The Fish Ladder Lounge, a minority-owned business in Ballard, is being forced to close its doors for the last time in late August. The co-owners say they were shocked when the business owner gave them a notice, telling them they needed to vacate. The co-owners say that the block has recently been re-zoned to allow for multi-level buildings and, although they don't know what's next for the property, they say it's a sign of the times for struggling small businesses in Seattle.
Everything else is vacant," said Soike. "So, you can make assumptions based from there. That’s where it’s headed, which is sad.""It’s zoned to go up now, so I imagine they are going to tear it down and put up some monstrosity," said Faniel.For now, the Fish Ladder Lounge's locally made, neon sign will go into storage. The two say they will sell the glassware from the bar and restaurant in a public sale around the time of closing.