Author Archives: Melissa Crowe

Seattle’s newest skyscraper is a towering achievement

Sandwiched between billion-dollar transportation projects and high-end apartments, commercial development in Seattle’s downtown core is skyrocketing. But given the inevitability of a seismic event in the Puget Sound region, the towers that make up Seattle’s skyline need to withstand shakes and quakes of all magnitudes. For the 44-story F5 Tower — where the networking companyContinue reading “Seattle’s newest skyscraper is a towering achievement”

Seattle tear-downs mapped: Ballard is the epicenter of change

The city of Seattle has issued 2,083 demolition permits for single-family or duplex properties since 2012. Year by year, no other neighborhood in Seattle has been as torn down and built up as Ballard. As the city’s population continues growing and the housing market remains fierce, homebuilders say Seattle residents need to recognize the demandContinue reading “Seattle tear-downs mapped: Ballard is the epicenter of change”

The $1 million boostrappers

Alissa Leinonen didn’t think her business would last a year, let alone break $1 million in revenue. Gourmondo started in 1996 as a four-table lunch spot in Pike Place Market, sandwiched between a tattoo parlor and a cobbler. On a good day they made $60. “I was grinding on this thing for eight or nine yearsContinue reading “The $1 million boostrappers”

The other 1 percent

The Puget Sound region’s fast-growing technology industry is full of companies hungry for funding, but much of those investments will not go to women entrepreneurs. All-women teams received just $22.1 million of the $1.79 billion of venture capital dollars invested in Washington state last year, according to data from PitchBook Inc. That’s 1.2 percent ofContinue reading “The other 1 percent”

Seattle small businesses owners’ big ideas

Ali Ghambari knows what it feels like to have a competitor with almost unlimited resources right next door. In the land of Starbucks, Ghambari owns 10 Cherry Street Coffee House locations around Seattle. For Ghambari and more than 574,000 other small businesses in Washington state, competition is only one of many challenges they face. TheContinue reading “Seattle small businesses owners’ big ideas”

Cash is king: Seattle’s housing market is demoralizing, but not irrational

Seattle’s housing market has been called many things — “berserk,” “insane,” “unhealthy,” “demoralizing” — and yet there’s one moniker everyone can agree upon: The Seattle housing market is red hot. Transactions and sales volumes are down, but competition is soaring to the point that nearly one-in-five sales is an all-cash deal in King, Pierce andContinue reading “Cash is king: Seattle’s housing market is demoralizing, but not irrational”

Canlis family’s military history took them from chow hall to wine cellar

One of the last people to sit at Table 36 was a young airman who called Canlis from overseas to make a reservation for himself and a date. He had saved up to buy her a dress and take her out while he was home on leave. He wanted her to know how much heContinue reading “Canlis family’s military history took them from chow hall to wine cellar”