By Erin Bosetti

Meet Cyndee Thielitz, bartender of the Sloop Tavern for the last twenty years. Owner, Patrick Files, calls her the “best bartender in Ballard,” and she has a firm but graceful reign over her regulars. Head to the Sloop once or twice (or many many times), and you’ll look forward to her smiling face and witty banter.

The Sloop is a solid fixture in Ballard’s nautical bar scene, with decor that hasn’t been changed for decades and an unassuming attitude to match. Some of Thielitz’s regulars have been coming to the Sloop for over 50 years, and she’s seen three different owners take the helm, including the beloved and much missed Charley Files who bought the bar 16 years ago (Files also owned a portion of Lenny’s in Tangletown). It was under Files, and now his son Patrick, that the Sloop has seen its most recent success.

The Sloop’s comfortable atmosphere makes it an easy place to run into an old friend or make a new one. Located on the quieter west end of Market Street, the bar draws Ballardites of all ages, from fishermen and sailors to local college aged kids.

One of the biggest perks? Their trademark Slooper: 33.8 ounces of microbrew for a measly $7, arguably the best beer deal in the neighborhood.

So what is it like to helm a Ballard sailor bar for 20 odd years? “The regulars are great, some of them are like family to me” says Thielitz.

They’ve hosted her daughter’s birthday parties and many of them are so close she can’t imagine life without them, a big reason why Thielitz has stayed at the Sloop for so long. She’s not the only long term veteran, many of her co-workers have been there almost as long as she has, going against the grain in an industry that usually sees a high turnover.

Her favorite part of her job is “just being comfortable and having fun,” with her regulars and co-workers, and that sort of philosophy sets the tone for Cyndee and her fellow employees. That attitude tends to rub off on the patrons, since Cyndee has started working at the Sloop two decades ago.

“I’ve had maybe three fights,” a claim that not many bartenders can make and she cites daily life at the Sloop as being “chill and mellow.”

Come stop by for a Slooper and an excellent bacon cheeseburger the next time you’re in west Ballard.