When we moved to our first building in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, we made the conscious decision to build an urban campus set in the heart of the city. As part of the fabric of downtown Seattle, we are committed to supporting a thriving 18-hour downtown district where people live, work, dine, and shop, and we are excited to highlight four new retailers that will soon open their doors for our neighbors, employees, and the community to enjoy.
“This is what we want to see—new partnerships leading to small business openings. That’s a strong signal about where we are heading,” said Markham McIntyre, interim director of the Seattle Office of Economic Development. “We are thrilled to see these businesses open on Amazon’s campus. This is a win-win—for employees coming to the office and for the business owners who will expand their customer base to residents, workers, and visitors who live, work, dine, and shop downtown.”
Check out the four new businesses coming to downtown Seattle:
Manna
The Manna teamTen years ago, Wassef Haroun made a career pivot from tech to hospitality when he founded the Mama Restaurant Group, which now includes Seattle favorites Mamnoon Street and Mbar. Manna, the newest addition to the Mama group, is bringing more than just the restaurants’ famous hummus to the table at its forthcoming location on Terry Avenue.
Mama Restaurant Group’s mission is to foster relationships between people of all backgrounds through modern hospitality rooted in Levantine culture and delicious experiences. This approach was extended to Amazon early, when the team opened one of its first locations in Amazon’s Doppler building in Seattle and began preparing food for Amazon Go stores.
“We’ve been a part of Amazon’s mission of making downtown more interesting and vibrant since day one,” Haroun said.
Manna will be a marketplace, lunch counter, and kitchen facility offering to-go meals. Patrons will be able to directly interact with the chefs making their meals in a family dining environment.
“We are excited for people to see us making their meals in front of them and to provide an urban street experience to the South Lake Union community,” said Haroun.
Haroun said he also looks forward to helping further energize the unique South Lake Union area and greater Seattle community from the new Terry Avenue location.
Kathmandu MoMocha
The Kathmandu MoMocha teamAfter relocating to Seattle from Nepal, Suroj “Sam” Dangol searched all over for food that had the flavors of his home. Wanting to bring the taste of Nepal to the people of Seattle, he started pop-up kitchens at farmers markets and breweries around the city. Eventually, he introduced a food truck, Kathmandu MoMoCha, which travels around the city serving Himalayan dumplings and more at popular events. This all led to Dangol working with Amazon to launch his first brick-and-mortar restaurant.
“Good food always brings people together,” said Dangol. “We have committed to making our products fresh and from scratch to produce the best food possible.” Traditional Himalayan cuisine, like dumplings called MoMoCha, and other street foods are some of the team’s specialties.
While passionate about the food, Dangol’s true passion comes from introducing Nepal and Kathmandu culture to the people of Seattle. Being an involved member of the Nepalese community, his mission is to promote the culture to be enjoyed in Seattle now and by future generations.
Dangol is excited to work with Amazon to open his first location on Terry Avenue. He is most looking forward to positively impacting the South Lake Union community alongside Amazon.
“I am honored to be working with Amazon because it’s a great company,” Dangol said. “I’ve gotten to interact with supportive Amazon team members that helped me through the process of opening the new site.”
Mainstay Provisions
All-day café Mainstay Provisions will offer high quality food at affordable prices.Thom Koschwanez and Ashley Thompson, founders of Mainstay Provisions, opened their first location in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood almost three years ago. Their goal was to provide high quality food and market items at affordable prices. Everything, from the English muffins to the sausage, is made in house by trained culinary experts. Koschwanez, an Ethan Stowell Restaurants chef alumnus, has been in the industry for over 25 years cooking up favorites like egg scrambles, sandwiches, and pastas.
“We want everyone who visits us to get a little taste of Seattle, whether they’re visitors or locals,” said Koschwanez. “People can come grab a sandwich, explore, and then hopefully return for a drink later.”
Being locals of Seattle, Koschwanez and Thompson had friends working in the South Lake Union area. These connections, along with an alignment of Amazon’s mission to foster a vibrant community, led them to partner with Amazon for their second location, this one along 7th Avenue.
“Amazon is helping cultivate the small neighborhood feel in South Lake Union, and our business is a great fit for continuing those efforts,” Koschwanez said.
Salon Voda
Salon Voda will move from a temporary pop-up location to Terry Ave.Established in 2006, Salon Voda was born and raised in the heart of Seattle, having had a successful run in the Chandler’s Cove neighborhood.
When owner Rachel Moormeier received word in late 2021 from her landlord that her beloved Chandler’s Cove location would be closing for renovations, Amazon came calling with an offer to move into the company’s South Lake Union campus.
“I mentioned the impending move to a client who happened to work at Amazon, and she suggested that Salon Voda would make a great addition to the area,” said Moormeier. “Amazon has been a great partner to us, even helping us find temporary pop-up space during construction."
“I’m thrilled it has worked out because it’s clear to me that Amazon has a real passion for the area. They’re working hard to bring amenities and offerings that people want to the neighborhood.”
Salon Voda will continue offering the hair services it’s known for in the new location along Terry Avenue, while also unveiling new creative services.
“I’m so excited to bring the Salon Voda vibe to the area and invite new and existing clients to experience what we have to offer,” Moormeier said.
Local businesses looking for more information about bringing their goods and services to the dedicated retail space within the Puget Sound headquarters can email Amazon’s Global Real Estate and Facilities team at localretailinquiries@amazon.com.
