On the corner of N 83rd and Greenwood Ave (behind Coyle’s Bakeshop), there’s a storefront that hums with possibility. Inside, the walls are lined with canvases in progress, paint-speckled tables, and the kind of energy you only find in a place where people are making something just for the joy of it. This is Dabble—a neighborhood studio dedicated to making art easy, accessible, and welcoming to everyone.
For Dave, Dabble’s owner and lifelong illustrator, the idea came from countless conversations. “I’d tell people what I do, and they’d always say, ‘I’ve always wanted to try painting’ or ‘I used to draw, but I don’t have the time or the space,’” he recalls. “I wanted to take away those excuses and create a space where making art didn’t feel complicated.”
A Studio Built for Neighbors
Walk through Dabble’s doors and you’ll find an environment designed for exploration. Most days are open drop-in sessions where you can set up at a table and dive into whatever you’ve been dreaming about—watercolors, acrylics, screen printing, etching, or even spraying the final coat on a handmade guitar in the studio’s spray booth.
On Wednesday and Thursday nights, the room shifts into class mode. Wednesday is for painting, Thursday for drawing, each with a different theme every week. “Tonight’s drawing class is all about thumbnail sketches,” Dave says. “It’s how you plan a picture so everything works together, instead of just putting an apple in the middle of a page.”
But it’s Saturday mornings that reveal Dabble’s heart. That’s when Dave opens the doors for free cartooning time, especially popular with kids and young families. Sometimes they arrive with ideas of their own, sometimes they pick up one of Dave’s prompts, and sometimes they just draw to see what happens. “It’s about giving people a place where creativity feels easy,” he says. “Where you can just sit down and make something.”
Rooted in Community
Dabble isn’t just an art studio—it’s part of PhinneyWood’s cultural fabric. Over the past four years, they’ve been a familiar presence at neighborhood favorites like Hunger Goblin, Rainbow Hop, the Art Walk, and PNAnimals. They’ve opened their doors to Greenwood Elementary’s after-school program and collaborated with neighbors in ways big and small.
And through it all, their connection to the PNA has been a thread that keeps the studio tied to the larger community. “I tell people about the PNA all the time because I don’t know of another neighborhood in Seattle with such a strong organization,” Dave says. “When we moved into this space, I didn’t realize how much they’d help connect us to people and other businesses. That support has been huge.”
Investing in the Neighborhood
Dabble’s membership program—offering unlimited drop-in time and class discounts—is a great way to make art part of your everyday life. But the studio’s story also highlights something bigger: how PNA Business Membership helps local businesses not just survive, but thrive.
When a business joins the PNA, it’s stepping into a network that amplifies their work, connects them to events, and creates the kind of neighborhood ecosystem that makes places like Dabble possible. Business Membership doesn’t just support one organization—it strengthens the entire community.
Dabble is proof of that: a studio built not just for making art, but for making connections.
You can find Dabble at 306 N 83rd St or visit dabbleseattle.com to learn more. And if you own a local business, consider becoming a PNA Business Member. Your investment isn’t just in your company—it’s in the shared story of our neighborhood.