Sebastian Simsch, esteemed bean man and owner of downtown’s Seattle Coffee Works, has landed what he considers a real estate gold mine for his second cafe: the corner of NW Market Street and 22nd Avenue. Simsch just signed the lease; the spot will go by Ballard Coffee Works.

“There’s rarely a piece of real estate” like that, Simsch says of the prime plot, formerly home to a Tully’s and before that, a bank. He added most corner coffee shops are too big but the 2,000-square-footer is exactly what he had in mind when scouting his expansion. Simsch anticipates a considerable overhaul of the interior before the coffee shop opens in early spring. “We want to make it a lot more pleasant. The bank hasn’t been swept out of the building.”

Ballard Coffee Works will carry the same core offerings as the downtown cafe (slated for an appearance on Bizarre Foods in January or February) but Simsch says those could change “as we see fit.” Ballard is very much its own animal, he points out, and he plans to accommodate accordingly. Ultimately he hopes BCW will serve as a “community center” for the neighborhood.