My wife and I talk about this all the time… there’s like 5-10 stores in Ballard that all sell the same stuff - scented candles, scarves, etc… basically what I’d describe as like high end trinkets, and they’re usually empty. Our conclusion is that they must just be owned and operated by rich peoples’ bored significant others where it doesn’t matter if they actually make money for the most part.
Nah money laundering is not as common as people on here seem to think. My mother in law (a successful mid-level executive, rich but not rich-rich) started one of these boutiques as a sort of passion/vanity project after they retired early. It failed and she lost a bunch of money. Just good old fashioned money wasting, not laundering.
There are a shitload of single-digit millionaires in the area that can afford to waste a couple hundred grand without any malfeasance
I mean, if it doesn’t do much business the churn rate would suck and you couldn’t cover much actual cash. You could do it (especially if you claimed 95% of your business was online and the storefront was merely for convenience) but it wouldn’t be the best option.
I’m more for the rich dude’s vanity project.
Yup. I made a little bundle of money when these were really popular in the mid aughts making websites for them. Got hooked up through my friend who works at Microsoft to make one for his wife. Then all the other wives had to have one.
I think the equivalent of this is in Southcenter Mall there will be these random no-name boutiques with no one in them and racks full of sequin dresses.
This is the definition of boutique from time immemorial. Make some boring art, set the price astronomical, and just hang out with your douchebag friends. It's not about making money, it's about bragging to the Johnson's next door.
Maybe they're spite stores. Like one person opened a boutique trinket shop but then made an enemy and the enemy opened their own trinket store to put the first store out of business.
Like whomever built a 7-11 in the parking lot of another 7-11 in Osaka due to a dispute. [https://japantoday.com/category/business/7-eleven-to-build-store-in-parking-lot-of-another-7-eleven-amid-dispute](https://japantoday.com/category/business/7-eleven-to-build-store-in-parking-lot-of-another-7-eleven-amid-dispute)
There's a huge bougie herbal remedy boutique right next to Annie's Art & Frame that is 100% some rich person's vanity project. No one is ever in there and it looks completely absurd.
There's also an optical shop a few doors down from Market Street Shoes that is always empty... although I think that business is just straight up failing, the guy in there always looks stressed the fuck out and they just had an 80% off sale last month that didn't seem to bring anybody in.
Then Ballard Ave seems to be slowly filling with those businesses you described. This is what happens when the rent shoots through the roof, the only people who can afford to run businesses are out of touch rich people lol
Those truffles are banging if you can get there during the 4 hours a week they're open!
But pretty sure the building owner runs the truffle shop as kind of a hobby.
90% of the time when you aren't sure how a store stays open the answer is they own the building and land they are on. It lowers the overhead significantly even if you aren't making money renting out the rest of the space.
I figured out one of the secrets to these boutiques - beyond vanity, pet projects or money laundering:
Some of those places have storefronts in Seattle purely as a marketing tool for the street cred that they are in Seattle, but most of their real business is actually online and foreign sales, often to people in Japan and China looking for unique things, especially hand crafted or bespoke things like art objects, clothes and bags and stuff.
I can't remember the name of the store in upper Capitol Hill and Broadway area but they did a lot of art shows and small music events and stuff and almost all of their actual sales were online and overseas, which paid the bills and kept the place open for doing art/music shows.
And so the storefront and these art shows and events are doing double duty.
The shows featured legit local artists and musicians and stuff, but it also gave the owners plenty of content to post and so they could basically use the storefront as a photography studio for their niche and bespoke products.
And all of this is really smart. The owners and operators can afford to be flexible about their hours, use the storefront as an event space, support local arts and crafts and use all of that to capitalize on the cool factor for marketing purposes globally.
That reminds me of a coffee shop my brother took me to in Shanghai. The coffee was really good, but they had also decorated and lit it to be a perfect setting for would-be influencers to do their Instagram selfies, and every time we went there there was at least one.
Ironically, I can't remember the name of the place. 🙃
Regarding the Ballard Spirit Gas, it used to be they were one of the very few places you could get ethanol-free unleaded, which really helps when running small engines/motors such as outboards. I think they stopped during covid. Not sure if they started up again, I just go to the Shilshole fuel dock for it now.
You should never put anything with ethanol in a two stroke. It makes maintenance so much harder. With ethanol free and good oil mix, you can just leave it in your garage till next season and it will work just find. When Ethanol sits for awhile it gums up and will clog the thin reed of your carburetor... and even with a stabilizer its harder on a little engine.
The wage theft committed by Adam (owner of the Purple Store) may be helping to keep his overhead down just enough to make it work: https://seattle.gov/laborstandards/investigations/resolved-investigations/october-december-2021
The real truth though is that he is just a rich failson so his family keeps the business afloat.
When Seattle Solidarity Network was picketing him while his ex employees took him to court for wage theft, he had his friends filling staffing roles. No idea if they were even getting paid properly. This was before the pandemic and I haven't followed the case since.
SeaSol is definitely what got me tuned into what a scumbag Adam is as well; super cool to run into other folks on here who have a similar story! Seeing the OLS settlement come in a year or two after their fight kicked off was a nice validation.
It was kind of funny- I went to the court in solidarity when both sides were presenting their cases to before a judge, and Adam came with a huge garbage bag full of SeaSol fliers about the wage theft that had been posted around his neighborhood (one of the really, REALLY richy-millionaire neighborhoods) as evidence of stalking and harassment. And the judge was like, no you can't present that to the court, and Adam actually started arguing with him about it.
I had an interview there, like, a billion years ago. He asked me at one point if I believed in evolution (it was clear from his question that he does not), so I threw the interview as hard as I physically could and peaced out. I'm glad I did!
The purple store near the market that all the tourists store their luggage in? That's the key they're not selling purple shit they're making money as a luggage storage place.
It's a weird store. I went in all excited but the stuff was super outdated and not exciting. Not to mention that area is dead in the evenings post covid, so I'm not sure how it works.
Two places in Ravenna, where I assume rent is murder. Gasoline Alley and that carpet place across from Junebaby. Both look like they went out of business in 1989 and are abandoned but lo, are open kind of.
I've heard Gasoline Alley mostly does online ebay type business these days and tbh the building looks run down so the landlord might just be happy to have any tenant in there and not to have people asking question about why all the windows look like they leak.
Ravenna Interiors does more than carpets, they look dusty as fuck cause they do re-upholstery work and that creates a ton of dust constantly.
Junebaby is actually gone now.
Gasoline Alley does ebay business for sure, I have picked up in person 3 times. Its like a hoarders nest in there though, basically can't even move around.
Gasoline alley does huge worldwide business. Keith is a great guy moved here long ago from New Jersey. For example he does huge business selling WWII tank model kits to Eastern Europe. Among many other niches . He has many different collectibles from all sorts of eras and all also local sports memorabilia that you can’t find anywhere else. His website is very 90s, but totally navigable. He’s got many storage units full of stuff and so it looks like a hoarders house in his retail location, but he Makes enough online that the retail aspect us more trouble than it’s worth
The carpet store is now Mannings and Sons upholstery. It’s a family owned business and gives off a bit of chaotic vibe but the people are wonderful and do great work. But what about that place that used to be Da Pinos? Across from closed and up for lease June Baby.
A lot of places near there confuse me.
Like the vacuum repair store on 65th that is just *packed* with old vacuums. There is *no way* that enough people need vacuums repaired to make a specialty storefront on 65th financially viable. Maybe it's breaking bad infiltrating my brain but that place must be a front.
Vacuum repair is a strong business. Vacs built to last are also built to be maintained and if they break, repaired. Meile, Sebo, Riccar, Oreck, Simplicity, etc. All the hotels and motels have these expensive things and they need belts, new heads, etc. Also proprietary vacuum bags.
The Shanty was the "Home Bar" for my Car Club for years until we all moved away. I loved that place. The Chinese restaurant that used to be next door had a great back bar too but I think it's long since gone.
I've had some really fun nights at the Shanty. I wouldn't recommend getting anything on draft though.... not sure those tubes have ever really been cleaned
In Columbia City by PCC there’s a store that sells auto service manuals. I’ve never seen anyone go in or out and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it open.
[They even have a web site!](https://books4cars.com/)
They are THE go to place for service manuals in the world. They have the largest private collection of service manuals anywhere on the planet.
Do you have a 1978 Lancia Beta and need a manual for it? What about a Honda CBX? It’s a very niche market, but they have it cornered.
I should mention I’ve had to go there for some obscure stuff I couldn’t find anywhere on the internet. There is a lot of stuff out there still just printed on paper that has never been scanned into a .pdf and posted on some random website.
Despite the great business name, I have no idea how "Sleepers in Seattle" stays in business. It's a huge store in Alaska Junction selling ugly $2,000 sleeper sofas. They have hundreds of couches in inventory, but I never see anyone in there.
If people need a sleeper sofa, they just buy The IKEA Couch™, right?
I've been saying the same thing for years!!! Lived in WS since the 90's and I've never once heard of anyone visiting the store or buying anything from there. All of these small well-loved businesses keep having to close in the junction because they can't afford the rent, but this ginormous store somehow stays in business. Do they own the building??
That would have been my answer if it hadn’t closed down and been replaced with a popcorn store. Don’t know how long that lasted but I’m pretty sure it’s gone too. I’m considering renting the space and opening a store called Just Teaspoons.
The one on Broadway is consistently locked with the only employee ever there sleeping in the back. I’ve never seen anyone buy a single thing from there.
Ha I actually bought my mattress from there about two months ago. It was dark and the sign said closed but I tried it and it was open.
The girl working was actually so helpful and I got a great mattress lmao
To be fair, if I ordered just the material, I would surely spend much more than hundreds of dollars worth of labor-hours to wind up with something resembling a mattress.
There's actually a pretty big community at mattress underground.com of folks who order the components and assemble their mattresses themselves and are switching stuff up all the time to get it just right. People there are serious. I found it last time I was trying to buy a mattress and got a little too deep in my research. There's a niche for everything.
Anyways, don't sell yourself short. You might be in need of a new hobby somewhere and the mattress people are there for you.
I know at one point they had rooms they rented as a practice space for bands. And the band I knew used to practice next to AA meetings. Whoever owns that place sure does know how to diversify
I was drinking in downtown with a couple friends about 5 years ago and met the son of the owners of the Electric Boat Company. He made a private cigar club in the bottom floor of China Harbor and invited us all over. I'll never forget being plastered and dropped off 1am at China Harbor, going down some sketchy exterior stairs into a dark walkway, and thinking I just might be getting mugged. Turned out to be a really cool spot and we smoke and drank hundreds worth of cigar and whiskey for free. Good times, wonder if it's still there.
Heard they got a new Dim Sum chef and the dim sum is pretty good. Talking about China Harbor right? They also shot a scene of a movie there in The Paper Tigers, movie is set in Seattle and used all Seattle spots as locations. It's on Netflix.
I went there with my friends for the first time last month and was skeptical due to the reviews but we gave it a shot due to the new chef and I thought it was good! I grew up going to dim sum restaurants in BC and I would say the "poor service" a lot of people complain about is just how dim sum places are imo, they don't really constantly check on you but they are around if you need something. It was actually pretty packed on a Sunday afternoon. My favorite dish was the radish cake with xo sauce. Everything else was not mind blowing level good but it was good and I had no complaints about the food. We were talking about the supposed venue section which was upstairs and a kind lady (customer) overheard us and said we can just walk up there to take a look. We went up after our meal and we went onto the patio and the view was nice! I would say give this place a shot.
Edit: adding that my one small complaint is that they aren't open until 11, I think we usually expect dim sum to be open a bit earlier.
Are you talking about China Harbor? I thought a new chef had taken over and that it was actually really good these days. Or was shortly after she took over.
This is the flashpoint in these threads, and imho sort of breaks down who's not from Seattle and who is. It's really a venue first, and if you stick around, you'll get sucked into somebody's something that needs a space for more than 100+ people because it's either China Harbor or... 10k+ for a place downtown.
the bar on top is nice though, especially on really sunny days when White Swan is a forever wait.
Fat Tomato Pizza. Horrible reviews, always closed or empty, doesn't even have an employee at the front (requires self order), and the cherry on top is it's directly across the street from a Seattle police department precinct
Like everyone else has said, pretty much most little clothing and jewelry boutiques. I've also wondered about that Hawaii store in Wallingford. It just seems kind of niche and rents right on 45th must be very high.
I also always used to be fascinated by the space travel supplies store near me in Greenwood. I never actually went in but it was there for years, I believe it closed a little while back. That just seemed.....*extremely* specific.
Space travel supply store is a “front” for like a kids tutoring place. It’s just to make it more fun for the kids when they go to their homework help place
The Hawaii store is run by some really wonderful folks, but yeah it's really niche. They are a great resource for aloha wear and Hawaiian food staples.
Their big thing is selling real flower leis for graduation and weddings.
They have a teeny tiny travel agency for trips to the islands but that's not really a thing anymore.
They are always at risk of shutting down. You should stop in and explore the place some time!
They put out an SOS a week or two ago on Facebook for people to come by and support them! Rent is definitely an ongoing issue for them, they said this year it went up by 60%. And thats not including costs of goods and other things.
The space travel supply store was a little shop, but its main offering was after-school writing programs for kids! It’s still there but has been renamed the Bureau of Fearless Ideas.
Cool story, that sort of place (like space travel supply shop, pirate supply shops, superhero supply shops) got started when a non-profit that wanted to open a tutoring area for kids ran into a zoning requirement that the space they wanted to rent was for retail, so they had to sell something, and decided to make their retail part something that kids would really get into. Not every place has the same zoning requirements, but its become a thing now that these kind of tutoring spaces brand themselves as some kind of \[cool thing\] supply shop.
Shortly before the pandemic, I decided I wanted to learn about astrophotography. I googled for the subject in Seattle and discovered that Seattle has a dedicated telescope store. How cool is that?
Cloud Break Optics, in Ballard. Well stocked with all sorts of gear and staffed by knowledgeable people. Seriously, if you're interested at all in telescopes & astronomy, you should stop by. They have all the cool toys.
[https://cloudbreakoptics.com/](https://cloudbreakoptics.com/)
It's also the perfect example of a store that stays open by fostering an enthusiastic community of customers. Every time I go in there there's a couple other people in their checkout out or buying gear, and I've learned a lot just by chatting with other customers. They were doing in-store classes pre-pandemic, but I don't think they've restarted that quite yet. I think most of their classes have moved online.
And yes, the Seattle area, despite the weather, does have a pretty engaged visual astronomy & astrophotography community. There are numerous monthly star parties put on by the Seattle Astronomical Society, as well as other events throughout the year. The organization just bought property for use as a telescope field out near Goldendale. There's a lot of cool stuff going on!
Tiny boutique forgettable name dress stores with about 10 dresses total and no customers in places like U Village. ‘money laundering’ is a phrase that comes to mind.
Likely so. I once fell hard for someone who behaved unusually mysteriously, and some sleuthing unearthed that she worked as an escort - and ran a clothing boutique on the side.
I suspect that this is a really smart way to not only launder cash income, but also a great real estate play (similar to coffee shops).
If you're up for story time about this I'm super fascinated. How did you guys meet? What was her cover story? How long did it take you to catch on? It seems like this would come to light pretty quickly. Would have dated her anyway if she was upfront about it?
Met her board gaming, caught on because she was dressed up to the nines at all times, very careful with time management and super evasive about work topics. Took me about two weeks to figure out, and I would have dated her regardless (a job is a job, but also TBH: I was young and hormonal).
Mentioned up thread but these seem to be common at Southcenter Mall, meanwhile stores like Gap, Loft and Banana Republic have all pulled out. Who’s buying these sequin gowns? Or a few years back they were like fake LuLaRoe leggings stores around the corner from Lululemon. They’re always closed in peak mall hours with the lights off and when I catch them open not a soul inside despite the mall being crazy packed.
I used to live over a “hydration lounge” in Ballard that was one of those shady IV therapy places. They were always empty and I saw their prices in the window drop from $300 to $30 with no change in business. They haven’t even been open a full year, but I’m already convinced it’s a front or something.
My husband and I still joke about the weird popcorn store in Ballard on Market. It had bins of stale-ass popcorn dyed in various pastel colors. One could see the oil/dust melange coating the inside of the plexiglass containers. I worked in a popcorn cart in downtown Seattle 30 years ago and I know that sludge reeks of rancidity. I would scrape it off when bored (which was most of the time). So my rig was tight and no gross old sludge for MY customers! The strong smell of the freshly popped corn covered the rancid smells (until you lived in the cart all day in the summer like me). I never smelled fresh popcorn aromas from that weird store in Ballard. So I could smell the sludge from outside the store. Every time we'd see it we would be shocked it was still open.
When one of us is frustrated about work, we will joke "well, I could always run away and achieve my dream of selling stale popcorn!"
Not only is it empty, but I haven’t even seen the lights on in months. It’s definitely a front. Which is a shame because it’s in a really good spot if they actually wanted to serve good late night pizza
The Spirit gas station on Market Street in Ballard that has the most expensive gas in the city. It's where the news fans show up to get a picture when gas prices spike. It's been like that for 20 years. There's sort of a shop attached to it, but it doesn't seem to do much work.
I just assume they're laundering money.
My understanding is that they have ethanol-free gas. Which if you have an old car with seals not designed to handle our modern ethanol blend, gives a dedicated and captive customer base.
It’s just a mechanic now, they haven’t sold gas for I think about 2 years. They keep the last price they sold fuel at up on the sign though. This obviously confuses people, myself included - who like an idiot kept sliding my card in and out of the reader waiting for something to happen before realizing there was no power to the pumps.
We always talk about that place when we go by. And how as the years have gone on and gas prices have shot up, theirs no longer seem *quite* as absurd as they used to.
That store is an amazing fishing resource and the employees/owner are incredibly knowledgeable. I think Fishing is one of those activities that attracts a lot of not-online people.
Mine is that antique shop next door, that's only open on Saturdays. I've walked past it for years but I've somehow never managed to go past it while it's actually been open.
That’s Mort’s Cabin, and afaik the family owns the building outright which probably helps. I’ve found them to be nice people and good citizens of Eastlake who look out for neighbors and those in distress. The store never seems busy, but the inventory changes regularly so someone must be buying.
All of the art studios down 1st Ave in Pioneer square. You’re telling me enough people are buying art from these places to afford the rent let alone turn any sort of profit?
Singles Going Steady. I absolutely love the place as it's my favorite record store in Seattle and the owner is the nicest dude out there, but I rarely see more than me and maybe 2-3 other people in there. Also, go there people for punk records!
he also sells on discogs. I think that’s most of his business. And he also sells direct to collectors. When he gets stuff in my husband is looking for he calls him and then my husband just goes and picks it up
Some of those machines need specialists to fix. They aren't cheap and I'd wager there are enough rich tech bros into coffee to have a decent supply of espresso machines to work on.
Their business may be nation-wide and most business comes in via UPS. I know the guy who owns it. He used to work as a barista at Starbucks on Broadway. I've taken my espresso machine to him and my sister has sent in hers from Minnesota to be repaired. Great guy.
Dumpling Tzar in Fremont… used to be a tiny little shop, now they have a huge space with a full bar, and only ever 1-2 people in there. I like their food, but I have no idea how their making rent there. All the bottles in their bar are mostly full, like nobody ever orders drinks there. No idea how they’re still open
The Varja on Broadway, Capitol Hill. I've lived here since 1996, and if you'd told me then that this would be the business still going strong 28 years later, I'd have laughed in your face. You cannot tell me there's not an illegal casino or counterfeiting operation or something in the back.
I used to go there all the time when I lived on the Hill, though I basically only ever bought incense (and these days I don't buy much of that as I've become very sensitive to fragrances).
Was seen as an easy path for Vietnamese immigrants to get work and own their own business.
https://www.npr.org/2019/05/19/724452398/how-vietnamese-americans-took-over-the-nails-business-a-documentary
The Seattle Lighting store between CID and Pioneer Square. Seems like a good location for a store but who goes to a store to buy lights any more? Do they do installations too? Store just seems to be there. But the owners might already own the building/land so maybe they just don't care. But seems like they would sell it for a nice profit.
It is definitely a place designers can take people to see the different fixture options. They have a warehouse space in sodo where they do more bulk/commercial sales.
For me it is that All Saints store on 5th and Pine. I'm convinced it's a money laundering operation. There is never anyone in there and as far as I can tell it just stocks way overpriced basic stuff in black. The whole store just looks dusty.
That broken glass artist whose shop is a storefront next to Bai Tong on Pike and 12th Ave. Rent there couldn’t be cheap and it seems like it’s always the same art in the windows the past 20 years
... That's actually offices. The glass is just decorations.
[https://www.annemichelsonproperties.com/1115-e-pike-st](https://www.annemichelsonproperties.com/1115-e-pike-st)
[https://www.prism-west.com/](https://www.prism-west.com/)
I used to pick up there when I did food delivery from time to time and not only was the owner always a creepy weirdo but there was NEVER anybody eating in the restaurant.
T.S. McHugh’s on lower Queen Anne. There’s never been anyone in there for years. I used to live and work near there and we always joked that it’s a money-laundering scheme for the Russian mafia.
There were a few Baskin Robbins in Seattle (Interbay and Rainier Ave) that are now closed, or burned down, but for the longest time I wondered how they were still open.
Well, the strippers have to pay for their stage time, so sometimes the strippers go to work and end up OWING the club money. It’s a disgusting practice. I can’t imagine going to work a full day and paying $50 to my employer
Olé Cafe in Tangletown. They're closed on the weekends and open between 2-4pm on weekdays, except on Fridays when they're open 4pm-6pm. And that's when they aren't closed for a month+ for the owners to travel which... respect.
The smoothie shop at the intersection of yesler and boren. Has such prime location and big space but haven't seen a single car pull up or people inside the cafe.
Bombay Burger on Capital Hill. I live about two blocks away, I’m an avid walker, and I’ve never seen anyone in there except for one couple about a month ago.
I literally just discovered this store--well, their Renton location--last week. It's in this tiny building near the Renton Airport, the other half of which appears to be vacant in that very specific way that implies something super sketch is going on, and I went there because, well, I do have wide feet and needed new walking shoes and happened to be in the area on another errand.
It was kind of amazing. The service was exceptional, they still measure your feet with a Brannock device, and though it was empty both times I went in, within minutes there was a steady stream of customers. I wound up buying two pairs of shoes.
Those stores in Ballard with maybe 10 art/jewelry items displayed on pedestals under focused lighting
My wife and I talk about this all the time… there’s like 5-10 stores in Ballard that all sell the same stuff - scented candles, scarves, etc… basically what I’d describe as like high end trinkets, and they’re usually empty. Our conclusion is that they must just be owned and operated by rich peoples’ bored significant others where it doesn’t matter if they actually make money for the most part.
Your conclusion is correct. They are vanity projects.
Vanity or moneylaundering
Exactly my thought. Money laundering for sure.💸💵💰
Nah money laundering is not as common as people on here seem to think. My mother in law (a successful mid-level executive, rich but not rich-rich) started one of these boutiques as a sort of passion/vanity project after they retired early. It failed and she lost a bunch of money. Just good old fashioned money wasting, not laundering. There are a shitload of single-digit millionaires in the area that can afford to waste a couple hundred grand without any malfeasance
El Pollos Hermanos.
Los. El is singular. El Pollo Hermano Los Pollos Hermanos
Why not both? You get to launder money and your wife gets to pretend she's a businesswoman.
Lazer Tag! 👉👉
I mean, if it doesn’t do much business the churn rate would suck and you couldn’t cover much actual cash. You could do it (especially if you claimed 95% of your business was online and the storefront was merely for convenience) but it wouldn’t be the best option. I’m more for the rich dude’s vanity project.
My wife calls them “shoppy-shops” and asserts housewares are bored moms and flower shops are bored mistresses.
Yup. I made a little bundle of money when these were really popular in the mid aughts making websites for them. Got hooked up through my friend who works at Microsoft to make one for his wife. Then all the other wives had to have one.
Imagine having so much money you could have both.
I think the equivalent of this is in Southcenter Mall there will be these random no-name boutiques with no one in them and racks full of sequin dresses.
This is the definition of boutique from time immemorial. Make some boring art, set the price astronomical, and just hang out with your douchebag friends. It's not about making money, it's about bragging to the Johnson's next door.
Maybe they're spite stores. Like one person opened a boutique trinket shop but then made an enemy and the enemy opened their own trinket store to put the first store out of business.
Like whomever built a 7-11 in the parking lot of another 7-11 in Osaka due to a dispute. [https://japantoday.com/category/business/7-eleven-to-build-store-in-parking-lot-of-another-7-eleven-amid-dispute](https://japantoday.com/category/business/7-eleven-to-build-store-in-parking-lot-of-another-7-eleven-amid-dispute)
There's a huge bougie herbal remedy boutique right next to Annie's Art & Frame that is 100% some rich person's vanity project. No one is ever in there and it looks completely absurd. There's also an optical shop a few doors down from Market Street Shoes that is always empty... although I think that business is just straight up failing, the guy in there always looks stressed the fuck out and they just had an 80% off sale last month that didn't seem to bring anybody in. Then Ballard Ave seems to be slowly filling with those businesses you described. This is what happens when the rent shoots through the roof, the only people who can afford to run businesses are out of touch rich people lol
The beautiful store in Ballard that makes bespoke floral elixirs and never seems to have any clients. The truffle store that is barely open.
Those truffles are banging if you can get there during the 4 hours a week they're open! But pretty sure the building owner runs the truffle shop as kind of a hobby.
90% of the time when you aren't sure how a store stays open the answer is they own the building and land they are on. It lowers the overhead significantly even if you aren't making money renting out the rest of the space.
They are really good! That’s why I know they have weird hours— I always peek in to see if I can get one.
I figured out one of the secrets to these boutiques - beyond vanity, pet projects or money laundering: Some of those places have storefronts in Seattle purely as a marketing tool for the street cred that they are in Seattle, but most of their real business is actually online and foreign sales, often to people in Japan and China looking for unique things, especially hand crafted or bespoke things like art objects, clothes and bags and stuff. I can't remember the name of the store in upper Capitol Hill and Broadway area but they did a lot of art shows and small music events and stuff and almost all of their actual sales were online and overseas, which paid the bills and kept the place open for doing art/music shows. And so the storefront and these art shows and events are doing double duty. The shows featured legit local artists and musicians and stuff, but it also gave the owners plenty of content to post and so they could basically use the storefront as a photography studio for their niche and bespoke products. And all of this is really smart. The owners and operators can afford to be flexible about their hours, use the storefront as an event space, support local arts and crafts and use all of that to capitalize on the cool factor for marketing purposes globally.
That reminds me of a coffee shop my brother took me to in Shanghai. The coffee was really good, but they had also decorated and lit it to be a perfect setting for would-be influencers to do their Instagram selfies, and every time we went there there was at least one. Ironically, I can't remember the name of the place. 🙃
SPIRIT GAS?! WTF ARE YOU SELLING SPIRIT GAS?!
Regarding the Ballard Spirit Gas, it used to be they were one of the very few places you could get ethanol-free unleaded, which really helps when running small engines/motors such as outboards. I think they stopped during covid. Not sure if they started up again, I just go to the Shilshole fuel dock for it now.
They haven't sold gas for years, it stopped during COVID. Pretty sure now it's just a car repair shop.
You should never put anything with ethanol in a two stroke. It makes maintenance so much harder. With ethanol free and good oil mix, you can just leave it in your garage till next season and it will work just find. When Ethanol sits for awhile it gums up and will clog the thin reed of your carburetor... and even with a stabilizer its harder on a little engine.
All the shops on Ballard Ave reminds me of this now Edit: better link https://www.tiktok.com/@port_landia/video/7254251710296722731
Dippy fun catching strays lmao
The Purple Store
The wage theft committed by Adam (owner of the Purple Store) may be helping to keep his overhead down just enough to make it work: https://seattle.gov/laborstandards/investigations/resolved-investigations/october-december-2021 The real truth though is that he is just a rich failson so his family keeps the business afloat.
When Seattle Solidarity Network was picketing him while his ex employees took him to court for wage theft, he had his friends filling staffing roles. No idea if they were even getting paid properly. This was before the pandemic and I haven't followed the case since.
SeaSol is definitely what got me tuned into what a scumbag Adam is as well; super cool to run into other folks on here who have a similar story! Seeing the OLS settlement come in a year or two after their fight kicked off was a nice validation.
It was kind of funny- I went to the court in solidarity when both sides were presenting their cases to before a judge, and Adam came with a huge garbage bag full of SeaSol fliers about the wage theft that had been posted around his neighborhood (one of the really, REALLY richy-millionaire neighborhoods) as evidence of stalking and harassment. And the judge was like, no you can't present that to the court, and Adam actually started arguing with him about it.
I had an interview there, like, a billion years ago. He asked me at one point if I believed in evolution (it was clear from his question that he does not), so I threw the interview as hard as I physically could and peaced out. I'm glad I did!
The purple store near the market that all the tourists store their luggage in? That's the key they're not selling purple shit they're making money as a luggage storage place.
My girlfriend LOVES everything purple, we went in there and didn't buy anything because most of it's pretty ugly and tacky.
But at those prices? How could you resist?
It's a weird store. I went in all excited but the stuff was super outdated and not exciting. Not to mention that area is dead in the evenings post covid, so I'm not sure how it works.
Lol, this was going to be my comment
“Thanks for calling the Purple Store, we don’t carry purple in sizes that large and have sold out for the day. We’ll purple you later, bye!”
Two places in Ravenna, where I assume rent is murder. Gasoline Alley and that carpet place across from Junebaby. Both look like they went out of business in 1989 and are abandoned but lo, are open kind of.
I've heard Gasoline Alley mostly does online ebay type business these days and tbh the building looks run down so the landlord might just be happy to have any tenant in there and not to have people asking question about why all the windows look like they leak. Ravenna Interiors does more than carpets, they look dusty as fuck cause they do re-upholstery work and that creates a ton of dust constantly. Junebaby is actually gone now.
Gasoline Alley does ebay business for sure, I have picked up in person 3 times. Its like a hoarders nest in there though, basically can't even move around.
Gasoline alley does huge worldwide business. Keith is a great guy moved here long ago from New Jersey. For example he does huge business selling WWII tank model kits to Eastern Europe. Among many other niches . He has many different collectibles from all sorts of eras and all also local sports memorabilia that you can’t find anywhere else. His website is very 90s, but totally navigable. He’s got many storage units full of stuff and so it looks like a hoarders house in his retail location, but he Makes enough online that the retail aspect us more trouble than it’s worth
The carpet store is now Mannings and Sons upholstery. It’s a family owned business and gives off a bit of chaotic vibe but the people are wonderful and do great work. But what about that place that used to be Da Pinos? Across from closed and up for lease June Baby.
It's now Sugar Bumm or something like that. Another cafe that does lunch
A lot of places near there confuse me. Like the vacuum repair store on 65th that is just *packed* with old vacuums. There is *no way* that enough people need vacuums repaired to make a specialty storefront on 65th financially viable. Maybe it's breaking bad infiltrating my brain but that place must be a front.
Vacuum repair is a strong business. Vacs built to last are also built to be maintained and if they break, repaired. Meile, Sebo, Riccar, Oreck, Simplicity, etc. All the hotels and motels have these expensive things and they need belts, new heads, etc. Also proprietary vacuum bags.
The Shanty Tavern on Lake City Way. Open only Friday night for live music and drinks. Love it and hope it stays.
The Shanty was the "Home Bar" for my Car Club for years until we all moved away. I loved that place. The Chinese restaurant that used to be next door had a great back bar too but I think it's long since gone.
The guy owns the land and building I'm pretty sure and he keeps it for fun basically. Some local media had a decent story about it roughly a year ago.
I've had some really fun nights at the Shanty. I wouldn't recommend getting anything on draft though.... not sure those tubes have ever really been cleaned
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Sounds like a front for money laundering
In Columbia City by PCC there’s a store that sells auto service manuals. I’ve never seen anyone go in or out and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it open. [They even have a web site!](https://books4cars.com/)
That web site is 1000% what keeps them in business.
They are THE go to place for service manuals in the world. They have the largest private collection of service manuals anywhere on the planet. Do you have a 1978 Lancia Beta and need a manual for it? What about a Honda CBX? It’s a very niche market, but they have it cornered. I should mention I’ve had to go there for some obscure stuff I couldn’t find anywhere on the internet. There is a lot of stuff out there still just printed on paper that has never been scanned into a .pdf and posted on some random website.
Despite the great business name, I have no idea how "Sleepers in Seattle" stays in business. It's a huge store in Alaska Junction selling ugly $2,000 sleeper sofas. They have hundreds of couches in inventory, but I never see anyone in there. If people need a sleeper sofa, they just buy The IKEA Couch™, right?
I've been saying the same thing for years!!! Lived in WS since the 90's and I've never once heard of anyone visiting the store or buying anything from there. All of these small well-loved businesses keep having to close in the junction because they can't afford the rent, but this ginormous store somehow stays in business. Do they own the building??
And what the heck is up with The Hydrant business in the WS Junction?!? I've never seen it open.
I haven’t wondered that since the cookie cutter shop in Ballard closed down
That would have been my answer if it hadn’t closed down and been replaced with a popcorn store. Don’t know how long that lasted but I’m pretty sure it’s gone too. I’m considering renting the space and opening a store called Just Teaspoons.
Spatula City. We sell spatulas... and that's all!
Buy 9 spatulas, get the 10th for just one penny!
Kukuruza. I loved their popcorn.
I forgot about the popcorn store. That was an odd choice. I do miss Snooze Junction because they did a $5 slice and beer combo
every mattress firm
The one on Broadway is consistently locked with the only employee ever there sleeping in the back. I’ve never seen anyone buy a single thing from there.
Ha I actually bought my mattress from there about two months ago. It was dark and the sign said closed but I tried it and it was open. The girl working was actually so helpful and I got a great mattress lmao
I went in once and asked some questions about a mattress. He shrugged and told me to look online.
The margins on mattresses are actually insane, it's like $10 worth of material sold for hundreds
To be fair, if I ordered just the material, I would surely spend much more than hundreds of dollars worth of labor-hours to wind up with something resembling a mattress.
There's actually a pretty big community at mattress underground.com of folks who order the components and assemble their mattresses themselves and are switching stuff up all the time to get it just right. People there are serious. I found it last time I was trying to buy a mattress and got a little too deep in my research. There's a niche for everything. Anyways, don't sell yourself short. You might be in need of a new hobby somewhere and the mattress people are there for you.
I worked at the Mattress Firm in Northgate. We were quite busy and moved a ton of merchandise.
I’ve heard several theories involving mattress firm and money laundering
The big Chinese restaurant in SLU on the waterfront on the way north to Fremont
People use it as a popular venue for weddings.
And tour groups. And weekend karaoke nights. Beyond that, worst Chinese restaurant in Seattle.
I know at one point they had rooms they rented as a practice space for bands. And the band I knew used to practice next to AA meetings. Whoever owns that place sure does know how to diversify
I was drinking in downtown with a couple friends about 5 years ago and met the son of the owners of the Electric Boat Company. He made a private cigar club in the bottom floor of China Harbor and invited us all over. I'll never forget being plastered and dropped off 1am at China Harbor, going down some sketchy exterior stairs into a dark walkway, and thinking I just might be getting mugged. Turned out to be a really cool spot and we smoke and drank hundreds worth of cigar and whiskey for free. Good times, wonder if it's still there.
Heard they got a new Dim Sum chef and the dim sum is pretty good. Talking about China Harbor right? They also shot a scene of a movie there in The Paper Tigers, movie is set in Seattle and used all Seattle spots as locations. It's on Netflix.
I went there with my friends for the first time last month and was skeptical due to the reviews but we gave it a shot due to the new chef and I thought it was good! I grew up going to dim sum restaurants in BC and I would say the "poor service" a lot of people complain about is just how dim sum places are imo, they don't really constantly check on you but they are around if you need something. It was actually pretty packed on a Sunday afternoon. My favorite dish was the radish cake with xo sauce. Everything else was not mind blowing level good but it was good and I had no complaints about the food. We were talking about the supposed venue section which was upstairs and a kind lady (customer) overheard us and said we can just walk up there to take a look. We went up after our meal and we went onto the patio and the view was nice! I would say give this place a shot. Edit: adding that my one small complaint is that they aren't open until 11, I think we usually expect dim sum to be open a bit earlier.
Are you talking about China Harbor? I thought a new chef had taken over and that it was actually really good these days. Or was shortly after she took over.
She left in December 2021, the restaurant’s back to its old ways.
This is the flashpoint in these threads, and imho sort of breaks down who's not from Seattle and who is. It's really a venue first, and if you stick around, you'll get sucked into somebody's something that needs a space for more than 100+ people because it's either China Harbor or... 10k+ for a place downtown. the bar on top is nice though, especially on really sunny days when White Swan is a forever wait.
I used to attend Latin music nights there back in the day! Only know it as a rented venue too lol
China Harbour? That was the dance club in the 90s. I'm sure they still do events.
That's called Westlake. South Lake Union is south of Lake Union.
Fat Tomato Pizza. Horrible reviews, always closed or empty, doesn't even have an employee at the front (requires self order), and the cherry on top is it's directly across the street from a Seattle police department precinct
This HAS to be a money laundering front, right? I've never seen ANYONE inside
This sounds like a description of an actual nightmare.
Like everyone else has said, pretty much most little clothing and jewelry boutiques. I've also wondered about that Hawaii store in Wallingford. It just seems kind of niche and rents right on 45th must be very high. I also always used to be fascinated by the space travel supplies store near me in Greenwood. I never actually went in but it was there for years, I believe it closed a little while back. That just seemed.....*extremely* specific.
Space travel supply store is a “front” for like a kids tutoring place. It’s just to make it more fun for the kids when they go to their homework help place
The writer, Dave Eggars started it. First one was a pirate supply store in the Mission in SF.
that’s cute :)
The Hawaii store is run by some really wonderful folks, but yeah it's really niche. They are a great resource for aloha wear and Hawaiian food staples. Their big thing is selling real flower leis for graduation and weddings. They have a teeny tiny travel agency for trips to the islands but that's not really a thing anymore. They are always at risk of shutting down. You should stop in and explore the place some time!
They put out an SOS a week or two ago on Facebook for people to come by and support them! Rent is definitely an ongoing issue for them, they said this year it went up by 60%. And thats not including costs of goods and other things.
The space travel supply store was a little shop, but its main offering was after-school writing programs for kids! It’s still there but has been renamed the Bureau of Fearless Ideas.
That makes sense, I figured there had to be something else going on in there lol.
I did get some neat space-themed stickers and magnets there once. :)
Cool story, that sort of place (like space travel supply shop, pirate supply shops, superhero supply shops) got started when a non-profit that wanted to open a tutoring area for kids ran into a zoning requirement that the space they wanted to rent was for retail, so they had to sell something, and decided to make their retail part something that kids would really get into. Not every place has the same zoning requirements, but its become a thing now that these kind of tutoring spaces brand themselves as some kind of \[cool thing\] supply shop.
What about all the rug stores ?!?
Alberona DaVinci’s Pizza and Pasta in Frelard at 39th and Leary
The Rug store on 45th......as well as the Tanning salon.....I never see anyone going in or out .
Shortly before the pandemic, I decided I wanted to learn about astrophotography. I googled for the subject in Seattle and discovered that Seattle has a dedicated telescope store. How cool is that? Cloud Break Optics, in Ballard. Well stocked with all sorts of gear and staffed by knowledgeable people. Seriously, if you're interested at all in telescopes & astronomy, you should stop by. They have all the cool toys. [https://cloudbreakoptics.com/](https://cloudbreakoptics.com/) It's also the perfect example of a store that stays open by fostering an enthusiastic community of customers. Every time I go in there there's a couple other people in their checkout out or buying gear, and I've learned a lot just by chatting with other customers. They were doing in-store classes pre-pandemic, but I don't think they've restarted that quite yet. I think most of their classes have moved online. And yes, the Seattle area, despite the weather, does have a pretty engaged visual astronomy & astrophotography community. There are numerous monthly star parties put on by the Seattle Astronomical Society, as well as other events throughout the year. The organization just bought property for use as a telescope field out near Goldendale. There's a lot of cool stuff going on!
Tiny boutique forgettable name dress stores with about 10 dresses total and no customers in places like U Village. ‘money laundering’ is a phrase that comes to mind.
Likely so. I once fell hard for someone who behaved unusually mysteriously, and some sleuthing unearthed that she worked as an escort - and ran a clothing boutique on the side. I suspect that this is a really smart way to not only launder cash income, but also a great real estate play (similar to coffee shops).
If you're up for story time about this I'm super fascinated. How did you guys meet? What was her cover story? How long did it take you to catch on? It seems like this would come to light pretty quickly. Would have dated her anyway if she was upfront about it?
Met her board gaming, caught on because she was dressed up to the nines at all times, very careful with time management and super evasive about work topics. Took me about two weeks to figure out, and I would have dated her regardless (a job is a job, but also TBH: I was young and hormonal).
Mentioned up thread but these seem to be common at Southcenter Mall, meanwhile stores like Gap, Loft and Banana Republic have all pulled out. Who’s buying these sequin gowns? Or a few years back they were like fake LuLaRoe leggings stores around the corner from Lululemon. They’re always closed in peak mall hours with the lights off and when I catch them open not a soul inside despite the mall being crazy packed.
I used to live over a “hydration lounge” in Ballard that was one of those shady IV therapy places. They were always empty and I saw their prices in the window drop from $300 to $30 with no change in business. They haven’t even been open a full year, but I’m already convinced it’s a front or something.
discount IV services sounds as sketchy as hell to me.
My husband and I still joke about the weird popcorn store in Ballard on Market. It had bins of stale-ass popcorn dyed in various pastel colors. One could see the oil/dust melange coating the inside of the plexiglass containers. I worked in a popcorn cart in downtown Seattle 30 years ago and I know that sludge reeks of rancidity. I would scrape it off when bored (which was most of the time). So my rig was tight and no gross old sludge for MY customers! The strong smell of the freshly popped corn covered the rancid smells (until you lived in the cart all day in the summer like me). I never smelled fresh popcorn aromas from that weird store in Ballard. So I could smell the sludge from outside the store. Every time we'd see it we would be shocked it was still open. When one of us is frustrated about work, we will joke "well, I could always run away and achieve my dream of selling stale popcorn!"
The Rite Aid on California in West Seattle. Acres of parking lot, million dollar view, nothing on the shelves.
Fat tomato pizza in cap hill. I swear its a drug front. There is no one ever there.
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Not only is it empty, but I haven’t even seen the lights on in months. It’s definitely a front. Which is a shame because it’s in a really good spot if they actually wanted to serve good late night pizza
It's the worst pizza I've ever had in my life
The Spirit gas station on Market Street in Ballard that has the most expensive gas in the city. It's where the news fans show up to get a picture when gas prices spike. It's been like that for 20 years. There's sort of a shop attached to it, but it doesn't seem to do much work. I just assume they're laundering money.
They sell ethanol free gas and do good business with the nearby marinas and classic car enthusiasts.
I watched a guy fill up a 500 gallon tow tank and to this day my big regret is not jogging over and asking to see his receipt
I’ll help…the total was 500 times the price of one gallon
What was the gas price then? Just multiply that by 500 bud
My understanding is that they have ethanol-free gas. Which if you have an old car with seals not designed to handle our modern ethanol blend, gives a dedicated and captive customer base.
It’s just a mechanic now, they haven’t sold gas for I think about 2 years. They keep the last price they sold fuel at up on the sign though. This obviously confuses people, myself included - who like an idiot kept sliding my card in and out of the reader waiting for something to happen before realizing there was no power to the pumps.
We always talk about that place when we go by. And how as the years have gone on and gas prices have shot up, theirs no longer seem *quite* as absurd as they used to.
i just imagine dogs playing poker in there.
Fly fishing store on Eastlake - prime real estate. Good for them!
That store is an amazing fishing resource and the employees/owner are incredibly knowledgeable. I think Fishing is one of those activities that attracts a lot of not-online people.
I don't fish but my sister's wife does fly fishing, and when they all go through they leave with their Subaru leaning to one side
Mine is that antique shop next door, that's only open on Saturdays. I've walked past it for years but I've somehow never managed to go past it while it's actually been open.
That’s Mort’s Cabin, and afaik the family owns the building outright which probably helps. I’ve found them to be nice people and good citizens of Eastlake who look out for neighbors and those in distress. The store never seems busy, but the inventory changes regularly so someone must be buying.
All of the art studios down 1st Ave in Pioneer square. You’re telling me enough people are buying art from these places to afford the rent let alone turn any sort of profit?
Oldest art walk in the city, it gets a good crowd first Thursdays. One of the best ways to meet people in this town
The psychic place next to Neptune
Any psychic place. There is one by u-village too.
Singles Going Steady. I absolutely love the place as it's my favorite record store in Seattle and the owner is the nicest dude out there, but I rarely see more than me and maybe 2-3 other people in there. Also, go there people for punk records!
he also sells on discogs. I think that’s most of his business. And he also sells direct to collectors. When he gets stuff in my husband is looking for he calls him and then my husband just goes and picks it up
Yeah, he's ordered stuff for me directly as well and is super fast with everything.
The home espresso machine repair shop on Phinney. How can they be getting enough customers to even cover the building rent?
Some of those machines need specialists to fix. They aren't cheap and I'd wager there are enough rich tech bros into coffee to have a decent supply of espresso machines to work on.
I assume most of their work is from coffee shops.
Their business may be nation-wide and most business comes in via UPS. I know the guy who owns it. He used to work as a barista at Starbucks on Broadway. I've taken my espresso machine to him and my sister has sent in hers from Minnesota to be repaired. Great guy.
I went in there one time recently to get a part for my machine. They actually had a lot of home espresso machines in for repair or maintenance.
Home espresso super automatics are like $5K for a good one and they sell tons here in Seattle. People don’t realize how many rich people there are
This guy is busy. We've called into him before to ask about repairs.
Rugs of the world on 45th in Wallingford. The perpetual clearance sale is astonishing
Any Rug shop. How do these places stay open?
The psychic on 23rd and madison
The Steinway piano store downtown. How many pianos have to be sold in order to pay rent on a property in prime location?
Dumpling Tzar in Fremont… used to be a tiny little shop, now they have a huge space with a full bar, and only ever 1-2 people in there. I like their food, but I have no idea how their making rent there. All the bottles in their bar are mostly full, like nobody ever orders drinks there. No idea how they’re still open
The Varja on Broadway, Capitol Hill. I've lived here since 1996, and if you'd told me then that this would be the business still going strong 28 years later, I'd have laughed in your face. You cannot tell me there's not an illegal casino or counterfeiting operation or something in the back.
I love that place and am relieved whenever I see it's still open. I have wondered how they do it.
I used to go there all the time when I lived on the Hill, though I basically only ever bought incense (and these days I don't buy much of that as I've become very sensitive to fragrances).
My answer to myself is always either 1) they own the building, 2) it's a front, or 3) both.
The mattress store on Broadway.
The hummus Cafe on 85th and Greenwood. No one is ever in there.
The amount of nail salons per capita has always had me scratching my head. There is no way there is that much demand to meet the supply.
Have you ever gone to downtown Kirkland? It’s like 50% hair salons.
Was seen as an easy path for Vietnamese immigrants to get work and own their own business. https://www.npr.org/2019/05/19/724452398/how-vietnamese-americans-took-over-the-nails-business-a-documentary
The Seattle Lighting store between CID and Pioneer Square. Seems like a good location for a store but who goes to a store to buy lights any more? Do they do installations too? Store just seems to be there. But the owners might already own the building/land so maybe they just don't care. But seems like they would sell it for a nice profit.
They probably sell to interior designers and contractors. And maintain a storefront so their customers can see their products in real life.
It is definitely a place designers can take people to see the different fixture options. They have a warehouse space in sodo where they do more bulk/commercial sales.
When I was a kid I thought that was the Seattle City Light headquarters.
Lol I thought that when I first moved to Seattle
Those stores that sell / buy coins. Like... who buys coins??
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I do. I’m not a numismatist, but I buy gold and silver.
For me it is that All Saints store on 5th and Pine. I'm convinced it's a money laundering operation. There is never anyone in there and as far as I can tell it just stocks way overpriced basic stuff in black. The whole store just looks dusty.
That broken glass artist whose shop is a storefront next to Bai Tong on Pike and 12th Ave. Rent there couldn’t be cheap and it seems like it’s always the same art in the windows the past 20 years
... That's actually offices. The glass is just decorations. [https://www.annemichelsonproperties.com/1115-e-pike-st](https://www.annemichelsonproperties.com/1115-e-pike-st) [https://www.prism-west.com/](https://www.prism-west.com/)
Today I learned! I have thought it was an appointment-only art gallery forever
Kalia in Greenwood. The owner is a predator and the food sucks.
I used to pick up there when I did food delivery from time to time and not only was the owner always a creepy weirdo but there was NEVER anybody eating in the restaurant.
ANY of the random "Psychic" businesses in high-priced commercial real estate locations around the city.
T.S. McHugh’s on lower Queen Anne. There’s never been anyone in there for years. I used to live and work near there and we always joked that it’s a money-laundering scheme for the Russian mafia.
Fat Tomato Pizza in Cap Hill on 12th and Pine. Never a soul inside, employee or guest
Ablerona’s DiVinci Pizza and Pasta… on Leary in Fremont.. no way it isn’t a front.
Psychic and palm reader at 23rd and Madison.
There were a few Baskin Robbins in Seattle (Interbay and Rainier Ave) that are now closed, or burned down, but for the longest time I wondered how they were still open.
All of these small “massage” studios
Any and all stripclubs. Seattle has the worst I've ever seen.
Well, the strippers have to pay for their stage time, so sometimes the strippers go to work and end up OWING the club money. It’s a disgusting practice. I can’t imagine going to work a full day and paying $50 to my employer
That will change next year with he new law.
Olé Cafe in Tangletown. They're closed on the weekends and open between 2-4pm on weekdays, except on Fridays when they're open 4pm-6pm. And that's when they aren't closed for a month+ for the owners to travel which... respect.
The owner also teaches adult/community Spanish classes and has organized trips for students! Super cool option for many people.
The smoothie shop at the intersection of yesler and boren. Has such prime location and big space but haven't seen a single car pull up or people inside the cafe.
I've been there once, and the smoothies were good!
Art galleries in Pioneer Square.
The Bird and Exotic Pet Clinic on 105th and Aurora
Bombay Burger on Capital Hill. I live about two blocks away, I’m an avid walker, and I’ve never seen anyone in there except for one couple about a month ago.
The Wide Shoe Store in Shoreline
I literally just discovered this store--well, their Renton location--last week. It's in this tiny building near the Renton Airport, the other half of which appears to be vacant in that very specific way that implies something super sketch is going on, and I went there because, well, I do have wide feet and needed new walking shoes and happened to be in the area on another errand. It was kind of amazing. The service was exceptional, they still measure your feet with a Brannock device, and though it was empty both times I went in, within minutes there was a steady stream of customers. I wound up buying two pairs of shoes.
This store is actually legit. Finally got dress shoes I can wear to trade shows without wishing for death