About Essential Southeast Seattle
Mission + Vision
Essential Southeast Seattle strives to provide a one-stop virtual Main Street for our community. Whether you are a business owner, neighbor, or visitor, we work to ensure that you can connect with businesses, customers, or resources. While we formed during the COVID-19 pandemic, we envision this site as an important tool for our community to use in the long-term to stay connected in an increasingly digital world.
The ESES Collective
The ESES Collective is a mix of neighborhood community-based organizations serving neighborhoods from Beacon Hill to Rainier Beach. We formed in response to the pandemic impact on our small businesses, and together we launched an online directory that includes southeast Seattle businesses and nonprofit organizations that are open to the public or virtually serving customers. We are thrilled to expand our work to this Marketplace and to provide a one-stop location to find resources for our community.
ESES Collective Goals and Projects
GOALS
Provide a platform for businesses with limited digital access: One of the primary reasons we started ESES was to create a virtual directory during COVID-19, but we found that many businesses faced barriers to getting online. The Marketplace is intended to be accessible for all businesses, regardless of digital experience.
Create free e-commerce options for small businesses: Many businesses have struggled to pivot to online sales, because many sales platforms are too costly or complex to set up. On the ESES Marketplace, we have prioritized providing e-commerce options that make it easy for any business to sell products – for free!
Collect resources for small businesses and neighbors in one place: The resource library, business toolkit, and business association features of ESES are part of our goal to be the essential resource for Southeast Seattle. Long after COVID-19, we hope that this site will continue to connect people with the resources they need to thrive.
PROJECTS
ESES DIGITAL ACCESS COHORT
ESES Digital Access Cohort (DAC) aims match assistance, training and hardware to qualifying small businesses.
The Essential Southeast Seattle (ESES) Collective is one of the many grassroots community-based groups serving small businesses in Seattle.
During the summer of 2021, thanks to a Comcast grant, the ESES Collective launched DAC, inviting south Seattle small businesses struggling with website or online presence issues, to participate in the ESES Digital Access Cohort. ESES Collective will continue to identify funding and resources to address digital equity barriers experienced by the smallest small businesses.
DAC Cohort Business Benefits:
- An assessment of digital website or e-commerce (online shopping) needs
- A summary the next steps towards e-commerce
- An active e-commerce business profile on the ESES Marketplace website
- Relationship cultivation with a Business Toolkit Partner
- Matchmaking business partner resources with DAC Cohort businesses
BUSINESS RESOURCE OPEN HOUSE
This virtual series focus is The Business of Community – inviting entrepreneurs, small Business Owners, and creatives to get face-to-face time with resource providers, share ‘lessons learned’ and best practices. The Business Resource Open House brings together small business advocates, mentors, owners for networking and resource sharing. Each event offers simultaneous translation, captioning and graphic recording. We reach many through one-to-one communications and live-streaming via social media/web.
Topics include:
- Effective storytelling in communications, marketing and promotion
- Different ways to finance businesses, and addressing access barriers to funding
- Community-based business models
- Digital literacy – online access and navigation
- How to connect with experts, mentoring and resources
- Food preparation, distribution and service
- How to reach your customers or pivot your art-based business post pandemic
Access past recordings via SPL website and the BROH YouTube channel @BROHSeattle
Graphic recordings by Seattle artist Mari Shibuya capture key topic points and highlight speaker wisdom: (https://www.beaconbusinessalliance.org/index.php/business-resource-open-house/)
Beacon Hill’s La Esperanza and Dozer’s Warehouse murals
created by Seattle urban artists Charms Won and Crick Lont
Photo credit: @pablozilly