Cupofsugar.com? Helpful Neighborhood Websites
A pair of neighborly websites help build community at the micro level.
By Seattle Mag April 3, 2013
This article originally appeared in the March 2013 issue of Seattle magazine.
Forget leaning over the hedge, that’s so Home Improvement. Seattleites who want to borrow a rake, report a loose dog or just meet the family next door are turning to the Web as a substitute for—or a spur to—old-fashioned front-stoop chitchat.
San Francisco–based Nextdoor.com, launched in 2011, connects neighbors through a sort of geographically restricted version of Facebook. Not surprisingly, the posts tend to be immediate and utilitarian: nanny recommendations, block-watch updates, lost-and-found reports. According to a company spokesperson, 75 percent of Seattle neighborhoods were on the site as of January 2013.
Launched in the Queen Anne neighborhood in early 2012, Fremont-based Knoq.com harnesses the neighbors-as-resource idea for the practical mission of “making it easier to get things done around the house.” The central philosophy being that a recommendation for a handyman for example, from someone you sort of know is better than the Yelp of a complete stranger. Scheduled to be available to all Seattle neighborhoods this month, Knoq.com also offers deals and discounts on some prescreened local businesses.
Follow Us
Coasting Into Calm
After purchasing a weather-worn, ant-infested cabin on an Oregon beach, a Seattle couple hires a regional team to transform it into a stylish weekend retreat.
When architect Andrew Montgomery first pulled up to his clients’ house in Arch Cape, Oregon, there were logs in the driveway, courtesy of the sizable swells that come with the coast’s king tides. At just 28 feet above sea level and as close as you can get to the water without being on the beach,…
Blueprints for Building Community
After tragedy struck a local restaurateur family, one of their daughters stepped in to complete the design for her brother’s unfinished home.
Although he was just 35 when a heart attack took his life, Khoa Pham’s imprint on Seattle’s international district was such that the city quickly designated April 21 as a memorial day in his honor. With his rescue pitbull, Pinky, by his side, Pham cut a colorful figure through Little Saigon and became well known…
Tuft Stuff
Tuft Ruft turns fiber art into a social, hands-on experience in Pioneer Square.
It all started with a bout of pandemic boredom. Like many, when COVID-19 hit, recent graduate Carrie Xiao found herself stuck at home, with extra time on her hands. One day, while scrolling social media, she discovered tufting: a textile manufacturing technique that creates a garment or rug with a “pile,” or raised surface. After…
Collaborating Cultures
Looking to build a home to welcome family and friends, one Kirkland couple turns to a sister to design a modern house with influences from the wife’s Thai heritage.
For many years, when homeowners planned to build or remodel, architects and designers advised them to think first and foremost about resale value. From the number of bedrooms to the materials, appliances, and finishes in the kitchens and bathrooms, homes were often treated solely as an investment, with an eye to future sales. In recent…