On Dec. 10, 2021, the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED) and then-Mayor Jenny Durkan announced the launch of Seattle Restored — a new program focused on activating vacant commercial storefronts in Downtown Seattle neighborhoods. The program has partnered with the Seattle Good Business Network and Shunpike, as well as other property owners, to provide spaces and support for local artists and entrepreneurs who can then use their designated space for 2 to 4 months, with hopes for eventual longer-term leases and expansion into different neighborhoods.
When the COVID-19 pandemic swept the country abruptly in March of last year, many worried what the impact on local small businesses would be.
Small businesses in South Seattle had to adjust and pivot their business models to weather the brunt of the pandemic, and many of them found unwavering support from the local community.
Alicia Haskins is no doubt applying for a grant from the City’s Small Business Stabilization Fund program.
After visiting small businesses around Rainier Beach, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced the program at a press conference at Rainier Health and Fitness, where she said the fund would focus on businesses owned by women and People of Color “because of the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities.”
Intentionalist is built on one simple idea: where we spend our money matters. We make it easy to find, learn about, and support small businesses and the diverse people behind them through everyday decisions about where we eat, drink, and shop. #SpendLikeItMatters
This April marks Intentionalist’s three year anniversary. Long before our small business database hit 3,000 listings and back when our social media following was primarily friends and family, there were some special small business owners who believed in our vision. They were excited about our mission to make it easier for all of us to support local businesses at the heart of our communities through everyday decisions about where we eat, drink, and shop.
Our founder, Laura Clise, brought Intentionalist online in April 2018 with the support of a handful of diverse small businesses in the Seattle area who shared her belief that where we spend our money matters. These business owners have been generous with their time and resources from the earliest days of Intentionalist. As we celebrate three years of being intentional, spending like it matters, and building community, we recognize that we are where we are today because of the diverse people behind the small businesses we love.
The following Seattle eateries have been inspiring and supporting us from day one. For our third birthday, Intentionalist is excited to celebrate these businesses that have been supporting us from the start.
Fall is here. And with it comes rain, gloom, and days that turn to night in the blink of an eye, as well as a never-ending news cycle that circulates between Trump administration shenanigans (so glad he’s almost gone!) to constant reminders that not only is COVID still a problem, but numbers across the country — including King County —are higher than ever. You know what would be amazing right now? A free music festival!
And lucky for us, Bad Habit Media has announced Shelter Fest, a new online music festival created in response to the shelter-in-place mandate and how it has disproportionately impacted the arts and service industries, as well as communities of color. All day this weekend, Saturday November 14 and Sunday November 15, Shelter Fest will provide direct support to local artists, businesses, and restaurants by fostering a creatively designed music festival that is both socially distant and surprisingly intimate.
