New round of $10,000 grants for Seattle small businesses

Seattle small businesses affected by COVID-19 can apply for a new round of $10,000 grants from the city through the end of November. 

The Sock Monster in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood will apply for the grant. The business has been through a lot during the pandemic, said owner Kathleen Tremaine. 

"I was 60% down in revenue and I had pretty much lost two employees. Especially with the burglary in May, we had weeks of doing inventory," said Tremaine.

Tremaine said she's been relying on grants to keep her business afloat.

"The PPP definitely helped with paying employees. The disaster loan actually is keeping me afloat right now," added Tremaine.

The owner of the restaurant Yoroshiku Seattle is also applying for the grant. He says revenue is down 40% and he had to downsize his staff. With COVID-19 cases climbing, he's concerned the state might roll back capacity, so the grant would help him immensely.

"Some of the restaurants has a patio. It helps for business but for us, we don't have a patio. We have very limited occupancy," said owner Keisuke Kobayashi.

The grants will be awarded via lottery so there's not a guarantee Kobayashi or Tremaine will receive help, but they're grateful for the community's continued support for local and small businesses.

"We are still surviving so if you support small local businesses, we really appreciate it," said Kobayashi.
Tremaine adds, "it fills my heart because I just didn't realize how much support and how much caring I had from the community."

You can find eligibility rules and the application here.