Drinkmore

The Drinkmore Cafe by night

Established in 1998, The Drinkmore Cafe was reported by InfoWorld Magazine to be the first commercial business to offer free wireless internet wifi services. Although few had the equipment necessary to take advantage of this, free wireless internet became a major component of the small coffee shop business model across America. Run by former software exec Scott Kennedy, The Drinkmore was the headquarters of Seattle Wireless and was the Howard Dean meetup spot during his 2004 presidential campaign. Originally built in 1905, the large warehouse was demolished by the owner to make way for new condominiums. The closing of this shop was reported here in The Capitol Hill Times