SEATTLE — Businesses in West Seattle have been battling a double whammy since the West Seattle Bridge closed in March 2020. The closure happened the same month as the COVID-19 pandemic first wreaked havoc on our lives and the economy.
The bridge is vital to the livelihood of the neighborhood. If Seattle is the body and West Seattle is the heart, the damaged bridge has been a blockage for the past 2.5 years.
“I never really knew what the [West Seattle Bridge] meant until we didn’t have it anymore,” said Keonii Maneha, owner of Fleurt Collective.
Maneha’s business in the heart of West Seattle was booming until March 2020. As the pandemic upended the economy, Maneha said the bridge closure essentially cut off her business from customers who live outside of West Seattle.
“It’s impacted me personally, but also definitely businesswise,” Maneha said. “[The reopening is] very exciting and very emotional.”
Maneha put her blood, sweat and tears into selling online, and it kept her shop alive through the pandemic and bridge closure.
“I’m very thankful for social media,” Maneha explained. “Without that, I don’t think we would have survived. I mean, it was contestant, every single day, 24 hours a day, basically trying to keep my business afloat.”
People are the life of the West Seattle community, and Maneha believes the bridge reopening will bring them back.
Maneha operates Fleurt Collective all by herself but is looking to hire for the upcoming holidays because she's anticipating a very busy season.
“I think we’ll see a huge, massive, influx of different neighborhoods over here within the next few weeks,” Maneha said. “It’s really exciting. It feels like a fever dream. I plan on driving over [the bridge] the first day that I can.”
The West Seattle Bridge will officially open to traffic on Sunday, Sept. 18.