Women-Owned Business Guide

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By Robin Wehl Martin

Years ago I received a sample starter kit from someone as a present, and I kind of dismissed it. It sounded counterintuitive to put oil on your skin as a cleanser. When I eventually tried it I discovered it is the best way to clean and moisturize your face. I’ve been addicted to her products for years and my skin is much healthier. This is now a product I just love. She’s local to Seattle and her ingredients are organic and clean. And everything is packaged in glass containers, which is aligned with her commitment to the environment and sustainability.

The owner, Donna Moodie, has been a restaurateur in Seattle since the 90’s. Her first restaurant was in Belltown and called Marco’s Supper Club. (They served fried sage as an appetizer!) At the time there weren’t a lot of independently owned restaurants, so she was a trendsetter for certain. Marjorie, named after her mom, is located on Capitol Hill. I recently rediscovered her food and I’m pretty sure she makes the best Beyond Beef veggie burger. She has the sweetest space where you can sit outside on the patio or take food to go (non-COVID times you can sit inside). She's incredibly hospitable and warm and makes excellent drinks and delicious french fries too. Everything is hand-crafted in her tiny kitchen and I'm just so excited by this new rediscovery that every Tuesday I seem to fall into this funny pattern of getting one of her veggie burgers. The rest of my family gets her hamburgers which, apparently, are spectacular as well.

This is an infrared sauna space, and you literally rent your own sauna cabin for an hour, and you just sit and sweat. They have a few locations: Wallingford, West Seattle, Bellevue and Madison Park. One of my friends recently introduced me to it, and I loved how it made me feel warm, relaxed and detoxed. I also tried a lymphatic drainage massage which, apparently, fights off colds and infections. I’ve been healthy all winter, so—obviously—it worked.

This is one of the last independently owned kitchen shops that I know of. There used to be Mrs. Cook's at U-Village, and then when that closed I felt like I was at a loss for finding good baking products, whether it be sheet pans, sprinkles, food dyes—just anything that I needed for my business or for home. I've gotten into the habit of going here before ordering on Amazon. The owners are often there, and they're really knowledgeable. You go in thinking that you need one thing, and then they're like, "You don't need a bundt pan. You need a springform pan." They are very well stocked and the owners, who are often there, make great recommendations.

Two women, Kate and Ani, opened this funky wine bar that has all-natural wines. They have a delicious food menu, although they've really pivoted, (who hasn't during COVID?) to just selling wine. And they will deliver to your house for free. I recently attended a benefit at La Dive for Jubilee Women’s Center, which is an organization that provides housing and stability for women who have had circumstances that have uprooted them. All the proceeds went to Jubilee, so they're also really generous. I love supporting businesses that are committed to our community and have great products.

This is a new bookstore on 15th Avenue East that just opened. I live really close to it, and so I just stumbled in because I was excited about a new business in my neighborhood, especially in a time when everything seems like it's closing. It's really whimsical the way that it's organized by topic. For example, if you're feeling like a book about antiracism or xenophobia, or whatever. I bought a bunch of books based on the owners recommendations and I loved them all. They have books for kids and adults — everyone.

Oh. My. God. This is an amazing little cafe in Kirkland. It's in a residential neighborhood in an industrial building And from the outside it just looks so out-of-place, but it has the most delicious food. They have this chocolate cake with peanut butter icing, and beet lemonade, which sounds odd but isn’t. They serve really great pizzas and sandwiches and everything is made in-house. I don't know the owner nor do I know anything about her. I Googled her after I tasted the cake, but I couldn’t find what she's done before this. But clearly it’s something, because she's obviously an experienced baker and chef. It's mind-blowing. This summer I walked from Capitol Hill to Deru Market to get lunch and cake, which is like an 18-miles round trip. It's that good. That should be their tag line: “Food so good you’ll walk 18-miles round trip for it”.

This is a candy shop on Mercer Island, and she makes chocolate-covered caramel pretzels, peanut butter bites, caramels and all of these delicious confections. If I am even anywhere near Mercer Island, I make a stop at Island Treats, because—first of all—the owner's always there and so friendly, and I admire her dedication to a consistently delicious product. Additionally, you can find her products around Seattle, so you don't have to visit Mercer Island. Pro tip: they carry her products at Cone & Steiner, which is the business right next door to Hello Robin. Totally worth trying.

This is just such a great and unique product. It's permanently ruined me for Moscow Mules or any other ginger beer at all. I can not drink anything coming from a can or any ginger beer that's not Rachel's. It feels almost medicinal in the best sort of way, because there's so much ginger and so much lemon in it. If we're having people over, I feel like it's such a nice way to make an easy cocktail. Rachel and her partner Adam run this business together and our families are really close. They are truly generous people. I love supporting them and I adore their products.

Brunch at Linda's outside on the patio is the best — and you can bring your dog. I think if you know, you know, but you can't see it when you walk by. And then it's just like a little oasis in the city. They're doing a new Bloody Mary, and it has a burger on it. I don't eat red meat, but I think that if you did that would be such a fun thing. They make a lot of Mexican dishes, which I like. I love the breakfast enchiladas. It's so hard to pick a favorite dish there—I mean all of it's good!