History of 405 W Galer

I love being a part of this city, when we began to look at 405 W Galer St, it was the history of the space that got me most excited - envisioning how we would add to the colorful tapestry of Queen Anne. We asked Mercedes, Rafael Carraba's wife and owner of Queen Anne Coffee Roasters, to share some of the history.  -Kirsty

Piece written by Mercedes Carrabba

In the early 1900s, Seattle was a buzz of activity. The gold rush had brought wealth, ambition, and people from all parts of the world to the young city. Expanding past the downtown core, with a vast network of trams, Seattle was growing rapidly, solidifying its role as a maritime and rail hub. Craftsman bungalows were all the rage, and mixed-use buildings, with shops on the ground floor and apartments above, were a common solution to urban growth.

Photo credit to History Link Tours

A decade before the 19th Amendment was ratified, Washington state women won the right to vote in 1910. Women played an important role in shaping the cultural and economic life of Seattle. In Pike Place Market, Three Girls Bakery holds the distinction of being the first business licensed to women in Seattle, opening in 1912. The Cornish school, founded in 1914 by Nellie Cornish, became a beacon for experimental arts education and remains a pioneering institution in the arts to this day, as the Cornish College of the Arts. Bertha Landes would become Seattle’s first female mayor in 1926 — but even in the 1910s, she was already active in city affairs, leading women's clubs and pushing for clean government.  

It is in this time of growth and opportunity that the Queen Anne neighborhood began to thrive. And, at the corner of 4th and Galer, Elizabeth Nelsen opened Nelsen’s Fancy & Staple Groceries at 405 W Galer St, in 1919. She offered pastries, tobacco, school supplies, and ice cream alongside household staples. Later joined by her brother, Magnus “M.J.” Nelsen, the shop became a neighborhood favorite — remembered not just for its generosity, but for its unforgettable scent: a warm blend of bulk spices, smoked meats, and most memorably, freshly ground coffee. 

By the 1960’s the building had changed to a place of craftsmanship. David Saunders, a skilled luthier, set up his violin shop here. It was a quiet, meticulous place where a young Rafael Carrabba first learned the trade, sweeping floors, mixing varnish, and absorbing the precision of the craft.

His mother, Dorothy Carrabba, a jazz singer, eventually managed the shop. The Carrabba’s were well known in the musical world of Seattle, especially in the exploding jazz scene of the late 1950s and 60s. Peter Carrabba was a well known saxophone player, and other relatives performed in the many clubs along Jackson Street. Rafael grew up surrounded by music. 

Photo credit to Carrabba Violins

In 1985, Carrabba bought the violin shop from Saunders, continuing the tradition of fine instrument work in the same space. Over the next forty years, Rafael Carrabba Violins became internationally respected, restoring instruments for symphonies, collectors, and musicians from around the world. Despite the high-value instruments, including rare Italian cellos, the shop kept its neighborly feel. Musicians often stayed to talk over the counter, much like grocery customers had decades earlier.

Photo credit Queen Anne Roasters

In late 2017, Rafael’s wife, Mercedes, began roasting coffee in the back of the shop under the name Queen Anne Roasters. During the Covid pandemic, the roaster expanded into the front of the violin shop as customers frequented the self-serve shelves to pick up fresh roasted coffee. She sold wholesale to several cafes in the Pike Place Market and shipped coffee internationally. Once again, the smell of coffee filled the space, different, deeper and roasted on-site, but echoing the same comforting note that had greeted Nelsen’s customers generations before.

405 W Galer stands as more than just a building, it is a thread of continuity in a city that’s constantly remaking itself. While skylines have changed and streetcars have vanished, this modest storefront has held steady, shaped by the hands and hearts of those who worked within it. From Elizabeth Nelsen’s groceries to Rafael Carrabba’s violins to the small-batch aroma of Queen Anne Roasters, it remains a living testament to the kind of neighborhood Seattle was, and, in quiet corners, still is.