When Southcenter Mall opened in 1968, many in nearby Burien remember when that marked the beginning of tough times ahead for Main Street.
The popularity of the mall attracted customers away from locally owned shops.
"It kind of crushed a lot of small businesses and even the larger ones," remembers Danny House, owner of the newly opened Burien Pizzeria. House also owns The Tin Room and Dan the Sausageman in Burien.
House and others say they're now feeling a resurgence.
As the cost of living continues to skyrocket in Seattle, younger generations are being pushed to the suburbs, like Burien, to root down and be a part of a smaller community.
"Some local people are opening up businesses here and saying this is where I want to live," he said. "Really in the past five or six years, people from outside the area are just coming in."
House points to the recent decision by Bakery Nouveau to move its flagship store into town, as a sign that well-known business leaders are taking a chance on Burien.
"People are younger so they're going out to eat more too. So definitely in the restaurant and bar industry, it's much better than it was 30 years ago," said House.
But the town is also fighting back against a negative stigma that some have against communities in South King County.
The recent gang shooting that sent a stray bullet through a plate-glass window of a local chiropractor's office, killing a 51-year old office manager, is an example of the unwanted crime that city leaders are trying to change.
"When we do have those incidents that are tragic it does bring us closer together in a lot of ways," said President/CEO of Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce Andrea Reay.
"When people come and see, the thriving art scene, the restaurants and miles of public beach you really see we have a lot to offer," she said. "It is always sunny in Burien because our future is so bright."
