In celebration of Women’s History Month, The Intentionalist team joined forces with Cynthia of Vanishing Seattle, a media movement that documents displaced and disappearing small businesses and cultures of Seattle. The Vanishing Seattle Women’s History Month Takeover highlights 3 woman-owned businesses we don’t want to see vanish from our community. These businesses help keep our city soulful, vibrant, and people-centered.
When you’re done here, be sure to explore the 2,000+ other woman-owned businesses in our directory!
Wildrose Bar (Capitol Hill) – Founded in 1985, The Wildrose Bar is one of the country’s longest-running lesbian bars and the only dedicated lesbian bar in Seattle. Current owners Shelley Brothers and Martha Manning maintain the Rose as a fun and safe space for Seattle’s lesbian community.
“We still need a place to call our own, and that’s what the Wildrose has always been to people,” Shelley tells The Evergrey. “It’s been a place where they can go into and feel at home, and I think that’s important for every group of people to have.”
Flowers Just 4 U (Central District) – Mary Wesley, affectionately known in the community as Miss Mary, has been serving the Central District for over 36 years as one of the only Black florists in the region. She always had a love for flowers and knew she wanted to share that love with her community. After retiring from her job at Boeing, Miss Mary went back to school to study flower design and horticulture. She graduated in 1984 and opened Flowers Just 4-U the same year.
Read more about Miss Mary and other historical Black-owned small businesses here.
Beth’s Cafe (Greenlake) – Established in 1954 in Seattle’s Greenlake neighborhood, Beth and Harold Eisenstadt started Beth’s Cafe as a nickel slots gambling parlor. It is now owned by Hazel Dalton and prides itself on customer service and loves to feed everyone who walks through the doors.
Fun Fact: Beth’s Cafe has been featured on the Travel Channel’s “Man vs. Food”, “World’s Best Places to Pig Out”, Food Network’s “Top 5 Big Breakfasts”, as well as numerous local and national publications!
If intentional spending isn’t in the cards today, consider writing a recommendation on the Intentionalist listing page of a woman-owned business you love. Share some words of appreciation and be the reason a business owner’s day is a little bit brighter!