SEATTLE - The Volunteer Park Café is a place where people really do know your name. It's a place where they sell honey handmade by a 14-year-old neighbor and where grow their own vegetables along the sidewalk outside.
Opening three years ago as the economy went cold, the café has been steaming, beating the odds and becoming so popular, it's actually expanding and drawing customers from across the city.
Co-owner Heather Earnhardt says it's because they're all about building community.
"So a lot of the people who live on this street that didn't know each other before know each other now because of us," she said.
But the café may be a victim of its own success. For nearly a century it operated as a quiet corner grocery store. Now it's a full-scale restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner six days a week, and leaving neighbors with some unwanted leftovers.
"So here's an example of a dumpster that's overflowing," said Cliff Meyer, a neighbor.
People living around the restaurant say a grocery store is grandfathered in to their quiet neighborhood by city codes, but a restaurant is not.
"It's not legal," he said.
Cliff Meyer worries about a breach of the peace in his backyard sanctuary. He and others point to evidence of parking problems, noise and a possible expansion that could double the number of customers.
"They really have to work with their neighbors and be good neighbors. They're burning us right now," he said.
The cafe's owners insist they're trying to do right by the neighborhood.
Meyer hopes so. He hasn't been there since June and would like to go back.
"I still have my Volunteer Park Café card. One more coffee and I get a freebie," he said.
The cafe owners say they have filed for an extention with the city and hope to be properly permitted by later this month.
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