🏙️ Building a resilient Seattle economy

After much anticipation, we’re excited to share the rollout of Seawall: Building a Resilient Seattle Economy, and the actions the City is taking following the report. The report confirms that the region experienced strong growth, innovation, and job creation over the last decade, but there are some real risks in our economic future that must be addressed.

Mayor Katie B. Wilson signed the Resilient Seattle Economy Executive Order to take initial actions to strengthen our economic resilience, including the formation of the Resilient Seattle Economy Task Force.

Read more about the initiatives:

• A shared path forward by OED Director Beto Yarce.
• Mayor Wilson blog post – Resilient Seattle Economy Executive Order announcement.

We celebrate Seattle’s Latino/a/x-owned businesses during Hispanic Heritage Month and all year long. Need ideas of Latino/a/x businesses to support?

Visit these two Seattle Restored participants who transformed their pop-up concept to long-term leases: 👕 Rialto “Rio” Estolas, owner of Throwbacks NW and Throwbacks NW Stadium Collective, showcases vintage apparel in Pioneer Square: Every piece tells a story at Throwbacks NW. 💐 Rosa María Cisneros Andrade, owner of RMC Floral Designs, specializes in custom floral designs in Downtown: RMC Floral Designs blooms in commercial space.

Check out these local businesses that are also 2026 Tenant Improvement Program awardees: 🛒 Abarrotes Pablo grocery store in Mt. Baker. ☕ Cafetal Quilombo legacy business that supports nearby Mercer Middle School events with their neighborhood favorite tamales. 🌯 Casa Del Mariachi restaurant in Pinehurst. 🥪 The Dish Café in Green Lake, which supports budding entrepreneurs and meal program for youth and those in need. Lastly, the Intentionalist’s Latinx Heritage Month campaigns celebrate diversity and encourage us to shop at Latino/a/x-owned businesses.

👻 Spooky season in Seattle 👻

Our Special Events Office permitted a long list of fall activities and community events. Alex, one of our permit specialists, rounded up a few events they’re most excited to check out:

• 🧡 Día de Muertos en Pike Place Market’s (The Night Shift), Oct. 23, 12 – 9 p.m.
• 🍂 West Seattle’s Harvest Fest, Oct. 25, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• 🎃 Fremont’s Trolloween, Oct. 31, 7 p.m.

🧟‍♀️ Check out the spooky season blog for more ideas.

We’re also hosting an open house for you to get help with the event permitting process and to meet the members of the Special Events Committee. Join us at the Fall Open House on Oct. 22, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., at City Hall (RSVP here).

😊 Beto’s corner: spending time in community

🎬 Beto recently visited the set of "Friend Thing," a coming-of-age feature film being shot in Belltown. With over 80 local cast and crew hired and millions spent locally, it's a great example of what film production means for Seattle's economy.

“OED plays a critical role in attracting and retaining this work,” he shared on LinkedIn. Our Film Program is a one-stop shop that makes Seattle one of the best cities in the country to film in. With affordable $25/day permits, Washington's 30-40% cash-back film incentive, stunning scenery, and experienced local crews, we make it easy for productions to hit the ground running.

City and State opportunities and resources

📢 Two commercial spaces available for purchase!

The Business Community Ownership Fund has two brand-new, cold-shell commercial spaces in Rainier Valley available to match with a business owner. 

Location: Atrium Court, 7324 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S., Unit B and Unit C.

The BCOF partners with established businesses looking to purchase a space for their business to operate out of long-term. We look at the need of the neighborhood and the current establishments to identify partners to help communities thrive. If awarded, businesses become members of an LLC managed by our partners at Grow America, resulting in long-term stable rent.

📢 Please help us spread the word about the available commercial spaces.

💻 Visit our website and reach out to our program staff if you have any questions at oed_bcof@seattle.gov.

Apply for the Back to Business Program

There’s still time to apply for a Back to Business grant! The Back to Business Program helps reimburse the costs of fixing repairs or purchasing approved security equipment.

• The Storefront Repair Fund 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 a one-time grant of up to $10,000 to reimburse the costs of improving security measures to prevent future storefront damage.

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

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

Share your feedback on Seattle’s proposed budget

Seattle City Council is hosting meetings where you can make public comments on the City’s 2027-2028 Budget. The next public hearing is on Nov. 5; remote public comment begins at 1 p.m. and in-person public comment begins at 5 p.m.

💻 Visit City Council's Budget Basics page to learn more and our blog for 2027-2028 OED budget highlights.

Small business resources at OED

• October is your last chance to apply for a FREE seasonal outdoor dining permit through our partnership with SDOT. Learn more about how to participate in this program in this blog post.
• The Small Business Handbook provides resources for opening and growing your small business in Seattle. It explains the rules and requirements for operating a business in Seattle, as well as King County and Washington State.
  • The Handbook is available in eight languages: Amharic, Chinese, English, Korean, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
• Applications for our Accounting and Business Consulting Program are open. Review the list of services available and apply on our website.
• 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.