by Emerald Staff
Hyper-local nonprofit community development corporation, HomeSight, and five South Seattle business associations have teamed up to create a small business directory for the South End community. Funded by Seattle’s Office of Economic Development, the site is specifically designed to help the community connect with goods and services — and their favorite shops and restaurants — in the wake of coronavirus shutdowns and quarantines.
“South Seattle is still open for business!” Reads the front page of the website, essentialseseattle.com, or “Essential Southeast Seattle,” where you can browse and search for area businesses by name and type and find the latest information about them—namely, whether or not they’re open (as some are currently closed), but also their current business hours, whether or not they’re selling gift cards or offering virtual services, and—in the case of restaurants—if they’re providing takeout and/or delivery services.
The site is brand new and its creators are still hard at work making improvements and adding business listings and up-to-date info. When in doubt, they say, check with the business. Each businesses’ contact info is conveniently listed for you along with any other info site management has recently gathered. The neighborhood business associations behind the site are Beacon Business Alliance, Mt. Baker Hub Alliance, Rainer Ave Business Coalition, the Martin Luther King Business Association, and Rainier Beach Merchants Association.
Learn more about HomeSight on their website (the organization manages essentialseseattle.com).
