Business Stories Archives - Page 5 of 6

KOBO Owner Celebrates 25 Years and Reflects on Community Resilience

“In the beginning, we never thought this was going to last 25 years,” Binko Chiong-Bisbee said, full of emotion. From left to right: John Bisbee, Binko Chiong-Bisbee, and their daughter Aya Bisbee Fighting back tears, Chiong-Bisbee recounted one of the early obstacles that she...

Chicana-Owned Business Offers Nurturing Spiritual Refuge Amid Widespread Turbulence

Maria Muñoz, owner of Light Owl Healing When Maria Muñoz moved her business and spiritual space, Light Owl Healing, to a private, green building in Fremont, she noticed something interesting. Situated on the north edge of Fremont, near the Woodland Park Zoo, she’d expected to feel some...

Salvadorean Bakery: Building Community From the Ground Up

Salvadorean Bakery owners and sisters Aminta Elgin and Ana Castro trace their passion for baking back to the brick oven their grandfather built in El Rosario de La Paz, El Salvador. Their grandmother ran a well-known bakery from the back of her house where they made everything from scratch —...

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...

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...

Alair: Shandon Graybeal

When Shandon Graybeal first moved to West Seattle, she didn’t know any of her neighbors. Her life changed in 2016 when she opened her specialty gift shop, Alair. The store has been a labor of love for Graybeal, but she knew it was her dream — and it had to be in West Seattle. The location is part of the magic of her store, she says. She lives...

Footprint Wine Tap: Ken Dillon

“I’ve always had a philosophy in life of trying to manage the amount of waste you produce - and that purchasing power is in your hands.” Ken Dillon, Owner, Footprint Wine Tap Footprint Wine Tap is Seattle's first and only sustainable keg wine-on-tap bar and shop, pouring a wide variety of Washington wines from a beautiful copper wall of...

Central Cafe + Juice Bar: Bridgette Johnson

Photo Credit: Jeriel Calamayan Central Cafe & Juice Bar in Seattle's Central District neighborhood had its grand opening last month. Owned by Bridgette Johnson, it's an eco-conscious cafe offering fresh pressed juice, a full range of espresso beverages, smoothies, and teas alongside pastries and deli items. Meet Bridgette Johnson Photo...

Jerk Shack: Trey Lamont

While his peers enjoyed cartoons and children’s programs, young Trey Lamont was captivated by PBS cooking specials. “I wanted to be a cook since I was three-years-old,” Lamont said. Despite that none of his favorite television chefs looked like him, Lamont knew from a young age that he wanted to cook for the rest of his life. Growing...