Rob Smith
Last-Minute Shopping? Amazon, Starbucks, REI Rank Among Best for Gift Card Value
Several Seattle-area retailers top 2024 list
If you’re last-minute gift-shopping — and chances are you are — you’re probably considering a gift card. The National Retail Federation says 157 million people plan to shop on Super Saturday — the last Saturday before Christmas. An estimated 26% of shoppers have already bought gift cards. “As with last year, over half of consumers…
The Joys and Challenges of Living out of a Converted Bus
Don’t talk to Heather Shutter about small spaces. Sure, she lives in a converted, 400-square-foot school bus — a skoolie — with her husband, Ben, three children (ages 14, 12, and 10), several dogs, and a Gecko lizard. She’s a full-time attorney who works in a tiny, cramped compartment in the back. Her kids are…
Is Downtown Seattle Again Becoming The Place To Be?
The numbers just keep getting better
More workers and visitors are increasingly going to downtown Seattle. While the growth is incremental, the numbers are cause for optimism. The Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) reports that nearly 2.3 million unique visitors came downtown in November. That’s 90% of the visitors prior to the same month five years ago (shortly before the pandemic). It’s…
She Never Gave Up
Some of Alissa Leinonen’s biggest mistakes turned into her greatest successes
Alissa Leinonen launched her catering and box-lunched company, Gourmondo, as a simple, four-table lunch café in the Pike Place Market almost 30 years ago. Today, Gourmondo has become a turnkey catering company, offering full services for social and events catering, a successful corporate café division, a retail line of gourmet grab-and-go products, and an in-house…
California Crispy Chicken Chain Plans Seattle Debut
Starbird will open locations across Seattle beginning next year
The chicken wars are heating up. California fast-food crispy chicken chain Starbird is planning 15 locations across Seattle and two in Spokane, beginning next year. It joins several other chicken chains opening across Seattle, including Crimson Coward, Raising Cane’s, El Pollo Loco and Jollibee. Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken also recently opened in Climate Pledge Arena….
Amazon Now Sells Cars. What’s Next?
The Seattle retail giant is seemingly on a quest to sell virtually everything
You can now buy a car on Amazon. But it must be a Hyundai (at least for now), and it’s only available in major metros in 48 states, Seattle included. Amazon Autos also allows buyers to trade in their existing cars and secure financing. It sounds odd, but consumers have bought cars online for years…
Groundbreaking Survey Seeks to Understand LGBTQ+ Population
Washington state effort aims to reach 10,000 residents
A first-of-its-kind survey in Washington state seeks to understand the unique characteristics and experiences of LGBTQ+ youth and adults. The survey — sponsored by the state LGBTQ Commission and led by Washington State University and a queer and trans research team — will help inform policies and legislation, with the ultimate goal of promoting equality,…
Westland Again Nabs Spot on Top Whiskey List
More ‘proof’ that Washington whiskies rank among world’s best
Move over, aerospace and tech. Whiskey wants a word with you. Seattle may have another defining characteristic. For the second consecutive year, Seattle’s Westland Distillery has achieved international acclaim. Whiskey Advocated named Westland’s Wine Cask Finish American Single Malt Whiskey No. 20 on its prestigious Top 20 Whiskeys of 2024 list. Westland is the only Seattle…
Reformed Nigerian Scammer: ‘You Can Lose All Your Money’
‘Once I get access, I can manipulate them’
On the Dr. Phil show, a woman named Karla said she had sent more than $100,000 to a man she insisted was Tyler Perry. She said they were married, and he was raising their child together, even though they had never met. Extreme, yes, but an example of a classic romance scam. Christopher Maxwell understands….
Kraken Founding Owner David Bonderman Dies
Bonderman worked as a security guard at the Space Needle while attending college at UW
It was only my fourth day on the job in a new city, and I found myself sitting across a table from David Bonderman. This was back in 2003. I was the newly minted editor of the Portland Business Journal, and Bonderman’s private investment group — Texas Pacific Group, known as TPG — had just…
Judges Block Kroger-Albertsons Merger
Decision effectively ends plans that effect more than 300 grocery stores across Washington state
A woman named Kerry (she asked that her last name not be used) was perusing the canned goods section at the Magnolia QFC when she was asked if she had heard that a federal judge in Oregon had blocked parent company Kroger’s proposed merger with Albertsons. (About an hour later, a King County Superior Court…
Upcoming World Cup ‘A Massive Economic Driver’ for Seattle
The six matches could create almost 21,000 jobs
Seattle will take its place on the global stage while hosting several 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, and will be rewarded handsomely for doing so. Visit Seattle projects the event to generate at least $929 million in King County over the six World Cup matches at Lumen Field between June and July 2026. That includes…
Back Page: Nature Therapy
Washington state is among the leaders in outdoor recreation
The headline in the June 1970 issue of Seattle magazine sounds provocative, perhaps even a bit pugnacious: “Why WASP’s Camp: The quest for a Lost America.” The article had less to do with Presbyterians and more with the challenges of conservation and outdoor recreation. Written by David Brewster, who went on to found both Seattle…
Join The Must List
Sign up and get Seattle's best events delivered to your inbox every week.