RIP old cap hill. First Cricket, then Gabor’s, now Kelly’s?

In 2002, the lease ran him $850 a month; on the first of April, Wayne cut the final rent check for the 1,900-square-foot space at 1201 East 13th Avenue for $1,450.

Kelly’s closing bums be out. It’s where we’d go for something cold to drink on the walk home from Gabor’s on hot summer nights. The corner shop I’d run to in my PJ’s when I just needed the basics like smokes, water, batteries, or condoms. I was always greeted with a smile, and a “Hey Sweetheart”. If you needed something on a regular basis, they’d make sure to have it. If you were ever short on cash, it was no problem. They treated everyone in our little area like family.

“Doctors, lawyers, ex-cons in ankle bracelets, prostitutes, pimps, drug dealers, tweakers — we’ve seen it all,” he recalls. “This was the best show in town on a Saturday night. Colorful, so very colorful.”

Wayne had the best stories. The BEST. In the 8 years or so I’ve lived in Capitol Hill, the neighborhood has changed dramatically, but Kelly’s was always the same. I hope Wayne and Eva enjoy their time off, and start a new adventure together soon.