🔨 Check out the 43 businesses improving their spaces 👷‍♀️

We’re excited to share the full list of the Tenant Improvement Program awardees for 2026! Through this program, we’re investing nearly $1.3 million across 43 small businesses to help them stabilize and grow with new equipment and signage.

Businesses receiving these funds are neighborhood favorites and community spaces providing a variety of valued services across the city. Gan Bei in the Chinatown-International District is replacing equipment to assist with refrigeration and operations, Island Soul in Columbia City is replacing equipment to help improve efficiency and food quality, and Lupe’s Situ Tacos in Ballard is adding lighted signage to attract more customers.

Read about the full list of awardees on our blog post.

🌙 “The Night Shift” at Pike Place Market 🌃

Giving Sleepless in Seattle a new meaning! We’re partnering with Pike Place Market to bring “The Night Shift,” a free monthly evening series celebrating local art, music, food, and creativity. Happening the fourth Friday of every month through October, the next night market is on Friday, August 28.

“The Night Shift” transforms the market into an after-hours cultural hub where locals and visitors can wander through galleries, shop, eat, drink, and enjoy live performances. These events are part of our work to create a thriving nighttime economy.

▶️ Scott Plusquellec, our nightlife policy advisor, chatted more about the program in this video.

Check out the Pike Place events calendar for full details.

😊 Beto’s corner: spending time in community

♻️ Beto joined Mayor Katie B. Wilson, City leaders, and community members to celebrate the opening of the Reuse Commons Lake City location. This project turned the former Aurora Rents building into a place where locals can shop for upcycled goods, repair broken items, and take classes while giving businesses a shared space to work and store goods.

The project is a first of its kind and a partnership with Seattle Public Utilities and our Seattle Restored program. The celebration included repairs, snacks, art, and informational chats (read this news story for more details).

City and State opportunities and resources

New commercial space available in Judkins Park and Othello

The Business Community Ownership Fund purchased three brand-new, cold shell commercial spaces that we would like to match with established businesses looking to open a long-term location in Rainier Valley.

The Fund partners with Grow America to purchase commercial space condos with business owners as members of an LLC, resulting in long-term stable rent. Businesses must also demonstrate a strong community impact, be responsive through the application process, and meet our other eligibility requirements.

📢 Please help us spread the word and reach out to our program staff at oed_bcof@seattle.gov.

💻 Visit our website for more details about the program and eligibility: Business Community Ownership Fund.

💲 City of Seattle’s assistance and discount programs

The City has a website compiling discount programs to save money on utilities, childcare, food, housing, home repairs, internet, and transportation. Business owners may qualify for a number of these. You can quickly find programs you may be eligible for based on your household size and income.

💻 Visit the assistance and discounts webpage.

Apply for the Back to Business Program

The Back to Business Program helps reimburse the costs of fixing repairs or purchasing approved security equipment. To meet the needs of businesses, we expanded the program to increase the grant amounts business owners can receive. 

• The Storefront Repair Fund now offers grants of up to $5,000 per incident, up to three incidents per year, to reimburse business owners for the cost of fixing damages from vandalism or other property damage.
• The Storefront Security Fund is now a one-time grant of up to $10,000 to reimburse the costs of improving security measures to prevent future storefront damage.

If you previously applied for either grant at the lower threshold with expense documentation above the previous grant amounts, our Back to Business team will reach out to you by Thursday, September 10, 2026.

📅 Applications are open through December 2026, or until funds run out.

💻 Learn more and apply for an updated grant on our website.

Small business resources at OED

• Applications for our Accounting and Business Consulting Program are open. Review the list of services available and apply on our website.
• Apply for a free seasonal outdoor dining permit through our partnership with SDOT. The first 100 permits submitted by business and issued by SDOT will be covered by us! Learn more about how to participate in this program in this blog post.
• Here’s a full list of our programs helping small businesses with the tools and support needed to thrive: Helping Seattle’s small businesses grow blog.