When I opened Brimmer & Heeltap in late 2013, I had a vision, but mostly, hope.
Out back was a small storage building. Nothing particularly charming at the time. Just a structure holding dry goods, an old freezer, spare pots and pans, and the day-to-day overflow of running a restaurant. But in 2015, I started to imagine something more for it.
Not fully knowing what it would become, I began transforming it into a private dining space. It wasn’t a perfectly mapped-out plan, it was more of a feeling that there was something back there worth building toward.
What’s taken shape since then has been far beyond anything I could have predicted.
In the years since it was built, that little building, tucked behind the restaurant, has held so many meaningful moments. Family celebrations, baby showers, rehearsal dinners, engagements, memorials, team gatherings, long tables filled with laughter, connection, and even a few tears. It’s become a space where people come to mark something important.
And to get there, you walk through our sweet little garden.
It still feels a bit hidden, even now. You pass through the gate and something shifts. The noise drops, the pace slows, and people tend to stay a little longer than they planned. The firepit has quietly held countless conversations over the years… some light, some deep, all of them part of the fabric of this place.
For a long time, my dad and I maintained the garden ourselves. We did our best to keep up with it, learning as we went, but eventually realized it was a bigger beast than we could handle. These days, it’s cared for by an incredible team led by Peter Lavagnino. They watch, modify, beautify, and somehow seem to whisper to the property with a kind of ancient understanding that we deeply admire. They’re constantly adding and subtracting, edible, fragrant, colorful, or all of the above.
At the center of it all sits a fountain, gifted to us by one of our dear regulars. It’s become a gathering point of its own—birds bathing, water moving, seasons shifting around it. Not a bad backdrop for a pistachio latte.
That same sense of possibility showed up again in 2020.
During a time when everything felt uncertain, we found ourselves looking at our space differently once more. What could we create? How could we stay connected to our community?
Red Arrow was born from that moment, but its name actually reaches much further back. It comes from the original grocery store that once stood on this very corner, with a red arrow sign hanging above the door.
A bit of kismet…
Some dear friends are part of the group that owns the real estate the restaurant sits on. One night, Ryan and his family came in for dinner and introduced the restaurant to his parents. Within earshot, his mom said, “You know your great grandfather owned a grocery store somewhere in Ballard.”
Instantly, I got chills because I had just learned of the history.
What were the chances that, unbeknownst to Ryan, he had bought into the very property that once belonged to his family?
As it turns out, that moment led to the discovery of an incredible relic. Ryan’s great grandfather, George Leu, is pictured standing in front of the very door we now call Brimmer & Heeltap. It’s a powerful reminder of how connected our past and present can be.
Past Meets Future
Ryan’s great grandfather, George Leu, standing in front of his grocery store.
There’s something about that continuity that I’ve always loved, the idea that this space has been serving the neighborhood for generations, just in different forms.
So Red Arrow became not just a response to a moment, but a continuation of a story.
Looking back, none of this was ever fully planned.
It started with hope. With curiosity. And a willingness to see what something could become.
Over time, it’s been shaped not just by the spaces themselves, but by the people within them—both the guests who walk through our doors and the team who shows up, day in and day out, to bring it all to life.
Hospitality is made up of a thousand small, often unseen moments. Early mornings, late nights, constant care, and a quiet commitment to doing things thoughtfully. Our teams continue to put so much intention into what they do…seasonal food, warm service, creating spaces that feel both special and comfortable at the same time.
It’s not lost on me how much heart goes into that.
These spaces may have started with an idea, a building, a bit of history, but they’ve been sustained by people. By effort. By care. By a genuine desire to create something meaningful for others.
So whether you’ve been with us as the space has evolved, or you’re just discovering us—thank you. It truly means more than you know.
And to the team who continues to make it all possible, every single day—thank you for showing up with so much heart.
Visit Us
Red Arrow Coffee
7am-2pm, daily
enter through the garden gate
Brimmer & Heeltap
4pm-9pm, Wed-Sun
