This summer eight local artists are selling their goods in tiny, metal boxes right on Seattle’s downtown waterfront walkway. It’s just a pilot program for now with a scattered schedule, but the vendors could be back next year.
Flor Moreno has never sold her shirts and earrings in a store before. For the past two years she’s relied on social media and online marketplaces for customers.
This summer that’s all changed for Moreno. The Seattle-based artist now has a prime spot on Seattle’s waterfront, just a few feet from the heavily trafficked Pier 55.
“It’s amazing. I feel good, I feel happy, and it’s a good experience for me,” she says inside her pop-up shop. “It’s a good opportunity for us.”
The four boxes stand out on the concrete stretch of walkway. Each is brightly colored and features a mural by a local painter. They’re mini-storage containers that can close and lock to stand up in any weather.
They are tiny, about 10 feet by 6 feet with little ramps leading inside.
“Yeah, I think it’s a little small, but it’s okay,” Moreno laughs. Plus she shares the space with another vendor.
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Moreno’s shop was the only one of the four that was open. Hours vary for each artist and Friends of Waterfront Park, the group that opened the shops, says the expectation is that each is open at least six days a week.
Nico Onoda-McGuire, senior manager of community impact for Friends of Waterfront Park, says the group partnered with local organizations to find vendors from diverse communities with unique backgrounds.
“Businesses that are representative of not only waterfront neighborhoods, but neighborhoods in the C.D. (Central District), the C.I.D. (Chinatown-International District), and Belltown,” Onoda-McGuire said. “Just making sure that folks who are here, potentially tourists, are getting a taste of the entire communities of Seattle.”
The vendors will be set up next to Pier 55 through Labor Day weekend. It hasn’t been decided whether the program will be back next summer.
Onoda-McGuire said there is a lot of potential for vendors along the water, especially as the full waterfront park is set to open next year.
“For most of these businesses, this is their first brick and mortar experience,” Onoda-McGuire said. “So they’re learning a lot themselves and teaching us a lot about what vending could look like on the waterfront park.”
Business was a little slow with just the one pop-up shop open, but many people strolling by did stop and take selfies with the murals on the boxes.
One thing people said they hope stays on the busy walkway: the extra tables and chairs set up next to the shops.
