Woods Coffee, Sound 2 Summit Brewing Break Ground at Port of Everett's Waterfront Place

Port of Everett, City of Everett, The Schuster Group, Sound 2 Summit and Woods Coffee representatives grab shovels for the groundbreaking event at Port Gardner Landing on July 7.

Yesterday, the Port of Everett and development partner The Schuster Group gathered with project partners and community members to break ground on two new retail/restaurant buildings at Waterfront Place.

The buildings, soon to take shape at the corner of 18^th Street and West Marine View Drive, will house Pacific Northwest favorites Woods Coffee and Sound 2 Summit Brewing Co. set to open Spring 2023. 

At the event, Port of Everett and City of Everett officials, The Schuster Group and tenants shared remarks of excitement, followed by a ceremonial groundbreaking to commemorate the milestone. CLICK HERE FOR MORE EVENT PHOTOS.

“This is an exciting time for the Port and The Schuster Group, as well as the many partners and Port staff it has taken to get us to this moment,” Port Commission President David Simpson said. “This project, in combination with the many others underway here at Waterfront Place, are a testament to the Port’s commitment in creating a destination waterfront that we can all be proud of – a waterfront that is not only a key economic driver and job creator in the county, but also, a community asset with a little something for everybody.”

The coffee shop and taproom additions are bringing new life to this marquee corner at the south entrance of Waterfront Place. The site has sat vacant since relocation of the historic Weyerhaeuser Building to Boxcar Park in 2016.

Both businesses will have indoor and outdoor seating, including a courtyard for Sound 2 Summit that connects the buildings to create a new gathering hub just steps from Naval Station Everett and the Grand Avenue Park Bridge. The Woods Coffee drive-thru is also adding convenience for those that live, work and pass through the area.


An artist rendering by Cushing Terrell of the conceptual design for the two buildings to house Woods Coffee and Sound 2 Summit at Waterfront Place.

“I can’t think of a better way to activate this site, and I’m especially excited to be able to open up new options for our valued military community living and working on base right next door at Naval Station Everett,” Port CEO Lisa Lefeber said. “Woods Coffee and Sound 2 Summit complement each other perfectly for this space. We couldn’t be more thrilled to support their business expansions and welcome them to the neighborhood.”

Waterfront Place marks the third Snohomish County location for Woods Coffee. The local coffeehouse chain has 20 locations throughout Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, and King counties. 

“We started Woods Coffee 20 years ago, my family and I, and we just love to serve and be a part of these communities and create a space where people can come gather,” Woods Coffee Co-Owner Kelly Spiker said. “It’s the theme I’m sensing here, with everyone and everything that’s going to happen down here. I’m so excited to be a part of the Everett community.”

Snohomish-based Sound 2 Summit is excited to expand their award-winning craft beer to Waterfront Place. The taproom will feature a variety of craft beer from its popular tap list, and flatbread pizza is also on the menu. Plans to bring new brew variations, including a collaboration using Woods Coffee is also in the works. 

“A couple of years ago my wife and I were reflecting on the vision we had for opening up a brewery – we had the goal of being able to create community and an atmosphere that was warm, inviting and engaging,” Managing Director of Sound 2 Summit Brewing Doug Milnor said. “We want this to become the community’s gathering spot where they can come enjoy a pint. We’re looking forward to opening up our doors and letting you experience some of our beers we’ve been able to craft over in Snohomish.”

The Schuster Group is the developer of this project, which comprises 6,500 square feet of new retail between the two buildings. Additional project partners include Cushing Terrell, PND Engineers, HBB Landscape, GeoEngineers and Harbor Power Engineers on the design side, and Kirtley Cole as general contractor.

The Port is also working with The Schuster group to develop other destination retail and restaurants at Waterfront Place, including restaurant row and the Wine Walk.

“This day has been a long time in the making and is the first of many celebrations that we plan to have here,” The Schuster Group President Holly Gardner said. “I want to thank the Port and the Commission for believing in this partnership and working so collaboratively with us through this process. This is going to be a true destination waterfront that not only serves the residents of Snohomish County, but tourists from all over the state who are going to discover and enjoy this amazing gem.”

The City has also been a long-time partner and champion for the Port’s efforts at Waterfront Place.

“The development that’s going on down here is just outstanding, and I’m so grateful for this partnership that we have with the Port and our Port Commissioners,” City of Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin said. “The Port has been continuously growing this beautiful waterfront and developing incredible amenities that our residents are excited about. Our waterfront has been a best-kept secret in Everett for far too long. There are so many people who don’t even know the beauty of the waterfront, and all these types of businesses and amenities are bringing them into our waterfront community, making Everett a destination for visitors. Together we’re positioning Everett, and our waterfront in particular, as a destination not to be missed in the Pacific Northwest.”

For more information, contact Catherine Soper, Port of Everett Communications & Marketing Director at catherines@portofeverett.com.

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About Waterfront Place
The Port of Everett’s Waterfront Place is a new 1.5M square foot (sf) mixed-use development located at the waterfront near downtown Everett, Washington. The development boasts spectacular views, waterfront access, recreational amenities and a world-class marina – the largest public Marina on the West Coast – with 2,300 slips and 10 guest docks. At full build-out, Waterfront Place will include 63,000 sf of retail/restaurant space, another 20,000 sf of marine retail, 447,500 sf of office, two waterfront hotels, and up to 660 waterfront housing units. Featured amenities include new trails and regional parks together with public gathering spaces, a variety of fine and casual dining, local shops and marine sales/services. The project’s expected $650M+ in public/private investment will support nearly 2,100 family-wage jobs and generate $8.6M annually in state and local taxes. To date, the Port has facilitated $150M+ in investment here, with more to come.

About The Schuster Group
Established in 1989, The Schuster Group is a fully integrated real estate investment, development, consultation and management firm, headquartered in Seattle, Washington. As a nationally recognized award-winning developer, The Schuster Group has built a distinguished reputation for developing dynamic environments by uniquely blending vision, creativity, and high-performance processes. Leveraging this brand and reputation on behalf of its clients, The Schuster Group has been creating distinctive, sustainable projects of enduring value for over 30 years. For more information, visit www.theschustergroup.com.

About Woods Coffee
Woods Coffee was established in 2002 by the Herman family of Lynden, Washington. With a dream of starting a chain of coffee shops, the Hermans pooled their talents and resources to create the first Woods Coffee shop in Lynden. After six months, they opened their second store in the same town. Since then, they have been on a steady growth track. The Herman family now has Woods Coffee locations throughout the Pacific Northwest, located in Whatcom County, Skagit County, Snohomish, and King County. Woods Coffee’s mission is to serve others, make a difference, and have fun. They do all they can to make the communities they call home thrive.

About Sound 2 Summit Brewing
The first brewery in Snohomish was established in 2014 by John and Stacey Sype. Sound 2 Summit Brewing Co. is now owned by a team of beer-makers: Doug and Christine Milnor, Bret and Jesse Niebruegge, Tom and Sharon Ovens, and Danny and Kara Evanger. Head brewer Adam Frantz specializes in IPAs, Kolsches and ales. Sound 2 Summit was named Restaurant Guru’s Best Pub & Bar in 2021, along with receiving a Double Gold Medal from Sip Magazine for their “Sail Away Scotch Ale” and won 4 medals from Washington Brewers (1 Gold, 2 Silvers and 1 Bronze).