The Brief
- Many Seattle small businesses say they are facing a financial crisis, with some reporting conditions worse than during the pandemic.
- A new survey found most businesses are seeing fewer customers, lower sales and higher costs, with crime and downtown office vacancies adding to the strain.
- Business owners are calling for emergency relief and long-term support as they try to survive ahead of a hoped-for boost from the World Cup.
SEATTLE – Barely getting by: That’s how some of Seattle’s most-beloved small businesses describe their day-to-day.
Some said it’s worse than during the pandemic. They call it a small business crisis that is harder to see at first glance.
There are restaurants in the Chinatown-International District whose menus are next-level. There are stores you won’t find anywhere else. But there is a growing fear that soon you won’t see them at all.…