Sitting in Café Vita, sipping our Americanos, we discussed what we knew. What we knew, what we had heard and what we still needed to find out.

We had heard a lot of things about Northern, the prominent all-ages venue and gallery space in Olympia that had rocked the scene for more than two years. Mainly, we had heard that Northern, complete with all the artists in the corresponding upstairs studio space, had been told to vacate the Cunningham building, located on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Adams Street, by the end of July. We had heard that Northern was shutting its doors. Closing down for good.

While the rumor mill was busy churning out these claims, we knew a few things for certain. We knew that Urban Olympia, LLC had bought the Cunningham building for $450,000. We also knew they planned to open retail shops and restaurants, the reason for Northern's displacement.

Sipping our drinks, we tried to process these tidbits of fact and rumor. If everything was indeed true - and it seemed easy enough to believe - what was to become of the Olympia All Ages Project, the group that for so long had used Northern as a vessel to promote music and art among Olympia's motley youth? Would another all-ages venue pop up? How would these changes impact Olympia's art and music community?

We set down our drinks and hit the street to find out.

Two years is a long time

Olympia is no stranger to all-ages music venues and art spaces. For decades Olympia has fostered spaces for young musicians, artists and freethinkers to congregate, collectively gathering under an unimportant and rarely muttered moniker: the all-ages movement.

If anyone could help put a finger on the real beginning (if such a thing exists) of an all-ages music and arts movement in Olympia, it's the founder of K Records, Calvin Johnson. Long known as an important member of the Olympia music scene, a 15-year-old Johnson began working at the Olympia Community Radio station KAOS in 1978. According to Johnson, performance space of any kind was hard to come by in those days.

"There were things, but never regularly," says Johnson. "When I was in high school in the '70s, there was no place to have all-ages shows." 

With the help of KAOS and through his own initiative, Johnson eventually managed to scrounge up a few spaces to play.

"Those first shows I was a part of were on the Evergreen State College campus, at the Olympia ballroom and a place at the YWCA called Applejam," says Johnson. "That, and house parties."

In Johnson's memory, the first venue devoted exclusively to an all-ages crowd was a spot called Tropicana. According to Johnson, Tropicana, which was located on Fourth Avenue across from the State Theater, opened in March of 1984. An accomplished musician remembering shows from the past, Johnson reflects on the Tropicana with a glowing smile.

"The Tropicana was the first really exciting place in Olympia," says Johnson, "It was the first place to have a mix of local bands and out-of-town bands."

Johnson says that, like Northern, Tropicana was a multi-use facility. The colorful Tropicana hosted art shows, photo shows and theater productions.

Despite being a popular, multi-use facility geared toward the young, the Tropicana shut its doors after only 11 months. But this wasn't anything to fuss about. For as long as Johnson can remember, all-ages spaces in Olympia have had an average shelf life of about a year. The warehouse space called Guess Go, a photo gallery called the Reko/Muse Gallery that often had performances, the Yes Yes, the Manium, The Loft on Cherry - all at one time or another were popular places to play music. Now they are nothing more than a good memory and a notch on Olympia's all-ages belt. 

"There was always a series of places that opened and closed," says Johnson. "Many that weren't open for much more than a year."

Johnson says Northern stands apart from other spaces available to rent for all-ages shows in one important aspect: a person handles the booking. Northern's stable of volunteers go out of their way to actively schedule events - a rare asset, according to Johnson. Johnson says that while other possibilities for all-ages shows exist outside of Northern, those are in for-rent spaces that can be confusing to figure out, especially for the under-age and out-of-towners.

"Some people get frustrated because most of the possibilities for all-ages shows are spaces where you have to arrange the show yourself," Johnson says. "If you're a band from out of town, scheduling a space in Olympia is confusing."

Johnson also says he likes Northern because it's generally a well-maintained space that's comfortable and familiar.

"Northern is great because it's a group effort by many well-meaning people who wanted to make a space available," continues Johnson. "People worked hard and they did it the right way."

Yet Johnson has seen so many venues come and go, he treats a speculated Northern disappearance as par for the course. Even still, the loss of a favorite venue can be difficult to manage. 

"Two years for Northern is a long time," says Johnson. "You can get attached to these places and it's hard when they disappear." 

Not done yet

After abandoning our Americanos, we walked down Fourth Avenue to the old Cunningham building. After a quick walk past Northern's glass front, we headed upstairs to the studio spaces the Olympia All Ages Project rents to musicians and artists. As we walked around it was easy to see why many thought Northern was closing for good. The studios were empty. Glass and trash littered the floor. The persistent smell of urine tinged our nostrils.

Looks couldn't lie, Northern's time was up.

Well, not quite.

"It's not done yet," explains Mariella Luz, executive director of Northern. "We're hoping to be in our new space - wherever that may be - on Sept. 1."

While it's true that Northern does have to leave its current gallery and studio space by Aug. 6, the Olympia All Ages Project has no intention of closing Northern for good. Northern is just moving. Moving, hopefully, to a better space. 

"The Cunningham building was sold in February and they're starting renovations on Aug. 15," says Luz. "Our last show at this location is on Aug. 6."

In the two years since Northern first opened its doors, the all-ages space has cemented itself in the Olympia scene. Northern has made a name for itself by attracting respected bands like the Thermals, Xiu Xiu and Earth. Even more notably, Northern has had the ability to host shows every day of the week, open to anyone looking to perform. Northern also extends its reach to local theater, puppet shows, animations and nearly everything a young community might take an interest in.

"It doesn't matter if one person or 200 people show up, we want people to have a place to watch shows," says Luz.

Luz describes Northern's move from its location on Fourth Ave. as "bittersweet."  Though some problems existed with the spot ("there are mushrooms growing," she admits with a wince), the pain and hassle of moving is never easy to deal with. And it's doubly hard when trying to find an affordable and accessible building where art and music can blend effortlessly.

"A lot of places require a ton of work before moving in," Luz says.

In the search for a new home, gallery space has been of primary concern, says Luz. Lighting, wall area and size are all crucial considerations for the art space. Acoustics and studio space are essential on the music end.

"There are a lot of weird office spaces with industrial carpet and low ceilings," Luz says of the limited options downtown Olympia has to offer. "Plus, sometimes it seems building owners would rather not rent to an organization that's not exactly what they want."

Despite difficulties shopping around, Luz has her fingers crossed that a new home base has been found. Though she's sure to keep the public guessing until the papers are signed.

"I don't want to say where it is because I don't want to jinx it," says Luz with a smile. But she does reiterate, with faith in her voice, that Northern 2.0 is shooting for an early September opening. And as for the shows scheduled between Aug. 6 and early September, Luz has worked out a deal with Elizabeth Lord, the manager of the Midnight Sun. Though the Sun isn't ideal for Northern's long-term aspirations, the space proves perfect for hosting a slew of August shows that would otherwise be cancelled.

"I heard that Northern would be losing its home and we wanted to help," says Lord, who also agrees having all-ages spaces available to Olympia's youth is "paramount."

While things are moving forward with the transition, significant differences between the Northern on Fourth Ave. and the new Northern are inevitable. Finding a location with studio space for musicians and artists has been particularly tricky during the search for a new building. Luz explains that though an ideal space would have the same amount of artists' studios available for rent, it's a strong possibility that those spots will disappear, displacing many.

"Unfortunately, we could be back in a situation where people in Olympia are going to be looking for studio spaces again," says Luz.

"It was so convenient, 24-hours and right downtown" says Jay Einspahr, a musician who rented studio space above the Northern gallery for a couple of months. "It was a total community of musicians and artists that looked out for each other. It's too bad that just when we get something like that, it's gone."

One change in the new Northern that musicians can look forward to, though, is a recording studio. Access to archived music and videos from Olympia bands and shows is also in the plans, says Luz.

Luz seems excited and optimistic about the potential for Northern to move and grow, using a new space as a stepping stone to the future. Luz is also eager to give credit to the hardworking Northern staff of 30 - all un-paid volunteers.

"We've got an awesome group of people here," says Luz.

Although they have a lot of helping hands, Luz admits money can factor in as a concern. Though she says Northern was never late on rent or utilities bills, scratching up funds for upstart projects can be a struggle. In an effort to press ahead with future projects, Luz anticipates starting a Kickstarter fundraising campaign. She says Northern hopes to raise $8,000 via Kickstarter, a prospect that is both promising and a little daunting. 

"We've always been really good about raising our own money and never having to ask people for something," says Luz. "But this Kickstarter thing is cool because it exercises a different muscle for us."

For now, raising money for studio equipment and future shows seems a bit far off. At this point Luz and Northern's staff are focused on the Northern on Fourth Ave.'s last remaining shows. Friday, Aug. 5, bands like the Jettycats and Messy Mesa hope to give Northern a true rock ‘n‘ roll-style goodbye. Aug. 6 marks a more kid-friendly lineup, with performances from the Olympia Free Choir and Your Heart Breaks. On Aug. 7 ... well, Aug. 7 will be quiet.

Then, after a brief interlude at the Midnight Sun, Luz says she intends to have a big opening show at the new Northern featuring the Corin Tucker Band and Kimya Dawson.

Northern 2.0

Just as we're about to send this story to our eagerly awaiting editor, we get word that Luz‘s finger-crossing has paid off. Provided there are no issues with city inspections, Northern will be in its new home, 112 State St., by Sept 1. Ironically, and somehow perfectly Olympia, the new place is in the building that housed Reko/Muse Gallery.

While Northern settles in, one thing is certain: the building will shake. Despite the rumors of an all-out closure, Northern is in Olympia to stay. For another month, another year or another decade, youth will have a spot to watch and perform shows.

Unless you've heard something different.

For more information visit northernolympia.org