Twenty Years Of Tini Bigs

On December 7, Tini Bigs, which has been open “more consecutive days in a row” than almost any other independent bar west of the Mississippi, celebrates its 20th anniversary. And they’re throwing a crazy, 50-percent-off-everything party to mark the occasion. Twenty years is impressive when you consider the average restaurant life span in Seattle. Especially when you think about the various business-killing obstacles Tini Bigs has navigated over the years. Prior to the 2005 smoking ban, it was one of the few bars in Seattle where patrons could puff a cigar any time of day (the smoke-eating machines still hang from the ceiling), and Scotch-loving cigar smokers were a crucial part of the clientele. After the ban, owner Keith Robbins says, business dropped by 40 percent and his entire staff turned over in six months. Business from the Sonics, who played at nearby KeyArena, saved him, he says, but then that floor fell out too. Regardless, the bar survived… read more >