The Sloop Tavern celebrated its 69th birthday on a hot, dry day in the hot, dry summer of 2022. I have the T-shirt to prove it. The soft, blue tee features a map of the tiny section of Ballard where the Sloop has spent decades slinging beers, and where I tooled around for a couple of pandemic years. It’s multiple sizes too big, and it says “69” on it. Like a photograph, its existence throws my memories of that time and place into vivid relief.
Loosely defined as the type of memorabilia occasionally up for grabs at local checkout counters, merch offers a window into our city’s soul: a
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