After an unusually turbulent year, one of Seattle’s oldest restaurants is staying put, neon sign and all.
Last week it was announced that four employees had purchased the Virginia Inn, a restaurant and bar that has been next door to Pike Place Market for longer than Pike Place Market has existed. “We are thrilled to be the new stewards of this historic Seattle establishment,” the new owners said in a statement. “The V.I. has had a storied history for the last 122 years, and we are excited and eager to begin the next chapter.”
The V.I., as it’s known, is normally a pretty low-key place, but it found itself at the center of a public controversy earlier this year. In April, then-owner Craig Perez announced that the V.I. was closing, accusing his landlord, the nonprofit Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA), which runs the market, of charging excessive fees. In an interview that month with The Stranger, Perez speculated that the PDA’s lease terms for restaurants take advantage of immigrant restaurant owners who might not be familiar with contract language. He also admitted that he took the famous neon sign and brought it back to his house…