'Tis the season! The holiday lights are twinkling and Pioneer Square has plenty of Yuletide to bring joy to friends, family and furry friends. Check out our holiday series below for more information on festive fun in Pioneer Square.
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This Month in Pioneer Square |
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Muse Lounge opens in Occidental Square and Beneath the Streets celebrates their new gift shop
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Take a virtual tour of Pioneer Square's music history with HistoryLink
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The holidays are upon us! Pioneer Square has so much to offer during these festive times. Come join us for celebrations! |
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Date: From Thursday, December 1st to Thursday, December 15th.
Location: Multiple drop off locations, including Cone & Steiner, Caffe Umbria, Shawn O'Donnell's American Grill & Irish Pub and Dead Line.
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Holiday Gift Guide: Find the perfect gift for everyone on your list. Use our neighborhood Holiday Gift Guide to discover the best presents for the special people in your life from the comfort of home.
Date: Open November 15th to January 1st
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2nd Annual Winter Holiday Market: Want unique gifts this holiday season? Pioneer Square businesses are joining forces for a one-day holiday market in Occidental Square. Stop by for stylish finds from local makers and tasty food from one-of-a-kind restaurants. The park will also be active with a pop-up ice rink (12/9-12/11; free skate rentals and rink access), live music, carolers, free treats from The Pastry Project and Yellow Butterfly Coffee all courtesy of the Downtown Seattle Association. Don't forget to have your picture taken at the free holiday themed photo booth!
Date: Saturday, December 10th, 11a-3p
Location: Occidental Square (between S Washington St. and Main St)
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Muse Lounge Opens
in Occidental Square
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Beneath the Streets
Celebrates New Gift Shop
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Muse Lounge, a new upscale social lounge where passion meets culture, presentation and ambience, is now open in Pioneer Square at 224 Occidental Ave.
Get ready for unbeatable vibes, ambience and delightful food. Muse is open Thursday to Sunday for brunch & dinner. Expect good times, good food and good vibes only.
Welcome to the neighborhood Muse Lounge!
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The gift shop features an array of treasures from many companies whose business practices involve fair wages, organic products and a commitment to sustainability.
The gift shop is open daily from 10;:30am. Congratulation to team Beneath the Streets on this new venture!
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The London Plane
Closes in December
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After ten years of providing a culinary and civic space in Pioneer Square, The London Plane will close in December, with their last day of service on the 24th.
Opened in 2013, The London Plane has served Pioneer Square as a community gathering space and a place of nourishment for visitors and locals alike. Their presence in Occidental Mall will be missed. We wish The London Plane family the best as the forge onward into future endeavors. The Pioneer Square community is encouraged to visit The London Plane on or before their last day of service on December 24th to celebrate their uniquely positive impact on our neighborhood.
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HistoryLink Announces Pioneer Square Music History Virtual Tour |
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Pastry Project Spring 2023 Student Applications Open |
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John Coltrante, Dizzy Gillespie and Charles Mingus. These are just a few musicians who gigged in Pioneer Square during the late 20th century. Written by experts in local history, HistoryLink's easy-to-use self-guided walking tours, now with audio and translation, explore Washington neighborhoods with a nod to the past.
Meticulously researched and richly illustrated, each tour is easily accessible via public transit. Recently, HistoryLink announced a virtual tour of Pioneer Square's music history, covering 18 tour stops. The virtual tour is available here.
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Applications for the Pastry Project's Spring 2023 cohort, starting in February and graduating in May, is now live! This is for anyone with barriers to opportunity that would benefit from a 14 week free baking and pastry job skills training.
The program also offers a program stipend, transit stipends, childcare stipends, a student uniform, lunch on class days and lots of free pastries, on top of other benefits, to help ensure students can attend the whole program and graduate. Graduates will be assisted with job placement with hiring partners (bakeries and dessert shops around the greater Seattle area).
Applications are due on Monday December 5th. Visit here to apply.
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Local Business Owner Spotlight:
Sara Upshaw, OHSUN Banchan Deli & Cafe
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This month we introduce a new feature to our newsletter where we shine a spotlight on our neighborhood businesses and community of business owners in each issue.
Meet Sara Upshaw, the brilliant mind behind Pioneer Square's latest offering OHSUN Banchan, a Korean Deli opening soon at 221 1st Ave S. The deli will serve noodles, soups, stewed meats and a variety of banchan.
Welcome to Pioneer Square! Tell us what you loved about the neighborhood/ what made you choose to locate your shop in Pioneer Square?
Thank you so much! The warm welcome we’ve gotten from the neighborhood is one of the reasons I knew Pioneer Square would be a great home for OHSUN. From the other small businesses to the residents, it’s such a close-knit community that truly cares about one other. Our neighborhood is historically rich and one of the most beautiful parts of Seattle, but it’s the people that are truly special.
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Can you take us through the journey of how OHSUN Banchan Deli & Café came to be?
It all started with my food blog seven years ago. I was burnt out from my corporate role and desperately needed to inject creativity and control into my life. So I started teaching cooking classes, rebranded my blog to Kimchi Halfie to showcase the food I grew up eating, wrote a cookbook and connected with so many people digitally over food. When the pandemic hit, like many it shook me up and made me really focus on what I wanted to do with my life. So I dove straight into what I loved the most, giving comfort through food. I got the most fulfilling rush when I cooked for people at pop-ups and knew what I was supposed to be doing with my life. The next step was a brick-and-mortar location for OHSUN, named after my halmoni (grandmother). She’s the one that’s spiritually pulling me through the roller coaster of setting up shop.
How would you describe your business and what do you think makes it unique?
OHSUN Banchan Deli & Cafe is a casual counter service restaurant where you can find house-made banchans, cooked-to-order and grab-and-go eats with Korean flavors and pantry items to make Korean home-cooked meals. We’ll also have a wine, soju and cocktail menu to enjoy at the shop or take home. The most unique thing about us is that we are 100% gluten-free with at least 50% vegan menu offerings. A lot of people are shocked by this but, with a few ingredients tweaked, its easy to make Korean food gluten-free while still tasting exactly how I grew up eating it.
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What are some of the hopes you have for OHSUN Banchan in its 1st year of operation in the neighborhood?
My hope for the first year of opening is to establish roots in the neighborhood. I want the community to feel that OHSUN is a place to get comfort through food and connect with our team. I'm also hoping that people will learn about the art of banchan, an integral part of a Korean meal.
Any specifics to highlight (upcoming events, promotions, new menu items etc.)?
Our biggest event will be finally opening our doors! Although I don’t have an exact date yet, we will make sure to open in some capacity before the end of the year. OHSUN will also be at the Holiday Market in Occidental Park on December 10th so drop by to taste our spicy potato stew in garlic and ginger broth and rosemary coffee cookies, all gluten-free of course! Look out for gift cards at the shop which will be available to purchase for the Korean food lover in your life.
Visit here to learn more about the upcoming opening and sign up for OHSUN Banchan's newsletter to keep up to date with the new restaurant.
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Pioneer Square's
First Thursday Art Walk
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Join Seattle’s Original First Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square. The art walk is FREE & self-guided, every First Thursday of the month and parking is free from 5pm to 10pm!
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Save with Veo BikeShare
Save $5 with code PIONEERSQ on First Thursday Artwalk with Veo, one of Seattle's new bikeshare providers.
Learn more about their class II e-bikes in Seattle here.
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For Neighborhood Businesses
The Alliance is sharing information regarding foot traffic coming and going from the south end of the district this upcoming holiday season. To better inform business operations on game and event days, follow this link to the Lumen Field and Event Center, WAMU Theater and T-Mobile Park event calendar for December and January.
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Monthly Staff Feature:
Lisa Howard, Alliance ED
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In her role as Executive Director of the Alliance, Lisa leads the team and uses her strong relationships to advocate for the neighborhood and the issues that impact Pioneer Square at the city, county, and state levels.
This month, we look back at 2022, discuss the upcoming year, and Lisa’s view on what it has in store for our community.
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Pioneer Square
Holiday Media Kit
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Visit Seattle Releases
Winter/Spring 2022-23 Official Visitors' Guide
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The Alliance for Pioneer Square has put together this simple media kit to help businesses spread the word to their customers about all the great things happening in our neighborhood this winter. In this kit, you’ll find program graphics, a list of Alliance winter events and copy to help you to promote the neighborhood on your communications channels.
Be sure to add your holiday events to both the Pioneer Square calendar and add us as a co-host on your Facebook event.
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Visit Seattle's Official Visitors’ Guide (OVG) is the ultimate resource to incoming visitors, providing travel inspiration and resources for their next Seattle adventure. Intended for distribution November-May, the winter/spring edition is packed full of ideas on what to taste, where to play and what to see.
View the full OVG online. Keep an eye out for the OVG at regional hotels, ferry terminals, visitor centers and airports.
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Pioneer Square Social Media
Takeover Program
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Each Friday, we give neighborhood businesses and organizations the opportunity to share a series of photo and video content to the Alliance for Pioneer Square’s social media channels via stories, feed posts and live video updates, for the entire day.
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With several larger employers bringing back their workforce to Pioneer Square after nearly two years of remote work, we want to give your staff a warm welcome!
The Alliance has created a one page document for the returning upper floor office staff to make the transition back to the office as seamless as possible.
The resources listed provide returning workers with information on how to engage with the neighborhood and shop local.
If your staff need additional resources to support their return to work, please contact us at info@pioneersquare.org.
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Neighborhood Construction Updates |
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Waterfront Seattle Construction Ongoing on New Alaskan Way
Waterfront Seattle continues building the new Alaskan Way. Assembly of the falsework to support the new Marion St Bridge has begun over Alaskan Way. This temporary support structure will allow for work to continue on the bridge spans that will connect pedestrians between 1st Ave and the new ferry terminal at Colman Dock.
The temporary bridge-like structure over Alaskan Way at Marion St. is anticipated to remain in place into spring 2023 while the new pedestrian bridge over the roadway is built. Another nighttime closure will be required to remove the falsework once it’s no longer needed.
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Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program’s
New Connection on Railroad Way Underway
Currently, travel lanes are shifted on Alaskan Way between South Dearborn Street and South King Street for drainage and pavement work. The left turn from northbound Alaskan Way to Pier 46 is temporarily restricted.
Additionally, installation of new bus shelters and shelter components at Alaskan Way began on Friday, September 23rd.
Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation expect to complete construction in 2023. Visit the project website for details or contact the project at viaduct@wsdot.wa.gov.
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Pioneer Square
Areaways Program
SDOT has completed safety inspections of the Pioneer Square areaways. Curb lane restrictions will remain in place while SDOT continues to monitor, evaluate and strengthen the areaway street walls throughout Pioneer Square.
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Metropole Building Construction Updates
In 2019, Satterberg Foundation, a Seattle-based family foundation, purchased the historic Metropole Building, located at 423 2nd Ave Extension S. The primary motivation of this purchase was to provide centrally located, long-term office space for non-profit organizations committed to serving communities of color in response to social and environmental needs and challenges.
Crews began demolition on the project in late April with an anticipated opening date in January 2024. WG Clark is serving as the General Contractor and BuildingWork is the architect. The re-design and renovation of the building has been curated with the careful consideration of the current and future needs of the community and will adhere to the highest sustainability standards including LEED Platinum Certification and compliance with the Seattle 2030 District Goals. The Metropole Building will feature a childcare center, traditional lease office spaces, an event center with meeting breakout rooms and a large boardroom, ground floor art exhibit space and a rooftop meeting deck. Tenants will have access to amenities such as communal break rooms, complimentary meeting space, storage space and a nursing room.
During the construction phase, the Metropole is seeking tenants to rent space in the office suites and a tenant for the ground floor art gallery/office space. Tenant applications are currently being accepted. For more information about the Metropole, please visit here or reach out to Kendra Walker, Community Steward/Building Manager, at metropolebuilding@satterberg.org.
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Visit The Alliance for Pioneer Square’s website for an interactive project map and up to date information on of current and future public realm projects.
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Business News and Updates |
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Resources for Pioneer Square Small Business
The Alliance for Pioneer Square has compiled a series of resources and information intended to assist neighborhood small business owners, managers and employees. The Alliance is committed to supporting Pioneer Square through the pandemic recovery period and beyond:
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Find us on Facebook
Are you a resident or business owner in the neighborhood? The Alliance for Pioneer Square Facebook page communicates resident and business owner specific news/information to compliment our more general Pioneer Square Facebook page.
Pioneer Square Business Owners and Managers Facebook page: The Pioneer Square Business Owners & Managers Facebook group is a private platform providing business owners and managers in the neighborhood the opportunity to connect, ask questions and share support among one another while collectively navigating the current health crisis and resulting economic challenges. Request to join the group here.
Want to feature in future newsletters? Promote you event, business and specials/deals with us by emailing them to info@pioneersquare.org. Be sure to attach an image or graphic along with your promo details.
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Please consider a gift to the Alliance for Pioneer Square and help us to ensure Pioneer Square remains a strong, vibrant neighborhood. We cannot do it without you.
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Alliance For Pioneer Square | 206.667.0687
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