Looming layoffs. Declining home values and residential construction. Mega-banks and Wall Street firms on the ropes.
The skittish national economy is beginning to give the Puget Sound jitters. And for business owners in Ballard, transportation issues add another layer of challenges and uncertainties.
The question is: What can you do about it?
The answer is: Plenty.
With the current state of the economy consumers are tending to be a little more frugal with their spending, but in the West Seattle Junction businesses are faring well so far as their neighborhood has become a popular destination for people across the city.
At Northwest Art and Frame, owner Dan Reiner says business this fall has increased compared to this time last year.
Reiner says this is due largely to the fact that many local restaurants have received favorable press from citywide publications, creating good foot traffic on California Avenue.
These are perilous times in which we find ourselves. No longer is it possible or even prudent to place our hopes in the soundness of the "fundamentals of our economy." That could be likened to stepping from a solid dock onto a floating inner tube. While the inner tube may have substance, it has no support from beneath. But we will get beyond this, won't we?
I'm given to view the world from the perspective of a modified relativist. That is, while I do think there are a few absolutes, which can't be disputed, there are many issues of interest and importance that can.
When pumpkins appear at Top Banana at 15th and Northwest 65th I know that the end is near.
Soon there will be no more Top Banana until spring, except for the Christmas tree lot, and it's not like I need to pick up a fresh tree several times a week. January through March are long dark months when you've come to depend on owner Jimmy Wild's energy to light up Ballard.
What is it about Jimmy? Is it the fact that he carries a knife that makes him so direct? Have you ever been to Top Banana Produce for a watermelon or a bag of compost?
When pumpkins appear at Top Banana at 15th and Northwest 65th I know that the end is near.
Soon there will be no more Top Banana until spring, except for the Christmas tree lot, and it's not like I need to pick up a fresh tree several times a week. January through March are long dark months when you've come to depend on owner Jimmy Wild's energy to light up Ballard.
What is it about Jimmy? Is it the fact that he carries a knife that makes him so direct? Have you ever been to Top Banana Produce for a watermelon or a bag of compost?
Tough times call for strong relationships
By John Huey
Looming layoffs. Declining home values and residential construction. Mega-banks and Wall Street firms on the ropes.
The skittish national economy is beginning to give the Puget Sound jitters. And for business owners in Ballard and West Seattle, transportation issues add another layer of challenges and uncertainties.
The question is: What can you do about it?
The answer is: Plenty. And many of the strategies are just good business practices that make sense anytime.
The Seattle City Council is scheduled to vote by the end of the year on a proposal that would allow developers to build taller in the Ballard neighborhood commercial district in exchange for providing some residential units below market rate or other types of public benefits like open space.
Late last year, the council received Mayor Greg Nickels' plan to expand the downtown Seattle incentive zoning program citywide.
It's almost a heretical question to ask in this town. Most people I know in Seattle (myself included) love the neighborhoods where we live. More often than not, we feel protective of other neighborhoods around town, too.
I don't live anywhere near Ballard Avenue, but I love the feel of that historic district strip and a beer at The Tractor.
Seattle is said to be a city of strong neighborhoods, more so than many other cities around the country that don't have pockets of unique character the way we do, nor as many ardent community activists as we have.
The Seattle City Council is scheduled to vote by the end of the year on a proposal that would allow developers to build taller in the Ballard neighborhood commercial district in exchange for providing some residential units below market rate or other types of public benefits like open space.
Late last year, the council received Mayor Greg Nickels' plan to expand the downtown Seattle incentive zoning program citywide.
