By Intentionalist — January 7, 2025

2024 was a year of resilience, growth, and community impact for Intentionalist. As a small business ourselves, we understand firsthand the challenges and opportunities that come with building something meaningful from the ground up. Since our founding in 2018, we’ve stayed true to our mission of building a community-driven economy, and this year marked our most significant chapter yet. 

Through partnerships with major Seattle institutions, collaborations with local artists, and initiatives spanning from Seattle to Washington D.C., we’ve created new ways for people to discover and support the small businesses that make our communities unique. As we reflect on a year that brought both triumphs and challenges for Main Street businesses, we’re reminded that every dollar spent locally is an investment in the places and people that make our neighborhoods feel like home.

Here’s a look at what we accomplished together in 2024, and the impact our community made possible.

History & Heritage Months

Throughout 2024, we celebrated the diversity of our communities through our History & Heritage Month campaigns. Working alongside Seattle’s major sports teams, we spotlighted Black-owned, AANHPI-owned, women-owned, LGBTQ-owned, and Latinx-owned businesses during their respective heritage months. 

Each campaign featured original artwork from local artists and incentivized community members to discover and support these businesses through our Receipt + Receive program. The response was remarkable – our community spent over $218,000 at these businesses during the campaigns, proving that when we make it easier for people to spend intentionally, they show up in meaningful ways. These celebrations weren’t just about numbers – they were about creating lasting connections between consumers and the diverse business owners who make our neighborhoods vibrant and unique.

Thank you to our artists: Nathaly Lerma, Stevie Shao, Yes Segura, Jessie Lipscomb, and Cindy Chischilly

Thank you to the small businesses that hosted our History & Heritage Month events: 

Thank you to the Seattle Sounders, Reign, Seahawks, Storm, Mariners, and Kraken!

Small Business Passes

Our Small Business Pass program first launched in 2023 and really came to life in 2024. The Passes initiative is designed to bring people closer to the diverse small businesses that enrich our communities. Throughout the year, we coordinated 10 unique passes, each offering special discounts and deals at a total of 138 participating businesses. These passes encouraged community members to explore and support local businesses during special occasions such as Black History Month, National Small Business Week, and Small Business Saturday. With more than 2,750 customers taking advantage of these offers, the program not only provided savings, which thanks to our partners didn’t impact the business’ bottom line, but also helped locals discover new favorites. 

Our Small Business Pass program exemplifies our commitment to fostering vibrant, interconnected communities by making it easier for people to #SpendLikeItMatters.

Thank you to our partners for their support of the Small Business Passes. 

  1. New Year’s Celebration Pass – Visit Seattle & Seattle’s Office of Economic Development 
  2. Black History Month Pass – Visit Seattle
  3. National Small Business Week – Seattle’s Office of Economic Development, Alaska Airlines, BECU, the Essential Southeast Seattle Collective, Seattle Credit Union, the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Seattle Sounders FC, Symetra, Uwajimaya, Visit Seattle, and Vulcan Real Estate 
  4. We All Scream Love Local – City of Seattle Office of Economic Development 
  5. Music’s In Our Blood – Bloodworks Northwest
  6. Rapid Ride G – King County Metro 
  7. Small Business Saturday – Downtown Seattle – Symetra and Visit Seattle
  8. Small Business Saturday – Bellevue – Symetra and PNC Bank
  9. Small Business Saturday – Chinatown-International District – The Asian American Foundation (TAAF)
  10. DC United Small Business Pass – D.C. United Foundation

Music’s In Our Blood

In one of our most unique and impactful partnerships of 2024, we joined forces with Bloodworks Northwest for the “Music’s In Our Blood” campaign. This creative collaboration brought together 10 local “rock star” small businesses to raise awareness about the critical importance of blood donation. Each participating business offered special promotions through our Small Business Pass program while sharing their own musical connections and stories. 

The campaign demonstrated how small businesses can be powerful voices for community health initiatives, creating a harmony between supporting local establishments and saving lives through blood donation. It’s partnerships like these that remind us of the extraordinary impact we can have when we bring together community organizations and small businesses for a greater cause.

We All Scream “LOVE LOCAL”

Summer 2024 brought a sweet twist to our Love Local campaign, an innovative partnership with Seattle’s Office of Economic Development. We created “We All Scream” – an ice cream-themed initiative that brought fresh energy to the Madison St. corridor, turning a simple treat into a tool for community connection. Local businesses in Capitol Hill and Madison Valley got creative with frozen-themed special offers, while retail shops became hubs for distributing discount coupons, creating a delightful cross-pollination of foot traffic between establishments. 

The two-day activation demonstrated how playful, themed campaigns can bring neighborhoods together and encourage people to explore local businesses in new ways. By transforming a summer favorite into an opportunity for community engagement, we helped create moments of joy while driving meaningful support to small businesses during a typically slower season.

RapidRide G Line Small Business Pass

The launch of King County Metro’s RapidRide G Line marked the culmination of a challenging three-year transit construction project that significantly impacted small businesses along the corridor. After years of construction-related disruptions, we partnered with King County Metro to create a special Small Business Pass featuring exclusive offers at 35 local establishments in Seattle’s Madison Valley, Capitol Hill, and First Hill neighborhoods. This collaboration wasn’t just about improving transit – it was a meaningful way to support the resilient businesses that weathered the construction period and to celebrate their perseverance. 

By linking transit improvements with support for neighborhood businesses, we demonstrated how infrastructure projects can ultimately become catalysts for local economic vitality. The initiative encouraged riders to hop off at different stops, explore new neighborhoods, and rediscover the diverse small businesses that make these corridors vibrant and unique, helping to restore foot traffic to areas that had faced considerable challenges during construction.

Put It On Our Tab!

One of our most direct ways of driving spending to small businesses in 2024 was through our pre-paid tab program, which opened tabs at 100 Greater Seattle area businesses. Working with partners like Visit Seattle, Seattle Bank, BECU, and various community organizations, we created a simple yet powerful system: we pre-loaded money at local establishments, then invited community members to enjoy free items through an easy-to-use code redemption process. 

BECU’s Equity in Action

Our partnership with BECU through the “Equity in Action: It’s on Us” initiative is a cornerstone of our mission to support diverse small businesses across our communities. Working alongside BECU, we are proud to contribute to a more equitable economic landscape by spotlighting and supporting local businesses throughout the year.

This initiative allows us to open tabs at local establishments, creating opportunities for BECU members and the broader community to experience their offerings and stories firsthand. The collaboration underscores the power of partnership in addressing racial inequities and promoting inclusivity. Together with BECU, we celebrate the vibrant talent and diversity of our local business scenes and encourage everyone to explore and support the small businesses that make our neighborhoods unique. Our shared commitment to equity and inclusion is not just an initiative—it’s a continual journey toward a more just and connected community.

Visit Seattle x Seattle Bank

In its third year, our prepaid tab collaboration with Visit Seattle and Seattle Bank featured businesses in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood. From thali meals at Nirmal’s to chicken wings at Golden Roosters and “Piggylicious” bahn mi at Saigon Drip, these tabs did more than offer free treats – they introduced new customers to local businesses, created moments of joy for community members, and often led to additional purchases and return visits. The program’s success demonstrated how removing initial barriers to entry can create lasting connections between consumers and local businesses.

Intentionalist Awards

In October, we hosted our second annual Intentionalist Awards, a night that perfectly captured what makes our small business community special. With over 400 nominations, we celebrated the remarkable achievements of local entrepreneurs who go above and beyond to create spaces of belonging and connection. From Mattice Beauty Supply‘s commitment to lifting up fellow businesses, to Tai Tung Restaurant‘s decades-long legacy of community impact, each winner embodied the spirit of intentional business ownership. 

The evening itself was a showcase of local talent, featuring delectable offerings from eight local food and beverage vendors, and cultural performances that honored our region’s diverse heritage. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, each small business award recipient received a cash award of $3,000, and all finalists received a night’s staycation in a Seattle hotel, thanks to Visit Seattle. Special recognition was also given to the often-unsung heroes – the team members who bring these businesses to life every day – each of whom took home a $500 award.

The awards ceremony reminded us that small businesses aren’t just places of commerce – they’re the cornerstone of vibrant, connected communities.

Read about this year’s nominees and winners!

Thank you to the sponsors of the Intentionalist Awards: BECU, Alaska Airlines, Dick’s Drive-In, Fulcrum Coffee, Safeway, Symetra, Visit Seattle, and Vlack Media. 

Seattle Sports Community Partnerships

Our partnerships with Seattle’s professional sports teams in 2024 created exciting new ways to connect fans with local businesses. 

The Seattle Seahawks were particularly active partners, hosting a series of community happy hours that brought fans and players together at local establishments like Fremont’s new Frelard Tamales location, and Moe Vegan’s new location in Kent. These events created authentic connections between pro athletes, fans, and small business owners. 

Thank you to the small businesses that hosted our Happy Hour with the Hawks! 

The Seattle Reign also embraced creative collaborations, from hosting a matcha-making workshop at Miro Tea, to partnering with Dough Joy for special game-day treats. We also had the opportunity to take a tour of Capitol Hill with Reign mid-fielder and Olympic Gold Medalist, Quinn, to introduce them several small business owners. 

Beyond Seattle, we also partnered with Black Players for Change to create Black-owned business guides for 10 cities.

These partnerships demonstrated how professional sports teams can use their platform to spotlight local businesses and create meaningful community engagement beyond the field, court, and pitch. 

Gift Like It Matters

In 2024, we continued our tradition of making it easier than ever for organizations and individuals to give meaningfully through our curated gift box program. Each Intentionalist gift box showcased a thoughtfully selected array of products from diverse-owned small businesses across Seattle, turning corporate gifting and personal presents into opportunities to support local entrepreneurs. 

By bundling items from multiple small businesses into convenient gift boxes, we created a ripple effect of impact – introducing recipients to new local favorites while providing valuable wholesale orders to small business owners. The program exemplified our belief that every purchase, including corporate gifts, can be an intentional choice to support the small businesses that make our communities unique. 

Local Marketplace Magic

Intentionalist brought our expertise in vendor curation to four distinctive marketplace experiences, creating meaningful opportunities for 56 local businesses to reach new audiences. Each market was thoughtfully designed to showcase the diversity and talent within our small business community. We connected Black artists with new platforms, brought women-owned businesses to the Seattle Sports Commission‘s Leadership Breakfast, curated local vendors for Visit Seattle’s annual luncheon, and helped the Seahawks create a marketplace celebrating local entrepreneurs at the final home game of the season. 

These pop-up markets did more than just facilitate sales – they created valuable exposure for small businesses, fostered connections between vendors and customers, and demonstrated how intentional curation can transform traditional retail experiences into celebrations of local entrepreneurship.

Small Business Spotlights

We told the stories of 39 businesses through our Small Business Spotlight series. Catch up with them all below, and be sure to visit our Instagram to watch the corresponding videos.

Food/Beverage 

Beauty/Wellness

Services

Shopping 

We made a Music Video! 

In an innovative twist, we created Intentionalist’s first music video, which celebrated the Intentionalist Card’s power to transform everyday spending into acts of community support. With lyrics penned by our founder, Laura, the video was a vibrant showcase of local talent and small businesses. 

Filmed and edited by Vlack Media, the video featured cameos from beloved local spots like QueenCare Products, Seeking Kombucha, Emma’s BBQ, The Re-Sole 206, Simply Soulful, Florentino’s Fine Flowers, and The Station Coffee Shop.

The Intentionalist Card allows users to #SpendLikeItMatters at over 350 small businesses, and our music video captured the joyful spirit of this initiative. By combining catchy tunes with compelling visuals, we highlighted how the card isn’t just a gift – it’s a way to invest in the diverse businesses that make our communities thrive.

Build with us in 2024

Whether you’re an individual looking to shift your daily spending habits or an organization ready to create systemic change, we invite you to make 2025 the year your intention becomes impact. 

For individuals, even small adjustments in where you grab your morning coffee, meet friends for dinner, or shop for gifts can make a meaningful difference in your community. 

For businesses and corporations, partnering with Intentionalist opens doors to transformative community engagement, joining forward-thinking companies like Alaska Airlines, BECU, and Seattle’s professional sports teams in creating tangible support for diverse small businesses. Whether through employee engagement initiatives, corporate gifting programs, or sponsored community campaigns, we customize partnerships that align with your values and goals. Our proven track record includes opening prepaid tabs, curating pop-up markets, designing themed business guides, and creating innovative programs that drive meaningful spending to local establishments. 

As a small business ourselves, we understand both sides of the equation – making us uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between individual choices, corporate initiatives, and community impact. Join us in demonstrating that where we spend matters, one purchase, one partnership at a time.

Email [email protected] to connect with a member of the Intentionalist team.

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