Paxson Fay is a full-service marketing and public relations firm specializing in the architecture, design, and arts industries.
Paxson Fay
4770 Ohio Ave S
Ste B
Seattle, WA 98134
info@paxsonfay.com
Vulcan’s Cafe Calaveras on Seattle Business Magazine
Café Calaveras Finds a Home
Clarissa Griego brings culture and connection to her first brick-and-mortar coffee shop in the Yesler neighborhood.
Coral pink and marigold walls frame the space, while red, orange, and white flowers cascade down the walls. Sunlight pours through tall windows, catching the green plants, and a burst of colorful tile across the front counter sets the tone at Café Calaveras. The space feels warm, alive, and distinctly feminine.
Two years ago, founder Clarissa Griego was serving coffee under a tent with borrowed ice chests at a lowrider show in White Center. This summer, she opened her first brick-and-mortar cafe inside Vulcan Real Estate’s Batik apartment building on Yesler—where Tougo Coffee once was. The name honors the sugar skulls of Día de los Muertos, the Mexican holiday that celebrates ancestry, life, and death. For Griego, that tradition is the framework for her shop.
“Día de los Muertos is a celebration of life. I love how that can translate into the space overall,” she says. “It’s a celebration of our roots and our ancestors and where we come from—feeling proud and loud. Each person that comes in can relate to the space or even just feel warm and welcomed and a little bit more alive.”
That shift from hazy and half-asleep into feeling awake is part of what Griego loves about coffee. “There’s so many funny little phrases we say in the mornings—‘I feel dead’ or ‘I’m not alive yet until I’ve had my cup of coffee.’ This rich dirt water in a cup that we all really need to wake up, does create that crossover, from not so awake and alive to ready to take on our day,” she says. “As well as with Día de los Muertos, there’s this crossover that happens from the not so living to the living.”
The drinks are layered with the same kind of meaning. Café de olla, a spiced coffee brewed in a clay pot with cinnamon and brown sugar, dates back to the Mexican Revolution, when female soldiers made it to sweeten bitter coffee. “It kind of tastes like Christmas in a cup,” Griego says. Another favorite is La chingona—Spanish slang for “badass woman”—a cold brew topped with salty caramel foam. “Cold brew is typically known to be stronger than most espresso drinks, because it’s brewed for 24 hours. It has salted caramel, so that’s that salty and sweetness. It’s kind of this play on like, we’re strong—we’re a little bit salty sometimes and we need to be—but we’re pretty sweet.”
Other menu items pay tribute to influences ranging from Mexican candies to Mexican-American singer-songwriter Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, the late “Queen of Tejano music.” A latte flavored with mazapán, a peanut candy, has become a hit. Another, the glitter-dusted “Bidi Bidi Brew Brew” (cold brew topped with ube foam), nods to Selena’s iconic purple jumpsuit and her song “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.” “We have a lot of fun making pretty drinks,” Griego says.
The cafe also offers small bites and Mexican baked goods like pan dulce.
Her story starts far from Seattle. Griego grew up in San Antonio, then lived abroad in Central America before moving to the city in 2018. “At first I wasn’t convinced I’d stay. It was a culture shock. Around San Antonio, in every direction I looked, there were brown people. Here, that wasn’t my experience,” she says. She worked her way into the industry, becoming the first manager at Ghost Alley Espresso in Pike Place Market.
“I quickly realized, as a broke woman, that opening a cafe was easier said than done,” she says. “I started with nothing but heart.” The pop-up years were hard due to vendor and permit fees, and she relied heavily on community support. “A lot of things were provided by my own personal community as well as my business community, until I was able to afford my own equipment.” The cafe also came together with help from local partners and organizations, including Ventures Nonprofit, Friends of the Waterfront Park, SCORE, and Aqui Mercado.
A residency at Pier 62’s pop-up promenade in 2023 gave her stability and consistent revenue, providing the foothold she needed to move toward a permanent shop. “I’m not sure I could be where I’m at without that opportunity, to be honest.”
The Yesler space, which had a soft opening Sept. 1, is deeply personal for Griego. A queer Latina, she sees the cafe as a place of belonging. “It feels as if I’m writing a long love letter to every Latinx in Seattle,” she says. All of the staff are BIPOC, and representation matters to her. “There’s so much we are told and laws that are in place that we don’t deserve certain rights,” she says. “And I want the space to feel like—no, you belong here. You have the right to be here and not only the right to be here, but we are celebrating you being here.”
A couple weeks into opening, she’s already seeing it happen. “People come in and see some of the names of our drinks, or walk up and speak Spanish and the barista can speak Spanish back to them, and they’re having that feeling of like, ‘oh, wow, that feels familiar, that feels like home to some degree.’”
For now, Griego is content with what she’s built. The cafe is busy and the community is showing up. When asked about the future, she smiles. “The sky is the limit,” she says. “If there’s an opportunity for multiple locations way down the line, that sounds great. But right now, the goal is just to have a successful business and let other dreams evolve down the road.”
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meet the team
We’re inspired by diverse design perspectives, innovation, technology, art, and the world around us. We live for the chance to create and disperse powerful, genuine messages that resonate.
tessa franchini
principal
tessa@paxsonfay.com
Tessa graduated from Fordham University in New York with a dual bachelor's degree in Communications and Political Science. During her time at Fordham, she worked for an interior designer and at NBC News where she developed her love for both design and communications. After graduating, Tessa managed marketing at 3form, a pioneer in the sustainable building products industry. During her tenure, 3form was repeatedly named one of the most recognized manufacturers in the design industry among architects and designers, and the company won multiple awards for its innovative product launches. After 3form, Tessa consulted on marketing efforts with leading product manufacturers in architecture and design before starting Paxson Fay with Amy.
amy golden
principal
amy@paxsonfay.com
Originally from Seattle, Amy left her home in the Pacific Northwest to attend Fordham University, fulfilling her dream of living in New York City. After graduating with a BS in business administration, specializing in marketing and minoring in economics, Amy began her career in advertising sales at CNN and the Hallmark Channel in New York and LA. However, Amy’s love of writing, design, and connection with people ultimately led her to PR. While finishing her MBA back home at Seattle University, in 2015, Amy cofounded Paxson Fay with her friend and business partner, Tessa, driven by a shared vision to build a PR agency that reflected their values and passions. At Paxson Fay, Amy thrives in media relations and pitch development, enjoying the process of diving deep into each client’s story to craft compelling narratives that resonate with editors and journalists. Amy has a particular passion for architecture-focused projects, and securing SHED’s feature in The New York Times was an especially rewarding moment, as they were her first client. Another major career milestone was helping build out Paxson Fay’s talented team, fostering an environment where young professionals can grow their skills and pursue their passions. Outside of work, Amy loves spending time with her family, chasing after her two little boys, exploring Seattle’s restaurant scene, traveling with friends, and reading.
colby wood
senior account executive
colby@paxsonfay.com
After graduating from Fordham University in New York City with a major in Communications and Media Studies and a handful of marketing and PR internships, Colby moved to Boston to manage marketing for a small, women-owned, creative consulting agency. While in that role, Colby managed public relations and marketing efforts for some of Boston's most prominent events and public art initiatives, including the Boston Pickle Fair and The Bulfinch Crossing Projections in downtown Boston. Colby gained experience crafting brand stories and identities through social media marketing and creative copywriting, seen through the successful launch of a premier Massachusetts adult-use dispensary and the revamp of her agency's own website. After two years, Colby decided it was time to figure out what the West Coast was all about. Looking to blend her marketing experience with her passion for design and architecture, Colby found Paxson Fay, where she focuses on social media strategy and management and public relations.
paige childs
account executive
paige@paxsonfay.com
As a child, Paige wanted to be an architect; but after falling in love with storytelling, the power of words, and yes, the show West Wing, she decided to pursue journalism at The George Washington University in the nation’s capital. Following graduation, Paige crafted communications for the beauty and banking industries. Craving space for creativity, she joined the small team that would reopen the congressionally designated National Children’s Museum. There, she played an integral role in establishing the museum’s brand, bringing it to life across digital channels, including social media, email, and advertising. After nearly eight years in DC, she decided it was time for a change of scenery. Having grown fond of the title Washingtonian, she made the cross-country move to Washington State. She landed in Seattle at Paxson Fay, where in true full circle fashion she is the architect of social media and public relations strategies for our architecture and design clients.
martina povolo
account coordinator
martina@paxsonfay.com
Martina joined the Paxson Fay team as an intern when she was a senior at the University of Washington. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Public Interest Communications, Martina is now continuing with the team as a Communications Assistant. During her time at UW, Martina worked as the Special Sections Editor at the university’s newspapers where she won multiple awards for her front page spreads. Looking to blend her minors in real estate and environmental science with her focus in communications, Martina is passionate and excited to join the Paxson Fay team.
tara lyons
account coordinator
tara@paxsonfay.com
With roots in Napa and Denver, Tara ventured to the Pacific Northwest to pursue her academic journey at the University of Washington, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Education. Tara's love for writing began when she delved into songwriting, building on her pre-existing passion for singing and playing the piano. Following her undergraduate years, she returned to Paxson Fay, where she had previously interned, transitioning into the role of Communications Assistant. With a keen interest in PR and social media, Tara seamlessly integrates her creative flair into the professional realm. Outside of work, you'll find Tara passionately supporting the Kraken, embodying her love for both storytelling and sports.
We are hiring for our internship program! We are looking for an intern with a passion for design to help manage key communication channels. Click here to read more.
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what we do
We are a communications firm founded in our passion for good design. Our unique approach to marketing and public relations in the architecture and design community has elevated our clients work to the next level. We’re backed by a talented community of creatives. From copywriters to social media experts, we provide a complete package of customized services. We strive to create a personal experience with each client, integrating teams and tackling your biggest marketing and public relations challenges from a high level. Then we help execute those plans ensuring lots of reporting along the way, with lots of coffee breaks in between because we’re from Seattle and that’s what we do.
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Here is a little taste of who we love to work with and what we love to do.
