What was that crane doing with that travel trailer on Winslow Way?
Most of us on Bainbridge Island are well acquainted with Pegasus Coffee House on Parfitt Way, and pre-pandemic, their 1950’s Boles Areo travel trailer could be seen at the Farmers Market and other events serving up fantastic coffee. However, if you were downtown a few weeks ago, you might have recognized that trailer dangling in the wind from a crane on Winslow Way.
When David Dessinger began roasting his coffee beans on his boat in Eagle Harbor, he didn’t realize how popular it would become. By 1979, Dessinger began roasting commercially as Pegasus Coffee and with a desire to have a storefront, he headed to Winslow Way, but space on Winslow was, and still is, hard to come by. However, there was space in a garage attached to a 1937 landmark building on Parfitt Way, which at the time, was a hardware store. In 1980, Dessinger expanded into the front of the building, and Pegasus Coffee House was born. As the years went by and Pegasus solidified its mark as a premier coffee house, gathering spot for locals, and venue for local artists to display their work and musicians to perform, the Winslow Way dream faded away…or did it?
Fast forward to late 2018, the large brick building on Winslow Way, which had been the site of the island’s primary medical clinic since the 1940s, and more recently the Virginia Mason Medical Clinic, was now vacant. Its owners—long time Bainbridge Islanders and retired doctors who had also worked at the clinic—decided it was time for a change.
Through careful planning, they redesigned the building, allowing for commercial spaces such as retail shops and galleries, as well as restaurant space. They also redesigned the exterior to allow for a plaza area that faces Winslow Way. Although construction is still ongoing inside the building, Matt Grady, owner of Pegasus Coffee House, saw an opportunity to make Dessinger’s dream of a Winslow Way location come true.
As Matt described it, the plaza of the Orchard Building at 380 Winslow Way was a great location to “test drive” a “pop-up café”, and the trailer was perfect as it is completely retrofitted with the newest and best equipment for producing their iconic coffee on the go. The coffee trailer is currently slated to be in place for six months, but he’s open to whatever the future brings, including the possibility of a second permanent location in the building itself.
The trailer offers all your Pegasus favorites, such as cold and hot brew, espresso, and grab-and-go foods—essentially everything you’ll find at the Parfitt location with the exception of made-to-order meals.
The plaza location is in the heart of downtown, and just a short distance from the ferry terminal. They offer outdoor seating for locals and visitors to enjoy their coffee and pastries, good conversation, and people watching on Winslow Way. Matt and the Pegasus staff plan to improve the seating and service areas throughout the month of June. The trailer is open from 9a.m. to 3p.m. daily.
Under the Washington State Re-Opening guidelines, Pegasus on Parfitt Way hopes to resume live music, beer and wine service, and longer hours in the very near future, click here to get updates. Its “artist of the month” exhibits started back up again in May.
Pegasus is hiring! Full and part time for all positions at both Bainbridge Island locations, if interested, contact Lauren Taylor at lauren@pegasuscoffee.com.
