in the 1930s or 40s, explained owner Max Genereaux in an interview a few years ago. “It became a diner in the 50s. It was called the Old Home and then Malmen’s,” he said.
That’s a long time for a restaurant to run, and the Ballard Historical Society wants to honor Hattie’s Hat with a “heart bomb” on Valentines Day morning. Both a national and local event, heart bombing is when people create homemade valentines for their favorite places.
“To join in, craft up a valentine and then go out and join us at Hattie’s at 8 a.m. (2/14) to show some love for the places that matter to you! We’ll snap a picture, and share on social media using #heartbombSEA and #IHeartSavingPlaces,” explains the society on Facebook.
If you need inspiration, here’s the heart bombing of the Old Ballard bell tower in March of 2016.
(Photo from the Seattle Municipal Archives)