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PSBJ: The Amazon bump: While national retailers struggle, sales are soaring in Seattle

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This piece was published in the Puget Sound Business Journal on Sept. 29, 2017.

By   –  Staff Writer, Puget Sound Business Journal
Amazon has long been blamed for the destruction of the physical retail world — but in the Seattle area, the opposite is true.

Between 2010 and 2015, taxable retail sales in downtown Seattle grew 27.5 percent, faster than the city and neighboring cities.

Restaurant sales have also grown 34.4 percent since 2010, when Amazon began moving into South Lake Union, according to the Downtown Seattle Association’s most recent data.

“Companies like Amazon mean big business for small businesses — they bring customers,” said Don Blakeney, vice president of advocacy and economic development for the DSA.

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