Well, just because an organization is "non profit" doesn't mean there aren't people making a lot of money working for the organization - nor does it make them necessarily good corporate citizens. As witnessed by STG's tactics.

Correction: The space that the Comic Stop now occupies was Zanadu Comics second store from 1991 until 2011. The Comic Stop then took it over.





http://www.zanaducomics.com/zanadu-histo…

We put the $25K in building the kitchen after we got a 3 year lease (2011 - 2014), in our 8th year in the building. We have been on a series of short leases for our entire tenure, as our landlord assured us that they value long term tenants, but merely wanted to make sure new leases would reflect market rates with the new theater and the light rail coming in.

In other ground breaking news, Slogs reports on wobbly plumbing fixtures at local bar, a wiggly door handle that needs repairs at a beloved diner and a tenant who swears he hears mice in the attic. All these and other landlord crimes covered only here, at Slog.

@9 so, you made a shitty business decision. That's nobody's problem but your own.

@13 so go start a Kickstarter, see how much the 'community' gives a toss.

#16 - We spent the 25K in 2011 to put in the kitchen equipment (make table, oven, fridges, new sinks, panini grill, etc). We were working with the designer in 2013 on further renovations (new tables,chairs, paint job, etc), which we halted after the landlord stalled on new lease negotiations.

This sounds like the traditional Stranger BS. Blame a company that is succeeding and doing great work for causing demise of some shoddy business that doesn't know how to be self sustaining. I know for a fact that STG does extremely good work in the community. My child has had her life changed by taking part in their dance programs. All I read in here is a landlord trying to clear out bad tenants and let good one's in, that's pretty common. Isn't that happening to your offices?



I also tend to remember that when Brendan's favorite theatre company Balagan went out of business I read that STG forgave all their debt to help them survive, sounds awfully cruel to me. Perhaps the stranger's new arts editor can stay long enough to teach his staff how to support he arts rather than tear them down as soon as they show success.

This sounds like the traditional Stranger BS. Blame a company that is succeeding and doing great work for causing demise of some shoddy business that doesn't know how to be self sustaining. I know for a fact that STG does extremely good work in the community. My child has had her life changed by taking part in their dance programs. All I read in here is a landlord trying to clear out bad tenants and let good one's in, that's pretty common. Isn't that happening to your offices?





I also tend to remember that when Brendan's favorite theatre company Balagan went out of business I read that STG forgave all their debt to help them survive, sounds awfully cruel to me. Perhaps the stranger's new arts editor can stay long enough to teach his staff how to support he arts rather than tear them down as soon as they show success.

First of all, how does anyone believe that STG has the power to kick tenants out of this building?! STG does not own the Neptune. STG is a tenant. The landlord is the only person who has any say in this matter, and the decision is entirely theirs.


Secondly, the interviews with the ex-employees of the Neptune/Landmark are…biased, to say the least. STG had nothing to do with Landmark losing their lease and those employees losing their jobs. Did anyone else notice any other Landmark theatres going under right around this same time? I sure did. And several other theatres as well. Movie theatres are not doing very well, as you may have noticed. Landmark, by the way, is a major nation-wide chain. Funny how the Stranger wants to defend them here. STG - a LOCAL arts organization - took the theatre over, converted it into a performance space, and renovated it. The Neptune was then declared a historic landmark by the City (which it was not before). So some people were seen “lurking” around the theatre, taking measurements? Who gives a shit? There wouldn’t be a theatre if not for STG. Same goes for the Uptown and The Egyptian, both taken over by the nonprofit SIFF. Who knows what the fate of those buildings would have been if SIFF had not stepped in. Nonprofits are saving theatres all over this country.


Thirdly, The Stranger claims STG “made” $32.5 million in 2012. Anyone with a basic understanding of how presenting arts organizations work would know that STG didn’t “make” $32.5 million. That’s how much passed through the organization in 2012, the vast majority of it going directly back into the hands of promoters, artists, and anyone else who essentially rented the theatres from them (ya see, STG takes a small cut, from the tickets, to maintain the theatres, and the people putting the shows on take everything else).


I’m not very familiar with Trabant coffee, but I do love the comic shop and Neptune Records, and I would be sad to see them go. But I know that’s not STG’s decision, and I know that this article is utter bullshit.

What the actual fuck? Find another location for your theatre, expand to areas that don't yet have one! Or at least target one of the shitty cafes on the Ave, rather than Trabant and Neptune Music...

What's the point of a gigantic theatre space next to UW, anyway? Wouldn't they prefer somewhere with parking?

I know this is really about the landlord, but I don't know how we could convince them to save the music shop and cafe that bring some small business flavor to the seemingly ever-more-Starbucks'd University District.