The Outer Rim
2821 Thorndyke Avenue
Seattle, 98199
(Magnolia)
A very recent find, The Outer Rim in Magnolia, is one of my favorite places to write. It is a sci fi themed coffee shop with ample references to Star Wars and Star Trek. Star Wars fans will recognize the Outer Rim as a reference to a particularly sparse yet diverse region of deep space.
Martin and Rebecca opened this shop in December 2023 and their passion for the business and the genre shows. The art work displayed comes from their private collection. The owners did their own build out of the shop incorporating such things as Enterprise-style wall decor, Star Wars named drinks and figurines displayed throughout the shop.
This coffee shop has a warm and inviting feel to it, encouraging people to come, sit down with a drink and admire all of the sci fi decor. The owners are happy to engage with customers in conversations about their sci fi passion and the custom artwork displayed in the shop.
And it is the only place I’ve been in where I’ve heard people say “Oh, you’ve got to check out the bathroom!” 🙂
The energy of this place makes it a delight in which to write. A table is almost always available, and if not, there is a comfortable ledge at the front of the shop. The coffee is good and they are open to making you an improvised drink, as long as they have the ingredients. They offer fresh pastries from a local shop, as well.
One thing that the owners have stressed is that they want to be a contributing part of the community. It’s not just about the coffee, it’s about the people. They plan to sponsor more community events. Recently, they had a coffee artist show her work (she actually does paintings with coffee!) and a sci fi author came up from Olympia for a book signing.
It is worth going out of your way for a visit!
Great things will happen in this place, I predict! 🙂
