Shopping in Seattle
Seattle Shopping Guide
Seattle may not be the first city that comes to mind for shopping meccas. However, there are some special characteristics that give shopping in the city its own flavor. Seattle shops are largely independently run businesses. In fact, it can be hard to find outlets of bigger chains in many of the city’s neighborhoods. Many Seattleites are quite pleased with this feature of their shopping options because it helps locally owned businesses thrive in the city. From clothing boutiques in Queen Anne, to record shops in Ballard, there are many small, owner-operated businesses throughout Seattle.
Seattle is not completely devoid of the recognizable names that people trust for retail purchases, though. Shopping malls in the city include the downtown Westlake Center, the Northgate Mall in Shoreline, University Village in the U-District, Westfield Southcenter in Renton, and Costco in SODO. These malls all contain recognizable retailers and some have diversions other than shopping, such as quality restaurants and movie theatres. For an original Seattle mall, the Georgetown Trailer Park mall in Georgetown is worth a visit. It’s comprised of independently-owned shops operating out of trailers.
When it comes to Seattle shopping, there really are a wide variety of options to meet consumers varying tastes. Being an active city, Seattle has a legion of outdoor sports stores. The city is home to the headquarters of outdoor sporting goods giant REI and the company has a giant retail outlet in Belltown that includes a climbing wall. A few other growing names in the outdoor sporting goods industry call Seattle home as well, such as evo, producers of ski, snowboard, wakeboard, and skate equipment and clothing. Whether Seattleites are out for fashion, outdoor sports gear, or basic needs, retailers in the city have them covered.
Shopping Deals
The Seattle Times
- South-Lake Union
Nine-time Pulitzer Prize–winning paper engages readers with local and global news; unlimited access to seattletimes.com and apps included
Stomani Cellars
- South Lake Union/Queen Anne District
A wine tasting at a family-run winery includes two take-home bottles
Wine Outlet Seattle
- Seattle
The three-part series teaches the art of professional tasting; single courses focus on food pairings and other wine-related topics
Comics Dungeon
- Wallingford
Comic-savvy staff stocks shelves with rare and hard-to-find comics, figures, and graphic novels in a shop voted one of Washington’s best
A la Mode Pies
- Phinney Ridge
A seasoned baker teaches up to 10 students how to craft a seasonal pie during two-hour classes held every Tuesday and Thursday
Alki Bike and Board
- Junction
Schwinn electric bikes purr beneath riders, propelling them up the hills of West Seattle and the Alki Beach area
Emerald City Orchids
- Seattle
Sip a bottle of wine in the indoor or outdoor café before browsing a variety of rare orchids and taking home an arrangement in a 3-inch pot
Peridot Boutique
- Lower Queen Anne
Locally made jewelry glitters beneath shelves laden with threads from BCBG Generation and Free People; patrons receive a free camisole
Recommended Shopping by Groupon Customers
City Hardware's inventory of about 20,000 brand name and independent home-improvement gizmos equips neighborhood handymen for a massive range of tasks. Experienced staff presides over LED flashlights ($5.99+), gallons of paint ($19.99+), and tool kits ($16.99+). Bags of garden soil ($3.49+) fuel agricultural endeavors or attempts to make mole dinner guests feel more at home. City Hardware also offers on-site services, including paint-color matching and key cutting.
Showing up in the same outfit as someone else is always awkward, especially if that person is Lisa Kudrow. Today’s Groupon relieves you from your sartorial struggles: for $50, you get $100 worth of clothing at Retail Therapy, a well-edited men's and women’s clothing store that's known for its plethora of women's underwear.Follow @Groupon_Says on Twitter.
Baas's quality frames and archival mat materials tastefully garnish artwork and photos, transforming living-room walls into high-end galleries. Curating a diverse show room of factory-brand frames as well as specialty designs, the shop boasts a knowledgeable staff that draws on two decades of experience. Customers can stop in for a complimentary consultation and estimate to determine the fitting frame for a family photo, favorite Klimt print, or diploma from puppy academy. Prices range from $5 to $45 per foot, depending on the glass, matting, and other options. Regardless of the size, the perfect frame can accentuate the inherent beauty of any image and unite the divergent styles of a room, eliminating the need to hire long-armed men to hold your art against the wall.
Today’s Groupon encourages you to wear your creativity or share your hip, intentionally uncreative side. For $15, you get $30 worth of printing services at the preeminent onomatopoeia-inspired clothing customizers, B-Bam!. Publish your witticisms and drawings on wearable cotton that makes your body skin feel soft like a pillow made out of cotton candy.Follow @Groupon_Says on Twitter.
Doctor your dwelling with gorgeous greenery with today’s well-potted Groupon. For $15, you’ll get $30 worth of pretty plants and pots at Envy Grows, a botanical boutique in the heart of the city that allows urbanites to turn over a new leaf. Though a flytrap-dominated Earth may seem far-fetched, the United Nation's Council on Apocalyptic Likelihood rates the scenario "very likely," the same ranking given to possible world destructions caused by time-traveling dinosaurs and the Transformers. For the time being, you can help postpone the upcoming flytrapocalypse by not bringing any Venus flytraps into your home. That only allows the deceitful plant to learn your habits for later exploitation.
A sweet tooth is frequently pegged as a mere candy-loving calcium mound, and people never think to mention how much sweet teeth love movies. Stock your goodie bowl with a 16 oz. bag of assorted milk and dark chocolate truffles from Seattle Chocolates. Once your sweet belly is sated and your DVD fingers are licked clean, don your favorite blanket and cuddle up to the artistic renderings of love presented on your double-disc set. A plethora of short international productions, such as Guido Thys’ Tanghi Argentini and Michael Lucas’s Turn, give amorous viewers a chance to pause, chat, and snuggle between each brief film.
