Hidden Seattle is a weekly feature exploring unique or lesser-known parts of our city by the Sound. Have ideas of places The Daily can investigate?

E-mail recommendations to features@dailyuw.com.

Bauhaus Books and Coffee:

301 E. Pine St. on Capitol Hill

(206) 625-1600

Bauhaus Books and Coffee combines two of Seattle’s great loves, literature and espresso, in one homey corner café on Capitol Hill.

In October 1993, Mike Kleebeck and Joel Radin opened downtown’s Bauhaus Books & Coffee.

“They were tired of working for corporate coffee and decided they wanted to do their own thing,” said Mis Loe, longtime Bauhaus manager.

Kleebeck and Radin met while working at Seattle’s Best Coffee back in the early ’90s.

Bauhaus is a prime spot for watching people. The crowd is a slice of Seattle, including students on their laptops using free Wi-Fi and bookworms with their noses in novels.

“Everyone is welcome at Bauhaus and all types of people congregate here,” Loe wrote in an e-mail.

Inside Bauhaus, light hits the gigantic windows at just the right angle to make the entire room shine.

The glow highlights the hardcover books that line an entire wall — the eclectic collection of old books that mostly came from estate sales. They consist of novels from the 1940s and old encyclopedias.

The design of the café is unique, with two floors and many seats along windows that look out on downtown from the top of a hill.

The sunset can be viewed from inside through the floor-to-ceiling windows that line the café’s corner lot.

“The aesthetic of the coffee shop is inspired by the German Bauhaus Architecture movement,” Loe said.

The café also has a house blend of coffee they package and sell.

“We have great coffee, but lots of places in Seattle have great coffee,” Loe said. “People have choices and if you want to come to Bauhaus you are always welcome to, and if it’s not your thing I will recommend you to someplace that I think will suit your needs.”

The coffee has a rich flavor but like the Bauhaus’ manager, it doesn’t boast and isn’t overpowering. The foam is thick and can be scooped with a spoon like whipped cream.

“The funny thing about Bauhaus is that one minute you could be making a chai for Cameron Diaz and the next minute you’re calling the police on a man whose decided that he doesn’t need to wear pants inside your coffee shop,” she wrote. “It’s not glamorous but it is always interesting for customers and employees alike.”

Natasha Bands:

www.natashabands.com

Bad hair days, meet Seattle fashionista Natasha Benzaquen of Natasha Bands. The 23-year-old graphic designer started her line of jeweled headbands after creating them as a hobby.

“I have been wearing headbands since the age of 3. I had one for every outfit, one in every style, color, and size,” she wrote in an e-mail. “My love for headbands continued to grow to this very day.”

She received so many orders that the project quickly turned into a business venture, and officially launched in July.

“Since then, to my delight, Natasha Bands has been fulfilling many orders, created a very popular line of headbands for little girls and is in the process of launching a Web site,” she wrote.

Benzaquen works out of a basement workshop with her sister, who also has a creative streak—she designs hats. Besides sharing her workspace with her sibling, it is also home to four mannequin heads — all of them sporting red wigs and her creations.

Her collection ranges from solid to turquoise to just about every color in between, and the jewels can be minimal or outrageous.

“I loved the idea of being able to craft various stylish and unique headbands and use jewels to add sparkle and elegance to any occasion and outfit,” she said.

Benzaquen’s headbands are available on her Facebook group, Natasha Bands, or at her Web site.

“I hope to reach out to every woman and girl,” she said. “And add a hint of sparkle and elegance to their everyday lives.”

Reach reporter Natalie Sikavi at features@dailyuw.com.