Food & Drink

Pioneer Square Is the New Shopping Destination

Retailers are following in the footsteps of entrepreneurial restaurateurs

By Seattle Mag February 16, 2015

pioneersquareshopping

This article originally appeared in the September 2014 issue of Seattle magazine.

Seattle’s oldest neighborhood has seen boom times and busts over its 162-year history. It’s experienced prospectors and panhandlers, full occupancy and devastating vacancies. It is home to an arts crowd and a homeless community that coexist in a tenuous relationship. And these days, with a recent influx of notable restaurants, it is one of the most buzzed-about and desirable neighborhoods—and suddenly the place to set up shop.

That hasn’t always been the case, however. After Elliott Bay Book Company moved to Capitol Hill in 2009, Pioneer Square lost its biggest retail draw, with stalwarts such as Laguna Vintage Pottery, The Clog Factory, Magic Mouse Toys and Fireworks Gallery holding on tenaciously. In 2012, the Alliance for Pioneer Square, the city’s oldest business improvement area, made a concerted effort to woo new businesses by hiring business development director Karen True to entice lifestyle- and service-related shops to the neighborhood, which hosts 384,000 public transit users, 15,000 employees and more than 3,000 residents (with 1,000 more residential units open or opening at Stadium Place, The Post apartments and other developments in the next year). This fall, shopping in the Square reaches critical mass with newly opened shops providing everything from fresh produce to kitchen basics, cute shoes to sewing supplies, “not just stores, but the right mix of stores,” True says. Even the parking woes have been addressed with funds from the Viaduct replacement project providing loads of spots, including convenient low-rate garages, starting at $3 an hour (downtownseattleparking.com), making Pioneer Square the city’s newest yet oldest destination neighborhood for boutique shopping.

Tango Zulu
110 First Ave. S; 360.297.3030; tangozuluimports.com
Owners Tracy and Drew Zhu opened the second location of their upscale import shop in mid-June (the other one is in Port Gamble) with a mix of fair-trade goods from developing countries and clothing designed both locally and abroad.

Fleurt
112 S Washington St.; 206.420.4946; fleurtseattle.com
Florist Sam Crowley opened a second, smaller sibling to her West Seattle location over the summer, bringing with her a selection of hip, cheerful gifts and cards, along with a full-service floral boutique.

Drygoods Design
301 Occidental Ave. S; 206.535.6950; drygoodsdesignonline.com
Impending development in Old Ballard is prompting Drygoods Design owner Keli Faw to relocate her adorable fabric shop and sewing studio to Occidental Park in early September. Expect more hip, fun fabric and interesting goods, as well as more space for expanded class offerings, including macramé, weaving, hand lettering and more.

E. Smith Mercantile   
208 First Ave. S; 206.641.7250; esmithmercantile.com

Velouria
Stadium Place, 145 S King St.; 206.788.0330; shopvelouria.com
A reliably cool fixture in Ballard since the early 2000s, Velouria is moving to the base of the new Stadium Place condo tower in early September, but owners Chika Eustace and Cat Wilcox are sticking with their commitment to support indie designers from the U.S. and Canada (such as Feral Childe, Dusen Dusen, Frankie Four and Calotype by Kristie Metcalf).

Cone & Steiner General
Stadium Place, 135 S King St.; coneandsteiner.com
Dani Cone (Fuel Coffee, High 5 Pie) and crew are re-creating their popular Capitol Hill deluxe corner store, bringing more room for mercantile items; fresh veggies; to-go lunch items; a Fuel Coffee café; demos by local farmers; weekend wine, cider and beer tastings; and a growler station with five beers on tap.

Clementine
310 Occidental Ave. S; 206.935.9400; clementines.com
West Seattle’s loss is Pioneer Square’s gain as shoe shop Clementine moves right next door to The London Plane’s southerly location. Women who appreciate beautiful and unique footwear but also demand comfort will likely flock to this new, more central, location.

The London Plane
300 Occidental Ave. S; 206.624.1374; thelondonplaneseattle.com

 

Follow Us

15 Valentine’s Day Gifts

15 Valentine’s Day Gifts

Fleece slippers, chocolate figs, and The Book of Love

Who doesn’t want to celebrate love and make someone (anyone!) feel special? So, whether you’re all in or not so much, if you’re looking for gift ideas, here are a few to consider...

The Best Gifts for Travel Lovers 

The Best Gifts for Travel Lovers 

Tinsel, eggnog, mistletoe, and luggage

Travel lovers are the easiest people to buy for. Wrap a gift in old maps and they’ll spend hours deciphering the roadways and important coordinates. Put something inside the wrapping that will satiate their wanderlust, or encourage it, and you might be their next invitee to Paris.

Black Black Friday launches in Seattle

Black Black Friday launches in Seattle

The event is designed to boost Black-owned businesses

An initiative launched in Seattle encourages residents to spend money at Black-owned businesses, starting on Black Friday. Called Black Black Friday, the movement was organized by Laura Clise, founder and CEO of the Intentionalist, an online directory of thousands of small businesses owned by women, people of color, veterans, LBGTQ+, families, and differently abled people,…

Costco Goes for the Gold

Costco Goes for the Gold

Have a sudden need for gold bars? Better act fast.

The warehouse retailer known for everything from its popular food court to organic maple syrup and bulk, well, everything, is now in the business of selling gold. That’s right. Costco is peddling one-ounce gold bars online. But you have to be a member to buy them. And they’re not cheap. Shoppers have two options: One…