Mocktails, Cheesesteak, Free Locs: What Small Businesses Offer in Rainier Beach

There's a quiet vibe along 57th Avenue South. The small businesses there create a buffer between the busy traffic along Rainier Avenue South and Seward Park Avenue South to the north, and the residential area up the hill to the south. Some of the businesses have been there for more than a decade, while one is barely a month old. When some business owners in the neighborhood considered what it takes to run a business there, many discussed similar topics: infrastructure and community connection.

Here are some highlights of what small businesses in the neighborhood shared.

Rosette and Jude's Old Town

On a recent afternoon, Mark Paschal and Gabriel Hinkle, co-owners of Rosette, prepared for the evening dinner service. The duo is part of a worker cooperative that owns the year-old Rosette, a bar that serves small plates and drinks, paying special attention to mocktails. They're also co-owners of Jude's Old Town, which opened 10 years ago. 

Paschal says that a lot of people pass through Rainier Beach, but don't realize there are small businesses. "Renton, Skyway, Hillman City, Brighton, Columbia City, Beacon Hill have seen a lot of infrastructure improvement. It would be really cool to see the type of infrastructure, [showing] the city's investing in what's happening down here," said Paschal.

Redwing Cafe

Redwing Cafe is a two-story shop with a garden patio — a business abuzz with people sipping coffee, working, meeting, and eating the shop's house-made dishes. Anthony Campbell and Su Harambe own the building and opened the business 11 years ago. Campbell, who lives in the South End, likes the community around the shop. He says instituting two-hour limited parking on the block would allow customers to find parking more easily, which would help small businesses. Every couple of months, the shop changes out the featured local art on the walls and offers live music, dinner, and drink specials until 9 p.m. The next open house is Aug. 28.

Drae's Lake Route Eatery

"I'd never really cooked before this," said Andrae "Drae" Israel, the owner of Drae's Lake Route Eatery. He says his dad used to cook for him, but Israel never got to learn from him. But he did pick up other skills. "The instillment of hard work, the 'Buckle down and get it done' I got from him," said Israel. 

He originally started the business with other partners in 2014 and took it over in 2016. He says the reference to "Lake Route" in the name honors the Korean-owned breakfast shop that was in the space before. Drae's Lake Route Eatery offers fried chicken and waffles, Philly cheesesteaks, and a classic breakfast menu, along with other soul food offerings. His wife, Chelle, works the front of the house. "Keeping consistent is key, and trying to be fair, trying to be right, as far as not trying to shortcut anything or anyone," said Israel.

Colored Girls Garden Club

Yvette Dinish, executive director and founder of Colored Girls Garden Club, opens her doors on Thursdays and Fridays to offer food to whomever needs it. Dinish retired from working as a network engineer at the City and later as a certified nursing assistant. Her full-time work now is gathering food from partners like Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands, Northwest Harvest, and others. Dinish pores over all the food to verify it looks good, and she carefully separates and bags foods for people to take. Dinish says she started offering food to the community during the pandemic because "I didn't know what else I was going to do. The Holy Spirit made this happen," said Dinish.

Mundo Flowers

In a corner spot of the building that houses Redwing Cafe sits the newest addition to the neighborhood small business scene, Mundo Flowers. Owner Paulina Castro DeLeon celebrated a soft open on Aug. 8. A new mother, Castro DeLeon works full-time in corporate fashion and added the flower shop to her plate. She says she couldn't be happier working in a medium she loves. "The beauty of [working with] flowers is it's here for a moment, and then it passes. It's there in the moments that people need them, and it passes. It's a medium that's ever-changing. It's switched up depending on the vibe that people need," Castro DeLeon said. 

Re.Evolución

Clansy Campos stood in her shop, Re.Evolución, next door to Redwing Cafe. She pointed out products like pouches, art pieces, and bags made by local South End artisans, handmade cutting boards crafted by her husband, and textiles and glassware brought in from Oaxaca, Mexico, and other places. Campos worked as a corporate buyer for decades, and another branch of Re.Evolución stages homes to sell on the real estate market. She grew up in San Francisco, in the Mission District, in a one-bedroom apartment with her parents and two other siblings. "My mom always kept the home homey and clean," said Campos. "No matter what you have or you don't have, be prideful in what you have, and take care of it." 

Defined Salon

Jaye and Sawtell Waters, married South Enders, have run Defined Hair Salon for over a decade. The salon offers services for natural hair care, including cuts and color, locs, and curly hair. Jaye says that businesses in the area don't turn over, and he liked the collaboration between the established families and businesses with their newer neighbors. "The people who visit other businesses come here, and our clients go up to Redwing. They're at Drae's, they're at Jude, so it's a good ecosystem," said Jaye.

Got an idea for a South End story you'd like to see us cover? Let me know: Yuko.Kodama@SeattleEmerald.org.