Retail
Red Lion Comes Roaring Back
With many more properties and a new upscale hotel line, the Spokane chain dares to be noticed.
AT A BOUTIQUE HOTEL in the chic Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., you can use your smartphone to check in and use it again to unlock the door to your room. Later, you might grab a free espresso in the lobby coffee shop and check out the Living Stage for live music. Have a…
Retail’s High-Tech Renaissance
Its all about catering specifically to you and you and you.
Welcome to the You Decade. Retailers have a much better understanding of what it takes to get you to open your wallet. Theres much more data available about your shopping habits and interests, from prior purchases to todays online searches and posts and even to the psycho-demographic profile of your neighborhood. Deploying data analytics, artificial…
The Art of Public Expression
Vulcans reshaping of South Lake Union includes an alluring outdoor gallery.
The transformation of Seattles South Lake Union from a quiet area of light industry and wholesale florists to a neighborhood of high-rise office buildings housing Amazons global empire has not been all business. Set among its many walkways and plazas are 20 site-specific public artworks by some of Seattles leading artists, commissioned by developer Vulcan…
Feeding Frenzy: National Food Giants Are Eager to Acquire Innovative Local Brands
Focus is on healthful, planet-friendly foods and beverages.
Two years ago, when Madeline Haydon was pregnant and trying to eat a healthier diet, she was disappointed by the choices of creamer available for her coffee. Widely used products such as Coffee-mate contained hydrogenated oils and sugar, not to mention mysterious substances with names like titanium dioxide, mono- and diglycerides, and carrageenan. The dairy-free…
Dining: A Clam and a Swan Walk into a Restaurant
... and create a two-for-one treat in South Lake Union.
The least confusing way to describe the differences between lakeside newcomers The 100 Pound Clam and The White Swan Public House is that the former serves lunch and the latter serves dinner. But its more than that. On warm days, The 100 Pound Clam acts as a walk-up lunch spot with a 65-seat patio; when…
StatShot: Foam Home
The brewery boom continues.
If youre under the impression there are more craft breweries in your neighborhood this week than last, youre not far off. Washington adds a new brewery about every 11 days, and the Washington Beer Commission estimated in early December that, by the end of 2016, the state would have 348 breweries nearly twice as many…
The Amazing Rise of Amazon Studios
A few years ago, no one was streaming new content from the retail giant. Roy Price has changed that dynamic.
When the 89th Academy Awards celebration begins on February 26, Roy Price is sure to be in the audience. If early predictions are accurate, he will be anticipating an award or two for Manchester by the Sea, a film thats been the smash hit at all four major North American film festivals this season. A…
Dining: Hey, Girlfriend!
Copine brings exquisite dining to Ballard.
During its tenure, Book Bindery was a beloved contemporary American restaurant on the north side of Seattles Queen Anne neighborhood. Executive chef Shaun McCrain and general manager Jill Kinney nurtured it into one of the citys fine-dining staples. He crafted beautifully refined, French-inspired cuisine; she assembled a rock-star team and ran the house with gusto….
Bright Idea: Mechanics Making House Calls
Wrench wants to take the hassle out of car repair.
Need a quick oil change? Maybe a complete tune-up? A year-old startup called Wrench dispatches a certified mechanic to your home or workplace and eliminates the hassle and cost of having to drop off your car at the car dealer or repair shop. Were 30 percent cheaper than a dealership and on par with an…
Life & Style: Dressed to Impress
SAM rejoins the fashion-exhibit trend with a stylish tribute to Yves Saint Laurent.
The idea of fashion as artistic expression isnt exactly new. But museums have latched on to it in a big way, ever since the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York surprised itself in 2011 with a record-shattering show on the work of the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen. Fashion exhibits as distinguished from fashion…
Life & Style: Biennial Brilliance
BAM turns its attention to metal.
Rik Allen, a Rhode Island native, moved to Washington in 1995 to work at Pilchuck Glass School and become a member of the William Morris sculpture team. Allen still works in glass, but not exclusively. His recent sculptures incorporate steel and glass and mesh and other media in fantastical expressions of scientific apparatus. He has…
It’s Snack Time in Seattle
From crackers to chips to nuts, the Puget Sound region has it covered.
Close your eyes and think of crackers. What do you see? Puffy Oyster Crackers? Square Saltines? Round Ritz? Triscuits? Wheat Thins? Goldfish? Paul Pigott would prefer that you see flat, crispy Croccantini thinner than RyKrisp, sturdier than matzo, hefty enough to swipe through a tub of cream cheese and flavorful enough to complement the Cambozola…
An Amazon Exploration
Beware of the dogs. Two thousand of them.
When I heard that Amazon.com is now offering tours of its buildings in Seattle, I couldnt wait to sign up. After all, I had worked in its gigantic warehouse in Georgetown many years ago and was curious to see what the company was doing with the small amount of extra space that used to be…