Seattle's Pioneer Square is having a moment, thanks to social media buzz

Laila Sanderson sees the storied streets of Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood as an ideal backdrop for her online videos, and its businesses are often the stars.

She is committed to sharing hole-in-the-wall spots and local institutions with thousands of her TikTok followers. In turn, businesses are basking in the social media attention and adopting new marketing tactics for themselves.

"There's a lot of hidden gems out here, especially in Pioneer Square," said Sanderson, who's lived in the neighborhood since September 2023 after moving from Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

In Pioneer Square — arguably Seattle's oldest neighborhood — local businesses are leaning on social media to market to new clientele and boost their margins. For some, that means pushing their brands on platforms like Instagram and YouTube, while others can unwittingly "go viral" when a social media influencer, like Sanderson, spotlights their storefront.

The strategy is helping Pioneer Square, an area that was ravaged by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: Businesses shuttered, events were postponed or canceled, and tourists and workers stayed home, with only the unhoused community left living on its streets.

Despite some lingering problems in Pioneer Square, new businesses are setting up shop, and fresh clientele, especially from younger generations, are spending cash in the rebranded, trendy neighborhood.

"For the first time since COVID, we're seeing a really meaningful jump in ground floor occupancy but also foot traffic," said Lisa Howard, executive director of nonprofit Alliance for Pioneer Square.

The neighborhood has hosted over 9 million visitors this year through Oct. 11, according to daily foot traffic counts provided by the Downtown Seattle Association. That number is inching toward last year's total of more than 9.7 million visitors.

Daily foot traffic still has yet to hit the pre-COVID numbers, with almost 14 million visitors recorded in 2019, but it's a long way from the low of around 5 million visitors in 2020. Each year since has seen steady growth.

Several business owners attribute the neighborhood's recent upswings to myriad factors at play, including high-profile events, city construction that's improved walkability and the new Waterfront Park bringing visitors into Pioneer Square.

Then, there's social media to thank.

The employees of bar Cowgirls regularly post TikTok videos that make lighthearted fun of interactions with patrons and co-workers, which brings more attention to the Pioneer Square joint.

"The younger crowd, that's where their eyeballs are," said James Zachodni, director of operations at Cowgirls. "That's their Yelp, right?"

"Embracing the times"

Longstanding businesses like Cowgirls are reaping the benefits of the growing online interest in Pioneer Square. In addition to the social media buzz, Zachodni of Cowgirls said, beautification efforts in the area, nearby events and new businesses cropping up have helped.

It's paying off: Cowgirls' gross sales are up 15%, Zachodni said. "Year over year, we're up right now, for sure."

For saloons like his, the biggest hurdle is getting patrons' backsides onto bar stools. So Cowgirls has frequently tried to keep up with the trends, said Zachodni, 47.

When the bar first opened two decades ago, Cowgirls advertised on Seattle's radio stations. Then, it was an early adopter of Facebook and Instagram, he said, though social media marketing wasn't taken seriously in its nascent phases.

Today, with almost 6,000 Instagram followers and over 6,000 likes from TikTok users on the bar's videos, the strategy is working.

"It's kind of embracing the times," Zachodni said.

Trevor Boone, owner of Emerald City Guitars, was somewhat ahead of the times. He's built his own social media presence as the owner of Emerald City Guitars. With close to 62,000 YouTube subscribers and around 57,000 followers on Instagram, the family business is a viral sensation of its own volition.

"These people come in to visit the mighty Emerald City Guitars that they see online," Boone said.

His father, Jay Boone, first opened the shop in 1996. The younger Boone, born and raised in the Greater Seattle area, took over around 2020 after singing as the frontman of The Hollers, an alternative pop-rock band that played locally.

Like his dad, Boone, 36, still burns nag champa incense and welcomes music legends — Chris Stapleton, John Mayer, Oasis, Keith Urban and Taylor Swift's band among them — into the store.

But some things have changed. Outside the walls of his shop, "it's a little different," Boone said.

When a young Boone was running around his father's store, he said the surrounding area felt mellow and bohemian. At 7 years old, "I never felt like it was dangerous down here," Boone said. "I hear myself going, 'Oh, I miss how it used to be.'"

Through the neighborhood's growth, he's noticed more boarded-up windows and higher security.

Crime in Pioneer Square has remained steady, with 476 violent crimes and property crimes recorded so far this year, according to data by the Seattle Police Department. The area saw a total of 493 offenses last year and 497 offenses in 2023.

"While we embrace all visitors to Pioneer Square, we do not accept violent attacks that threaten the well-being of our vibrant neighborhood," Howard at Alliance for Pioneer Square said in a statement. "Our goal is to ensure that everyone, residents and guests, can safely enjoy the unique arts, dining, music, and community atmosphere that Pioneer Square offers."

She noted that, this year, the neighborhood deployed enhanced neighborhood police patrols, particularly between midnight and 3 a.m., on top of security requirements and policies for public and private spaces that see late-night activities.

As new businesses have opened, Boone depicted a slow return to the neighborhood's community feel.

"We're coming back. You're able to wave to your neighbor across the street a little more often," he said. "I'd still take my girls down here for lunch and Molly Moon's."

Boone has also entwined technology into his business model.

During the COVID pandemic, he took the time to develop the shop's social media footprint, with he and his videographer documenting excursions to find guitars.

"We were able to expand this audience — not only locally but globally," Boone said. "It was a proved concept for us."

Has it helped his business? "Absolutely," Boone answered.

"Those are so many eyes on our store," he said. "That translates into sales, which is ultimately what we need to do to stay in business."

Social media influencers are also giving local businesses a boost.

On her TikTok page, Emma Cortes Ellendt — a local content creator, or social media influencer who creates content online — has featured several Pioneer Square businesses, including cafe Mirabelle by Orphée, vintage clothing store Friend Museum and Smith Tower Observatory Bar.

"For the business owners, it seems like it's been pretty positive," Ellendt, 33, said. "And they're receptive to it."

Art walks

The neighborhood's monthly art walk — and its popularity with social media influencers — has proved to be a major factor in bringing visitors to Pioneer Square.

"We're really noticing that increase in foot traffic, largely due to the amount of organic posts and interest on First Thursday from local creators," said Angela Nguyen, marketing and communications director at Alliance for Pioneer Square. "It's creating a sense of a 'missing out if you're not here' feel."

This year's First Thursday Art Walk has driven more monthly foot traffic through the neighborhood. The event takes place year round on the first Thursday of each month. The latest art walk, on Oct. 2, saw almost 19,000 visitors on Pioneer Square's streets — the most populous October art walk since 2021, according to data from Alliance for Pioneer Square and the Downtown Seattle Association.

The increased foot traffic leads to more people exploring local businesses, visiting neighborhood bars and staying for dinner at restaurants, Nguyen said. "Social media, especially this past summer, has been huge for us."

In the opinion of content creator Shanee Arder, small businesses feel like the art walk's focus.

"It was so cool to see all of the local businesses — from art shops, from wineries to clothing vendors," said Arder, 23, who lives in Shoreline.

Amina Aden, owner of Mina's Matcha, a pop-up matcha cafe, is one small business reaping the benefits of social media attention.

Aden usually participates in events around the city, including Studio Rüm's art exhibition, "I JUST HAVE TO SHOW YOU," last month in Pioneer Square.

An artist reached out to her to say he was hosting an art show and wanted her there as a vendor after seeing Mina's Matcha online, Aden said.

"Social media has been a key component in helping Mina's Matcha grow and to bring people to pop-ups like the one in Pioneer Square," Aden said in a phone interview.

The event not only met her financial expectations, but it also allowed her to meet new people that have invited her to work other events. As a result, Aden will set up shop at Studio 7117 during next month's First Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square.

"Comes very naturally"

The neighborhood's up-and-coming businesses are building excitement through social media.

The opening of TOASTED. Bagels & Coffee's newest location in Pioneer Square hasn't gone according to plan. Construction and city permitting caused delays, but co-founder Murat Akyuz said he's hoping the shop will open in November.

Akyuz has openly shared the journey — challenges included — online.

He and his business partner, Jaafar Altameemi, have turned to social media to provide the public with an honest look at running a chain of cafes: from business milestones to pitfalls, such as broken espresso machines and break-ins across their three other locations.

Akyuz, 24, is a Gen Z business owner. He referred to social media as "one of the biggest, if not most crucial, things that are embedded into our business at TOASTED."

The online hype has had real world impacts, with Akyuz fielding questions from others on when the Pioneer Square cafe will start slinging bagels.

"Our age demographic that we serve also just lives on social media, and, luckily, to me and Jaafar and our team, social media comes very naturally," Akyuz said. "It is also one of the cheapest forms of marketing if you're doing it in house."

Akyuz said he's been making videos since he was 10 years old. Born in Turkey, he lived in California before moving to Seattle about four years ago to study at the University of Washington.

He and Altameemi, who is from Iraq, share an affinity for entrepreneurship. Leaning on their Mediterranean and Middle Eastern roots, the pair launched a business that reflects those influences, with bagel options like the labneh and honey, the "taste of Istanbul" and the "sultan's roast beef."

After opening their first location in the U District in July 2024, the business has rapidly expanded to include a second cafe in Bellevue and a third location in South Lake Union.

Akyuz said he was drawn to Pioneer Square because of its deep history, beautiful architecture, proximity to the waterfront and steadily rising foot traffic.

"Our goal when we signed that space was to also help bring it to life," Akyuz said, "create a lot of videos, highlight it on our account, get the word out there."