08 Dec Only in Seattle – Buy Local

A few weeks ago, the city of Seattle and its neighborhood business district partners launched the Only in Seattle marketing campaign, a visually lush celebration of the many locally owned “hidden gem” retail shops and restaurants in Seattle‟s unique neighborhoods. From retro video games in Georgetown to Husky Flake ice cream in West Seattle to Seattle‟s oldest retail bakery in the Rainier Valley, the dynamic and multi-modal campaign journeys across the city in search of unique experiences, meals, and treasures that you‟ll truly find only in Seattle.

Inspired by the “buy local” movement, the city‟s Office of Economic Development (OED) worked with local business owners and neighborhood leaders to develop a campaign that would inspire people to discover and explore new neighborhoods and businesses that make up Seattle‟s diverse retail community. The initial campaign features locally owned businesses in five Seattle neighborhoods: Ballard, Columbia City, Georgetown, Rainier Valley and West Seattle.

“This campaign shows why Seattle truly is the city of neighborhoods,” said Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith. “We simply cannot have vibrant, safe, sustainable communities without successful, locally owned small businesses. I hope this campaign will encourage Seattleites to seek out these exciting and unique businesses in their own neighborhoods and other neighborhoods as well.”

In addition to online, print and transit ads that will promote the campaign through early 2011, the campaign is anchored by an all-new website, www.onlyinseattle.org, that showcases each of the neighborhoods and businesses within the campaign. The website will serve as a home for the Only in Seattle campaign and will grow to include more businesses and neighborhoods as the campaign expands in 2011.

Neighborhoods interested in applying for funding through OED‟s Only in Seattle program should contact Karen Selander at (206) 733-9256.