Blog - Intentionalist

Sweet InTENtional List: Jess the Dessert Geek’s favorite Seattle dessert shops

How sweet it is to #SpendLikeItMatters! Known by her fellow dessert lovers as the Dessert Geek (@dessert.geek on Instagram), Jess took a moment to share a bit about some of her favorite Seattle dessert shops. Read all about it, then create and share your Sweet InTENtional List. Be sure to...

Retail Therapy Owner Reflects on Art, Activism, and Adapting to Evolving Community Needs

Amid the aftermath of September 11, 2001, Wazhma Samizay booked an international trip with her long-accumulated vacation hours. Unbeknownst to her, that vacation would alter the course of her life forever. Recalling her visits to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, she said that she learned...

Support Black-Owned Businesses During the NWSL Challenge Cup

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press When the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Challenge Cup kicked off on Saturday June 27, players from the Portland Thorns and the North Carolina Courage took a knee during the national anthem in solidarity of the Black Lives Matter movement. Online and on the...

Support Your Community and Spread Positivity – Open an #IntentionalTab Today

Laura Clise (Left) and Dr. Christine Zapata (Right) prior to opening an #IntentionalTab at Cafe Pettirosso Looking for more ways to support the diverse, local businesses in your community? Consider opening an #IntentionalTab. Opening a tab at your favorite local business is an easy and...

Our InTENtional List of QTPOC -owned businesses in Seattle

Photo credit: Tres Lecheria The modern LGBTQ rights movement owes a debt of gratitude to the leadership of Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPOC); notably Stormé DeLarverie, Sylvia Rivera, and Marsha P. Johnson. During Pride Month (and all year long!) we encourage you to...

Juneteenth 2020 – Black Owned Businesses Matter

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. While the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Lincoln took effect in January 1863, it wasn't until June of 1865 that Union solders finally reached Galveston, Texas and the last enslaved African Americans learned that they were...

Small Business. Big Pride. – My InTENtional List

It's a big day for LGBTQ equality, and I thought it seemed like a good occasion to share my Small Business. Big Pride. InTENtional List, which includes a variety of LGBTQ-owned small businesses that inspire me every day. I hope that you will join me in celebrating and amplifying the LGBTQ-owned...

Essentially AAPI – A Reflection

Last month was Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We invited the Intentionalist community to celebrate the ways AAPI-owned small businesses are essential to our communities, and you showed up! Throughout May, you demonstrated your support by sharing your favorite AAPI-owned businesses. Collectively, you highlighted 250 different...

Intentionalist CEO Laura Clise re: Pride Month 2020

Ever since I came out back in the nineties, I have been passionate about celebrating Pride Month. But as I sit here in anticipation of Pride Month 2020, things feel a bit different. The past few months have been a whirlwind as people and businesses have struggled for their very survival and yet...

Bellden Cafe Serves Up Kindness During Challenging Times

Claire Sumadiwirya grew up in Bellevue, but the plan to open a cafe in her neighborhood was actually born in Shanghai, China. Six years ago, Sumadiwirya was working in public relations and marketing and traveled to Shanghai for a brief job assignment. Everything was going as planned...