Community is at the core of everything Kaffeeklatsch does. It’s even in the name; “Kaffeeklatsch” is German for “A social gathering around coffee.” When Annette Heide-Jessen and her partner opened Kaffeeklatsch in 2011, it was to fill the void of community that they felt was missing in their Lake City neighborhood. There was no other locally-owned coffeeshop in the neighborhood, so they decided to create the ‘third place’ that they had been searching for. 

A ‘third place’ is a physical location other than home and work (the first two places) where people can spend time socializing and making conversation with very little barrier to entry. But Annette, now joined by her son and daughter in law, goes farther than just sharing their storefront with their community. They are deeply involved in the Lake City neighborhood, partnering with community organizations, and fundraising. Annette played a key role in the founding of the Lake City Neighborhood Alliance and Build Lake City Together.  

When she started Kaffeeklatsch, Annette had no idea how much of a staple it would be in the community over ten years later. The idea came after she got laid off in 2008 from her role as the Retail Manager of Columbia City Bakery. Her boyfriend became unemployed shortly after. With lots of time on their hands, and a bit of bakery expertise, they decided to open a coffee shop of their own. 

Their original idea was just to be a local coffee shop that served coffee, pies, and sandwiches. After opening with the name ‘Kaffeeklatsch,’ Seattle’s German population caught wind of their business and had a demand for German baked goods. Annette shared some family recipes with her boyfriend and they developed some staple German recipes along with their more Americanized treats. 

Now their loyal regulars come from all over the city for authentic German staples, like Zitronenmohnkuchen (Lemon poppy seed coffee cake with a sweet lemon glaze), Körnerbrötchen (A roll made from whole wheat, rye, and white flour), or Käselaugenstange (Authentic German pretzel roll with baked gruyere cheese on top).  

Annette also makes an effort to uplift other small businesses however she can. Kaffeeklatsch’s storefront sells Skagit Valley duck eggs, locally-sourced honey, Seeking Kombucha, and goods from other market vendors on occasion. 

It’s this community connection that has helped Kaffeeklatsch grow into the successful business it is today. You can now find Kaffeklatsch’s baked goods at many local farmers markets, local restaurants, and even at the Climate Pledge Arena. 

Multiple employees are people from the Lake City community who grew up in the play area at Kaffeeklatsch and a couple work at the storefront, providing the same welcoming experience to other people that they had at Kaffeeklatsch growing up. Annette loves when her employees live in the Lake City neighborhood so that they can be as invested in the community as she is.  

Try Kaffeeklatsch’s traditional German goods and join their community of loyal fans at the University District and Capitol Hill Farmers Markets, and keep an eye out for Kaffeeklatsch at other markets this summer!