Velocity Coffee

Joe and Caroline Ruth opened Velocity on June 25, 2012 on the ground floor of the Weissblum building on the Northwest Maritime Center campus. Joe had pulled shots at Bread and Roses, 1012 Coffee Bar and the UnderTown before opening his own. The location does the work: high ceilings, big windows facing Port Townsend Bay with bar seating along them, and in good weather the windows slide fully open onto the plaza, where communal picnic tables look across the water at the Olympics and the Whidbey ferries.

The coffee is Olympia Coffee Roasting with guest roasters, pulled on a La Marzocco Strada, with pour overs on the menu. There is no bakery on site; pastries come from Pane d'Amore and bagels from Bob's Bagels, delivered by bicycle. Sprudge profiled it in 2017.

For a stretch the city manager held a weekly Friday coffee hour here, which tells you what kind of room it is. The Maritime Center kept Velocity open through its campus construction in 2023 and 2024.

Hours are the one thing to check: published schedules disagree, with some showing a half day that ends at 12:30 on weekdays and closed weekends, and others a full day Monday through Saturday.