Seattle’s longest-running bar is set to close its doors at the end of the year. The historic site is known for its ghost stories, pressed-tin ceiling, and buckboard floors in the heart of Pioneer Square. There are murmurs the bar could reopen after a renovation in spring, but that’s still uncertain.
In the Merchant’s basement, daylight shines down through the small purple glass windows in the sidewalk above. The city’s oldest saloon sits at a main intersection of the city’s oldest neighborhood, forever tied to Seattle’s history.
First opened in 1890 before moving to its current spot in 1907, Merchant’s originally offered gambling and a brothel during Seattle’s early gritty days. Bartenders there say the current owners plan to close the bar next week.
“I had to let everyone go, it was pretty sudden,” says Anthony Powell, a supervisor and manager at Merchant’s. “I just told everyone: ‘work ‘til the end of the year and that’s it.’”
One bartender who got hired less than six months ago says he got almost no notice that Friday would be his last shift. That’s the nature of the business, he shrugged.
Powell says he got word from owner Darcy Hanson in early December that the bar would be closing. Hanson did not respond to KUOW’s requests for comment. There are rumors among the remaining staff that the owners want to renovate the interior and re-open the historic watering hole in the spring, but nothing’s been confirmed.
Few bars in Seattle carry the ambiance that Merchant’s offers. A giant, century-old wooden bar stretches along one side of the room. Hardwood floors worn smooth by over a hundred years of patrons and partiers. According to the bar’s website, nearly everything in the place is haunted, from the paintings on the wall to the wall of wine bottles.
After decades of serving Seattle, Merchant’s is starting to show its age. Powell says some parts of the saloon do need updating.
“I mean, it’s the oldest bar in Seattle,” Powell says looking over the barroom. “Our electrical is shot behind this bar completely, the coolers are over 35 years old. A lot of stuff doesn’t work.”
That’s the charm that comes with a place as old as the cobblestones out on Yesler Street. Merchant’s, a dive bar according to Powell, doesn’t feature fancy lighting or a new sound system like the nightclubs around the corner. In one smoky corner of Merchant’s, deep leather couches almost disappear in the shadows.
Stepping down the stairs to the bathroom is like stepping back in time. The exposed rock walls feel like a private cellar or speakeasy. Pioneer Square’s signature purple glass sidewalk windows can be seen clearly down here, a view you can usually only find during an underground tour.
Powell, who has worked at Merchant’s for a little over four years, says business has been pretty slow recently. Like a lot of neighborhoods in Seattle, Pioneer Square is struggling to attract more customers. The pandemic didn’t help a sleepy bar like Merchant’s.
Still, Powell says, the bar is a regular stop for sports fans heading to the nearby stadiums and tourists who want to experience a piece of Seattle history. A lot of people come in to raise a glass just to say they’ve had a drink at the spot, Powell says.
This month, the bar had its busiest weekends of the year thanks to the annual SantaCon pub crawl. Powell says he was hoping they would be open next year when SantaCon organizers want to extend the event to all four Saturdays of December – but it looks like that won’t happen.
Merchant’s is hosting a farewell party on Monday, December 30. Powell says he’ll be working with longtime bartender Michael Harris to pour the final drinks at the oldest place in town.
“It was a great experience, I loved it,” Powell says, “the people that come through are really great. You meet a lot of people around the world, because it’s a tourist bar, they love to come here. So I’m sad to see it go for sure.”
Soccer fans in Seattle have one more chance to catch a World Cup group stage match before the knockout rounds begin next week. And the game is moving forward on the same weekend as Seattle’s Pride festivities despite objections from both teams.
Egypt vs. Iran takes place tonight at 8 p.m. PT. Both teams are trying to advance out of Group G.
Egypt is likely moving on after tying with Belgium in Seattle’s opening World Cup Match and defeating New Zealand 3-1 in their second group stage match. A win could clinch the group for Egypt.
Iran has played two draws against Belgium and New Zealand, and the team needs at least a tie tonight to move on. A win over Egypt would confirm their place in the Round of 32.
Tickets for tonight’s World Cup match start at $521.
Zachary Fletcher is a trending news reporter with USA TODAY Network’s Washington state team. Keep up with him on X (@zdfletch), BlueSky (@zfletcher.bsky.social) or reach him at zfletcher@usatodayco.com.
When Seattle announced it would host a Pride Match during the 2026 World Cup, it was long before the draw had even been made.
The match at Lumen Field on June 26 (4am on June 27 in the UK) – one of six the city is hosting – falls on the same date as Seattle’s annual Pride weekend, setting the stage for a festival of celebrations outside the stadium.
It is a game that could determine who makes it through to the knockout stage – and it is a game that will feature two countries with some of the strictest anti-gay laws in the world: Egypt and Iran.
In Iran, same-sex relationships are illegal and gay men have been executed on sodomy charges, making their laws some of the most oppressive against the LGBTQ community in the world.
Egypt has previously arrested LGBTQ people on indecency laws and has cracked down in recent years on the outward expression of Pride and the waving of rainbow flags.
Both countries have called on FIFA and Seattle to cancel the Pride celebrations.
Iran Football Federation president Mehdi Taj described the Pride branding for the match as “inappropriate” and “an irrational move”.
A statement from the Egyptian Football Association read: “Egypt categorically rejects holding any activities related to supporting (homosexuality) during the match. Such initiatives conflict with the cultural, religious and social values in the region, especially in Arab and Islamic societies.”
FIFA, which has no official involvement in the plans, has resisted calls from Iran and Egypt to cancel or move the match.
Seattle’s local organising committee says they will go ahead as planned, saying: “Soccer has a unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs. We are honoured to host a Pride Match and to celebrate Pride as part of a global football community. This match reflects our ongoing commitment to respect, dignity and unity for all.”
Both sides will be looking to secure qualification to the round of 32, with Egypt top of group G on four points and Iran in second with two points.
Iran will also have to travel to Seattle from their base in Mexico on the day of the match due to restrictions not allowing the team to stay overnight in the United States.
Eric Wahl, who fell in love with football while living in Seattle, is a member of the Seattle Pride Match Advisory Committee and has been helping to organise the game.
He is also the brother of journalist Grant Wahl, who passed away at the Qatar World Cup in 2022 after suffering an aortic aneurysm. Wahl had a month earlier been briefly detained by security staff for wearing a rainbow football shirt.
Despite some initial apprehension when the draw was made, Eric Wahl believes the Pride Match will be an opportunity for the world to see how welcoming Seattle is.
“We had a sole mission of wanting to highlight LGBTQ organisations and businesses in Seattle and to unite that with the shared love of soccer as a world sport,” he said.
With hundreds of thousands of visitors and millions of viewers tuning into Seattle during Pride Weekend, we are presented with a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact. This moment allows us to educate the world, inspire our LGBTQ+ community, and uplift LGBTQ+ businesses and cultural organisations.
“This is actually a really positive thing.
“We want people from Egypt and Iran to know that, regardless of their personal identities, they would be welcome in Seattle, and we would be happy to have them.
“I really hope that there will be soccer fans in Iran and Egypt who will be able to watch this match for the match itself, but also with the halo of equality around it.”
Footballers in Qatar four years ago were caught up in a controversial U-turn over the ‘OneLove’ rainbow armband but Wahl does not expect the Iran or Egypt players to comment on anything except the football itself.
“I think it is par for the course [there will be questions of them] but also slightly unfair to the players on both of those national teams who have unquestionably been put into a position they didn’t ask for.
“To ask any of them to comment on these situations puts them in an unfair position.
“Whether they are for or against gay rights in general doesn’t matter to me, because they have to think about the oppressive regimes that they come from and that to me is a much greater concern.”
While FIFA is not in charge of organising the Pride Match, it has been liaising with the Seattle local organising committee and the Pride advisory committee.
The match will be treated the same as any game in the World Cup, with a FIFA spokesperson telling Sky Sports News: “The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds. Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events.”
FIFA’s branding will be limited to its regular ‘No Discrimination’ campaign material but rainbow flags will be allowed inside the stadium.
“General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026 Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
The governing body remains adamant it will not stand for discrimination of any kind at the World Cup and that anyone can report any abuse they face at FIFA events via its app.
Any discrimination in the stadium would follow the FIFA three-step procedure in place for all matches.
First the match would be stopped when an incident occurs, with an annoucement urging spectators to cease the offensive behaviour. If it continues after the restart, the match could be suspended and even abandoned as a last resort.
Seattle hopes that instead it will be a joyous, inclusive occasion celebrating the LGBTQ community.
Wahl is expecting to see a sea of colour at kick-off in a match that also marks an opportunity to honour his late brother.
“I will be wearing a version of the rainbow soccer ball shirt that Grant was detained for in Qatar,” Wahl said.
“I think it’s going to be amazing. I just can’t wait to share that experience, and I can feel Grant smiling about it too.”
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