What's Going On With Percy's In Ballard?

Percy's, an apothecary-inspired cocktail bar, is moving into the Old Town Alehouse space on Ballard Avenue. The legendary duo behind the project initially thought the place would be open by now, but:

"At this point, we're still a couple months out," says Jeff Ofelt (Bimbo's, Cha Cha Lounge, King's Hardware), who, along with his business partner Wade Weigel (Rudy's, Seattle Ace Hotel), are still plugging away at the place.

We ended up buying the building, so that put our timeframe out quite a bit because inevitably, you're going to do quite a bit more work.

Ofelt says Percy's will not mess with the aesthetic of the old Alehouse.

Oh, no no no no no. That's why we wanted that space. Because of the look. [Percy's] will retain, but have its own image. The beautiful backbar, the brick, the wood floors — all that stuff is gorgeous and hard to find.

Ofelt and Weigel are working with design superman Eric Hentz, founder of Mallet, whose handy work can be found at RN74, The Saint, Havana, and many more pretty places.

He's a very good friend of ours. We've worked with him since the Ace Hotel in Seattle 20 years ago. We work well together.

But here's the thing: the guys don't exactly know what the end concept for Percy's will be, other than the name.

We don't want to say what it is until we know that's what it is. I don't want to set too many expectations for people because once we really get in there, it might morph. That's why I've been really hesitant to talk to too many people and say too much, because I don't really know.

And then there's that whole aspect of trying to get to know your project before giving birth to it. A little backwards, yes.

Wade and I, we never approach a project like, "Okay, this is exactly what we want! Draw it up!" That would be easy, but until you get into a space and feel it, like a house — you kind of have to live there for a while before you know what you want.

As for a new target opening date, Ofelt begrudgingly issues this: "I would guess mid May, maybe?" In other words: now is a good time to drop those expectations.

· Percy's [Facebook]
· Old Town Alehouse is Closing [My Ballard]