The bold choices at Veridis have been part of shopping on Capitol Hill for 15 years (Image: Veridis)

While the big chains come and go, small independent fashion retailers are calling Pike/Pine home, creating personal shopping experiences, building relationships, and activating the neighborhood.

“Capitol Hill has had a more of a grunge-y vibe in the past few decades but now it is becoming like a ‘mini-Soho’ full of tourists and locals,” Susan Kim, owner of SUM Style, tells CHS.

New clusters of small fashion retailers are giving the neighborhood more activity during the day and customers the opportunity to shop at multiple locations at once.

Here are just a few of the fashion boutiques you’ll find around Capitol Hill (Source: Yelp)

1. Veridis
2. Pretty Parlor
3. Glasswing
4. Refind
5. Likelihood (closed)
6. Revival Shop
7. Retail Therapy
8. Standard Goods
9. Casita International
10. A Mano

more…

Sergius & Bacchus, a menswear boutique bringing fun, bold fashion to Capitol Hill, focuses on cultivating authentic personal shopping experiences and supporting LGBTQ+ brands. For owners Ray Ochs and Rick Jones, seeing customers gain confidence through fashion has been one of their most rewarding experiences.

“There are several of the customers that I would consider them as friends,” Ochs said. “They come in and they shop, we get to know them, we are able to remember what they bought last time and point them towards other things that they might like. In many cases, we can custom order things in for them. It’s just a whole lot more personal with a small business.”

Building community and taking care of the neighborhood is something Ochs and Jones take pride in. Every morning before their store opens, they pick up trash around the block to help keep their block clean.

Retail Therapy recently celebrated 20 years on Capitol Hill. They specialize in the intersection of arts and goods through gifts, clothing apparel, jewelry, and cards, all created by independent artists.

“When I first opened there just really wasn’t a lot of fashion driven boutiques on Capitol Hill,” owner Wazhma Samizay said. “I think there was like one or two and now in the last year and a half there’s at least a dozen that I can think of off the top of my head, which is a complete shift.”

Almost every month, Samizay brings life to the Hill by hosting events with local musicians or artists at her shop. One of her recent events featured her own culture around the Afghan and Iranian women’s movements. She built community by bringing in local Afghan and Iranian female artists who focused on raising awareness around this issue.

Mediums Collective, recently celebrated their first year on the Hill, they bring streetwear fashion that focuses on merging Seattle and Latino culture. They embroider their clothing in store and design all their screen printed designs.

SUM Style’s “K-fashion” looks have helped it grow into a neighborhood fashion powerhouse (Image: SUM Style)

One of their biggest focuses is activating the neighborhood by providing events almost every month such as fashion shows and musical artists.

“I think we as local businesses, brands, and clothing shops are moving into the neighborhood and trying to do our part to make sure that the neighborhood does stay vibrant,” Maldonado Romero said.

Through these events, he hopes to make the neighborhood feel more inviting and welcoming and build and amplify community through fashion.

“You need to integrate yourself in the culture and community cause we got a lot of dope stuff,” Romero said. “You’d be surprised, you come to Seattle and there’s some really dope up-and-coming brands. A lot of cool things are happening here in the city.”

Most businesses have already entered through their “slow” periods where there isn’t as much engagement or customers coming in to support them.

One of the best ways to support small businesses is to shop there this upcoming holiday season. In the case that you aren’t able to stop by and support them in person, things like leaving positive google reviews, spreading the word to your family and friends, buying gift cards, and following them on social media.

“Small businesses are driven by and for the community, that’s really the difference,” Samizay said. “If people come and shop here, I’m also shopping in other local spots around here. I want the neighborhood to be viable”

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