Seattle Good Business Network - Andrea Porter

Andrea Porter - Interview Transcript

So right now, buying and producing locally, super important so we're encouraging people to buy gift cards, takeout, delivery, and think about the long term resiliency of this city. So if we want these businesses to be here when we see the other side of this we really need to support them now. And so what does that look like? That looks like buying a gift card from them now, doing what you can, what you feel is right for you and your family, but making sure that we're offering them our love and support.

Seattle Good Business Network is a nonprofit organization and Seattle Made is a program of the nonprofit organization. So Seattle Made is focused on urban manufacturers producing in the city of Seattle. So we have about 600 members part of that program and people make everything from bicycles to bow ties to beer and everything in between. So really, we're a network that supports each other as well as looking for sales opportunities, networking opportunities, but really it's a organization where members can ask for support from each other as well.

All the products we're doing are in partnership with our members, so we're keeping everything local. So the t-shirt design and Plus card design has been created by Matthew Porter and he's a Seattle Made member. And then the t-shirts are being printed by our members, Seattle Made members, Restless Prints. And the postcards are being printed by United Print Sign Graphics, and then the wine is done in partnership with Elsom Cellars. So we're trying to really keep it as local as possible and make sure that everybody is seeing some additional support through us as an organization. We're taking preorders right now through the end of April. So once the stay at home order is lifted we will start shipping out items. So we're hoping to see shipments starting to go out in early May.

I think everybody wants a way to show that they're supporting Seattle and that they're supporting small businesses and they really wanna see Seattle come out stronger at the end of this all and that we are there for each other. So I feel like by purchasing a t-shirt or a hoodie you're contributing to supporting small businesses and the nonprofits that support them, but it also shows a physical way to show this to your friends and neighbors. So it's a way to communicate to everybody your love of small businesses in Seattle. So it's visual as well as financial support.

We certainly don't wanna live in a city that doesn't have any local restaurants or local businesses, they just add the character and what we love about our neighborhoods to each city, so that's important, but also we know that the financial small businesses keep more money in our communities, which is just really important for the vibrancy and the long-term stability and health of our city and neighborhoods. So the more we can keep local production here the more we're gonna see our city be strengthened and individuals will see that they can work for a company or a small business that offers them health insurance and good benefits and it's all interconnected. So, you know, if we have a strong business community then we see workers being able to thrive here in the city as well.