SEATTLE — The Comeback, an LGBTQ bar in SODO, closed on Sunday, April 30. SODO Business Improvement Area (BIA) isn't wasting time trying to fill the vacant spot left in its place.
“If you want to run a good club we really want to help you locate in SODO," Erin Goodman, SODO BIA's Executive Director, said. Goodman says the location at 1950 1st Ave. S. is permitted and waiting for the next owner, but Goodman's reasons for wanting to fill the spot quickly are two-fold.
“Property crime has always been an issue in SODO because as an industrial district, you don’t have those overnight eyes and the weekend," she said. "One of the reasons we really love having nightlife is because it adds the specter of liveliness on the streets.”
KING 5 has reported extensively about property crimes in SODO. Metal gets stolen. Gas is siphoned. Catalytic converters are cut from vehicles. All of it costs business owners thousands of dollars.
“It’s important for people to understand the very human aspect of property crime," Goodman said. "In the last few years, there’s been kind of this dismissal that property crime is insurance, it doesn’t hurt anybody but if you look at the entire range of it, property crime hurts people."
Goodman is pushing elected leaders to address the ongoing crime issues.
"We continue to work with the Seattle Police Dept. the King County Prosecutor’s Office, the Mayor’s Office to try and address the crime issues that are impacting our businesses.”
Despite the known issues, Goodman says SODO is still a great place for business. Its industrial and commercial zoning allows for distinct businesses to set up shop like distilleries and wineries.
"You can pretty much, within SODO, taste Washington wines, beers without having to go out of this area," she said.
Sprawling 950 acres, SODO encompasses more than 1,200 businesses. Goodman points out it's an attractive location for businesses because it's near three transportation routes: the highway, railroads, and water.
Goodman says many businesses operate and do well in SODO. Pecos Pit Bar-B-Que, Macrina Bakery & Cafe, Showbox SoDo, and The Shop Clubs are just a few of them. Goodman is very excited about Tutta Bella moving its operations to SODO in the near future.
“Seattle restaurant group Tutta Bella is in the final stages of building out what they’re calling a food innovation hub. It will be a food manufacturing site that employs over 190 people," she said.
For those thinking about opening a business in SODO, but are apprehensive about the challenges, Goodman's pitch is this.
"We know that SODO has a lot of challenges, public safety, transportation, and permitting, but that's where we come in. The SODO BIA exists to help businesses, so they can focus on their business."