The current plan by Sound Transit to extend light rail into West Seattle would remove many homes and businesses on it's path. Westside Seattle covered the issue here. But as the release of the final Environmental Impact Statement nears this summer, Businesses in north Delridge are seeking financial help. First it was the Skylark Cafe/Club who estimate $250,000 is needed. Now their neighbor Mode Music Studios is asking for help too. Owner Erin Rubin estimates that $300,000 would be needed for a move and build out.

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"To our Mode Students, Families, Friends, and Community:

We are in need of your support, now more than ever. After almost 10 years in our building on Delridge Way, the impermanence of our location is becoming a reality. Sound Transit’s West Seattle Light Rail Extension has started the process of acquiring the buildings that house Mode Music Studios and Mode Music and Performing Arts (MMPA), as well as our dear friends and neighbors The Skylark, Alki Daycare, and so many other cherished business sites in the West Seattle area.

January 1st, 1984, I was brought home from the hospital to a humble mother-in-law apartment on 54th and Genesee. My dad worked for The West Seattle Herald. I went to daycare in the Alki Community Center and spent sunny days climbing the whale tail. After we moved away, our weekends were still spent brunching at Alki Cafe and playing on the beach. As a teen, I worked at Easy Street Records, one of my very first jobs. Working there, through my formative years, helped to shape who I would become as a young adult. Spending time in their West Seattle location brought me back to my roots and I knew I would inevitably move back and make this neighborhood my home. I wanted to raise my family and build my business here. And that’s what I did.

I started my career as a music teacher 17 years ago and have spent nearly as many years running and providing student Summer rock bands on The Skylark’s stage. 10 years ago, I was given 90 days to leave my rental home in the North Admiral district that housed my family and the two teaching studios I created out of my basement. West Seattle commercial property was scarce and didn’t fit our specific needs at the time.

I called Matt Larson (owner of Skylark Cafe) in tears, knowing our 100 students were at risk of losing their music teachers and everything we had built was on the line. With Matt’s help and the help of the community, we struck gold with the best possible space to build a music school and the best possible community we could have asked for, up until now. Matt and I have braved some tough times together outside of small business ownership, including the state of the world the past several years and the bridge closure that added additional challenges and hardship. Despite these incredibly difficult times, losing our space is the most serious obstacle we will have to overcome. I'm heartbroken that I’m back to where we were 10 years ago.

We went from four private teaching studios to nine in the span of five years. We’ve employed hundreds of local artists and community members, taught thousands of students of all ages, and made friendships with families and staff that will last a lifetime. I founded our nonprofit, MMPA, six years ago to create more opportunities for accessible arts education in West Seattle and beyond. We were able to launch MMPA’s private music lesson scholarship program thanks to a generous grant from Impact West Seattle. As MMPA has grown, our offerings have expanded to include pay-what-you-can music and performing arts classes and camps, eliminating financial barriers to arts education for many local families. Over the years, MMPA has served over a thousand students through our group classes/camps and school enrichment programs. 

I have been actively reaching out to Sound Transit, city officials, and our local news and publications in an effort to obtain more monetary assistance and support than what we are currently being offered. We are at the mercy of Sound Transit’s timeline in regards to accessing any funds available for our relocation. We have very specific needs and restrictions and commercial space is sparse. Our approximate cost for the Mode Music Studios build out in a new location is between $300k and $450k to replicate what we have on Delridge. The timeline for a project completion of that size could be 6-9 months.

To avoid a lapse in lessons and acquire an optimal space to relocate, we are going to need to fund our own move. I’m realizing, despite my fight and efforts, we can’t depend on Sound Transit and the city of Seattle and are now in the position to find it necessary to reach out to our families and friends for help. We can’t do this alone and we don’t want to lose what we have built in this community. For those that are unable to give, please consider sharing our story.

 

With heart,

Erin Rubin

Owner of Mode Music Studios

Founder and Managing Director of Mode Music and Performing Arts (MMPA)"