Looking to start a new business, grow your existing one, or plan to close? We break down what you need to know and how to do it in our updated Small Business Handbook. The comprehensive guide brings together all the tools, programs, checklists, and free resources in one easy-to-navigate space. Our goal is to help small businesses get up and running… [ Keep reading ]
We are excited to share the 2026 Tenant Improvement Program awardees! Through this program we are investing nearly $1.3 million across 43 small businesses to help them stabilize and grow with new equipment and signage. Businesses include neighborhood favorites and community spaces that provide a variety of valued services across the city. We prioritize viable businesses at high risk of displacement, including BIPOC and women-owned… [ Keep reading ]
“If you do what you love, you never work a day in your life. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s very true.” Tolga Seymen’s path to co-owning Nutty Squirrel Gelato with wife Alev began with an opportunity to learn about gelato in Rome and a desire to spend time… [ Keep reading ]
We designed the Back to Business Program to help small business owners recover from unexpected costs to repair and prevent vandalism and property damage. To meet the needs of businesses, we expanded the program to increase the grant amounts business owners can receive. Applications are open through December 2026, or until… [ Keep reading ]
As interior designers, Sonia-Lynn Abenojar and Sergio Max Legon-Talmoni know what it takes to turn an idea into a reality. “Our role as designers is taking the big idea from the client, any inspiration they have from aesthetics to function, and putting them into drawing form so the City can… [ Keep reading ]
Beto Yarce’s journey to becoming the acting director of our office is rooted in small business ownership. Beto started his own business, Cintli, with $250 and a six-foot table. He made jewelry and sold Mexican folk art at famers markets and festivals around Seattle. The idea to grow his… [ Keep reading ]
National Small Business Week is a time to celebrate the important contributions of our small businesses to Seattle’s economy. They bring character to our neighborhoods, drive our economy, and embody what makes Seattle special. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. For every dollar we invest in a small… [ Keep reading ]
The tofu at Chu Minh Tofu in Little Sài Gòn is made with a lot of love and a lot of labor. Soybeans are first ground by hand before a small machine finishes the process, resulting in the perfect tofu. That process will soon be much easier, thanks to a… [ Keep reading ]
Muhammad Ali once said, “The service you do for others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” Those are the words guiding how Tricia Arcaro Turton manages her gym, Arcaro Boxing. “If it wasn’t for other people that were beacons of hope showing me the way,… [ Keep reading ]
Small businesses looking for financial support to upgrade their spaces can now apply for the Tenant Improvement Program. We have two packages available in 2026: the sign package award of up to $15,000 and the equipment package award of up to $50,000. These packages help cover the cost of replacing… [ Keep reading ]
