Seattle's freshly rebuilt waterfront is getting a familiar swirl of chunks and fudge as Ben & Jerry's readies a full-service scoop shop at Pier 54. The ice cream chain is taking over a roughly 1,252-square-foot retail space that most recently held Premier Meat Pies and plans to have regional franchisees Lance and Moria Blair running the show. The deal is the latest sign that the revamped waterfront is drawing national food brands that are banking on both visitors and locals.
The lease for the waterfront spot was first detailed by the Puget Sound Business Journal, which reported that Ben & Jerry's is taking the 1,252-square-foot Pier 54 unit formerly occupied by Premier Meat Pies. Commercial real estate outlet ConnectCRE lists the address as 1001 Alaskan Way #105 and reports that Kidder Mathews broker Kelly Gaddis represented the transaction.
Where it sits on the waterfront
The Pier 54 address drops Ben & Jerry's into the thick of Seattle's tourist corridor, anchored by the new Waterfront Park and a short walk from Pike Place Market and the Seattle Aquarium. Kidder Mathews broker Kelly Gaddis has described the waterfront as "one of the city's most dynamic retail and tourism destinations," a pitch that helps explain why national operators are circling the piers, according to ConnectCRE.
Who will run the scoop shop
Running the new shop will be franchisees Lance and Moria Blair, who are adding Pier 54 to their existing regional lineup, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal. The duo already operate Ben & Jerry's locations in Green Lake and Gig Harbor and are also preparing a Thornton Place shop at Northgate.
When you can get scoops
On its store locator, Ben & Jerry's already shows a "Seattle Waterfront" scoop shop at Pier 54, complete with posted hours, a sign that the brand has staked out the space online. Yet the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce reports that there is still no public opening date for the downtown shop, so would-be customers will have to wait a bit longer before lining up for cones.
When it finally starts scooping, Ben & Jerry's will join a mix of longstanding attractions and casual spots on Pier 54. The pier is already anchored by Ivar's, whose decades-long presence there highlights the strip's pull for both Seattleites and out-of-towners, according to Ivar's.
