Seattle Fashion Roundtable Recap

On Thursday, May 30th, Sydney Mintle of Gossip & Glamour gathered fashion industry stakeholders for a community-driven dialogue with Beto Yarce, Region 10 Administrator for the Small Business Administration. The group discussed Seattle’s current retail climate and the vast opportunities that lie ahead when it comes to rebuilding a vibrant shopping scene in the city. The event was held at the Downtown Seattle Nordstrom store and gave local business owners a chance to connect offline, brainstorm ideas, and share valuable resources.

Topics covered in the discussion included consumer sentiment, the ease of shopping online vs. the customer experience in physical stores, safety and security concerns in the downtown corridor, parking access and availability, and the obstacles created by the on-going construction projects in the city. The group also spent equal time talking about what IS working in the city including customer events, retail activations, pop-ups featuring indie designers, retail collaborations, and the positive foot traffic brought in during cruise ship season.

Guests in attendance included Dan Jones of Nordstrom, Terri Morgan of TCM Models, Jane Hedreen of Flora & Henri, Kari Gran of Kari Gran Skincare, Luis Velez of Guillermo Bravo, Elisa Yip of Sskein, Kris Hussey of Something Silver, Stacy Speicher of Ben Bridge Jewelry, and more.

Amy Augustine of Flora & Henri, Lisa Bowman of Camp Opal, and Jane Hedreen of Flora & Henri

Luis Velez of Guillermo Bravo with Kris Hussey of Something Silver

Elisa Yip of Sskein with Liz McQuiston of Willa

Alexandra Echevarria of Varria Collection with Sydney Mintle of Gossip & Glamour

Consultant Rafael Soto, Stacy Speicher of Ben Bridge Jewelry, and Alexandra Echevarria of Varria Collection

Sydney Mintle of Gossip & Glamour with Beto Yarce, Region 10 Administrator for the SBA

Sydney Mintle with Kari Gran

Colina Bruce of Noir Lux Candle Co. with Jenna McGinnis of T. Bazi

In addition to Regional Administrator Beto Yarce, District Director Melanie Norton was also present to provide the group with information on available SBA resources for small businesses. Here is a summary of resources provided at the fashion roundtable:

Access to Capital programs

Office of Advocacy

Office of Ombudsman - SBA's National Ombudsman works for small businesses to assist them with excessive federal regulatory issues.

Lender Match - Competitive rates for small businesses

Strategic Alliance Memorandum (SAM) with the National Association of Workforce Boards (NWAB) - Support for increasing available resources to small business owners

The SBA also hosts regular events for small businesses including drop-in coaching sessions, import/export seminars, lending workshops, and more. Learn more about upcoming events here.

To gain access to future events like these, sign up for the Gossip & Glamour mailing list linked on the homepage.