19 Sep Pioneer Square in the News

Masin’s moves out of Pioneer Square (Seattle Times Letter to the Editor)
I own a furniture store in Pioneer Square and we are doing just fine; in fact, we had a profitable year in 2010. As for the panhandling, I see more panhandling in front of the Nike store downtown than on Jackson in Pioneer Square. Everyone talks about parking, but I find parking on the street in front of my store seven out of 10 times. Pioneer Square is a unique asset to the city and can be a great place to start a business. — Bob Schoenfeld, Schoenfeld Interiors

Exclusive: HTC is on the prowl for a big chunk of office space in Seattle (GeekWire)
HTC, the giant Taiwanese smartphone maker, is looking to boost its presence in the Seattle area and has pinpointed the Pioneer Square neighborhood for a major expansion, GeekWire has learned.

SDOT calling for yet another study on parking (Seattle PI)
The study showed it’s now easier to find a spot in some parts of the city, including downtown Seattle and First Hill, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation. But flower shop owner Bill Sheehan disagrees. He says drivers still park as long as they used to; they just pay more. And that’s if they come to his part of Pioneer Square at all.

How Filthy Is Your Favorite Restaurant? (My NW)
Stephen Becker, a local software engineer, started to wonder about the cleanliness of the restaurants he eats at. So he created www.dinegerous.com, a map that tags every restaurant in King County and tells you how the health department has rated it.

At the Tailor’s with Sabzi of Blue Scholars (Seattlest)
Tarboo Inc., a year-old outfitter located in Pioneer Square, sometimes feels like a throwback to that golden age. Their clothes are handmade in-house, and it’s not uncommon to see clients stop by for a fitting and linger long enough for a good chat.

Can you find your company on the Seattle Startup Map? (GeekWire)
It is a pretty cool idea, a Google map which shows where startup companies are based in the Seattle area. It is by no means a complete list. But it is still pretty neat to see where startups cluster. (For example, there’s quite a concentration in Pioneer Square).

New chapter for Elliott Bay Cafe (DJC)
This year Chef Tamara Murphy opened an event space next to her Elliott Bay Cafe in the basement of the Globe Building in Pioneer Square. Next year she plans to move the cafe up to street level and rename it the Globe Cafe & Bar.

I’ll Order the Ryan Gosling to Go, Please (Voracious)
Collins Pub has been a popular Pioneer Square watering hole since 2003. Particularly during summer months, happy hour spills out onto the sidewalk. It’s not exactly trendy, but it’s certainly cheerful. If you’re on your way to a Seahawks or Sounders game, chilling after work, or grabbing a burger before heading back to work, it’s the same friendly place.