On August 19, the social media accounts for Rendezvous Seattle posted a three-photo “letter to our community,” announcing that the business had been purchased a week earlier and that it would “temporarily close” for renovations, effective immediately. All events would be canceled until further notice, it read, and people who’d paid a deposit on the Jewelbox Theater or the Grotto event spaces were told to contact management. It was signed not with human names but instead “The New Owners.”

What the letter didn’t mention is that all but one member of the Rendezvous’s staff was also laid off. This announcement has really brought the chair down on Seattle’s arts community, as four different performance venues contained within the historic bar are lost to them for now: the main bar area and dan

See Full Page