Families need more places to gather, relax, read, and connect with other local community members. The new owners of The Couth Buzzard in Greenwood are determined to offer all those things to local families.
The bookstore, cafe, and popular event and music venue closed briefly for renovation last summer and reopened with a new “homey” menu, store layout, and events calendar that the owners say better fit the “friendly atmosphere and bring us together as a community.”
Tallis and Hilary Moore, the new owners of The Couth Buzzard in Ballard. Photo courtesy company Instagram
“Young families in Seattle seem to be craving these third places these days,” Hilary Moore, shop co-owner with Tallis Moore, said this week of the store’s family-friendly focus.
Updated for kids
The renovation created a more open store layout and included an update of the children’s play section, which now has toys and ample space for kids to play while parents enjoy coffee, a meal, or a glass of wine at the counter (made out of repurposed bookshelves).
“As new parents ourselves, we designed the space as a place where kids are not just tolerated, but whole-heartedly welcomed,” said Hilary Moore.
The store hosts a kid’s story time each Saturday at 10 a.m. The Couth Buzzard also has a calender loaded with multigenerational events.
“Our calendar is almost entirely family friendly which makes it a really unique arts and community space,” said Hilary Moore. “It’s rare to have spaces that are truly all ages.
“If a toddler wants to join into a percussion circle, they are welcomed by the whole group enthusiastically, and if a 70-year-old wants to be a part of kid’s story time, or even be a special guest musician or storyteller, they get t, she added. “That’s part of the magic Tallis and I were drawn towards when we were looking at the opportunity of becoming the new owners.
“It’s a community we are so excited to have our son, who is one and a half, grow up in.”
Earth to sci-fi lovers
The Moores have also revamped the sci-fi/fantasy and horror sections and created more space at the front of the store for new books and local authors.
“As a big fan of genre fiction, especially sci-fi, I was looking around and saw that there wasn’t as much fresh new fiction as I hoped for in the city,” said Tallis Moore in a release. “So, we have a whole lot of new fiction and a lot of new Seattle-focused nonfiction on top of the usual offerings.” The Moores say the new floor plan should make navigating genres and finding books more accessible.
What’s on the menu?
Store co-owner Hilary Moore is also The Couth Buzzard’s head chef. She says she spent a lot of time trying new recipes to change up the menu, which includes sandwiches, flatbreads, seasonal salads, soups, and new takes on the cafe’s classics, chief among them the popular Turkey Pesto Panini.
The kids’ menu items are $7 each and include sourdough grilled cheese sandwiches, PB&J sandwiches, and a cheese pizza on naan bread.
Giving back
The bookstore cafe is instituting a Pay What You Can policy for certain menu items. Customers may decide the cost of a small coffee, tea, or pastries that have been on the shelf for more than one day.
“The hope is we’ll never have to turn someone away for lack of funds and anyone who needs a cozy, friendly place to be for a while,” said Hilary Moore.
“It’s something we really believe in,” said Tallis Moore, new co-owner and lead book buyer. “Just like keeping prices accessible for used books. This should be a place for whoever wants to be here.”
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