Save Slightly Furry: Fund Sewer Repair Costs

Slightly Furry Needs Your Help

Back in December of 2023, we completed the purchase of Sovereign Brewing and took over the space at 851 Rainier Ave S. Soon after we began our setup and cleanup, we started to notice drainage issues we did not see in our site visits during the negotiation for the lease. After calling multiple plumbing companies and using virtually every available plumbing repair technology known to their industry, we are now stuck with a side sewer that is not draining properly. We have already had to close our taproom and stop cider production a couple of times because of this issue. At this point, between 6 plumbing companies we have now spent over $36,000 collectively trying every option we could short of digging up one of the busiest streets in Seattle. The lowest quote to dig up the street which is the last ditch effort option and solve this issue for good is currently at $161,000 before additional labor and materials to patch the road after we dig and fix the problem. That, coupled with the money already spent would force us to close pretty quickly. Slightly Furry has already borrowed a lot of money to get setup and open and this plumbing issue has taken away most of our emergency funds for building maintenance. We are right at the point where we could grow to meet the incredible demand for our ciders, but this will take away the world's first furry owned and run cidery if we don’t address it now.

Are you going to dig up the street now?

These funds will help us recoup the unexpected plumbing expenses we have already incurred to keep us open. We have **one more attempt left to repair the sewer** before we have to make the call to do the dig. One of the plumbing companies wants to attempt a repair without digging up the street. If they are successful, they will charge us $52,000. If they are unsuccessful, we will have to make the call to dig up Rainier Avenue with the lowest available bid.

Doesn’t your landlord have to pay for this?

Most commercial leases do not cover utilities which include sewer, water, gas, electrical. Our lease is no exception to this standard. We are working with our landlord to keep them informed about what is happening and they are working with us on whatever solutions are needed to get us back up and running.

What about the Public Utility fixing this?

Seattle Public Utilities is a little weird in that anything leading up to the sewer main, even in the street is considered the land owners responsibility. Since our lease moves this responsibility from the landlord to the lessor, this falls on us to resolve.

Why is it so expensive?

Rainier Avenue is not only one of the busiest arterial roads in Seattle, it is also one of the bigger sewer mains. The tunnel they built is 54 inches in diameter and about 26 feet down from the street surface. Digging a hole that deep is a very risky operation and requires a lot of coordination of traffic, utilities, and contractors to get done safely. There are also overhead power lines for the public bus system they must be aware of and avoid to do this job safely. Only a few companies in Seattle are equipped to perform this level of work given all the equipment and personnel needed.

How long will the dig and patch fix last you?

If we can patch the pipe or end up doing the expensive dig into the street and replace the broken pipe, it will be good for 20+ years. We should never have to deal with a plumbing problem like the one we have now for a very long time and it will allow us to continue growing.

What if you raise too much money?

Any excess funds we raise through here beyond covering the plumbing expenses will be donated to our friends at Resilient Hearts . They are an awesome queer and furry run animal rescue here in Seattle. We did a very successful fundraiser for back in May for them and would love to keep doing more work with them in the future.