This article is shared by the Seattle Office for Civil Rights on behalf of the Seattle Women’s Commission (SWC). It is authored by Krystal Guerrero, Talley Mills, and Emily Rose Barr of the SWC.

Seattle is a city of doers and dreamers – changemakers and rule-breakers – so it’s no surprise that women-owned businesses thrive here. In fact, it ranks in the top ten U.S. cities with the highest percentage of women-owned businesses, with more than one in five local businesses owned by women (Delfino, 2022). From cafes and boutiques to creative studios and tech startups, these spaces enrich our communities, build brands we trust, and strengthen the local economy. In this article, we’re celebrating the women behind those ventures and the everyday ways we can help them keep growing.

Our journey begins at one of Seattle’s iconic landmarks: Pike Place Market. As you stroll through its bustling corridors, you’ll find a vibrant community of local artisans, entrepreneurs, and restaurateurs. Among them is Three Girls Bakery–the first business licensed to a Seattle woman in 1912, just two years after Washington women earned the right to vote (Clifton, 2012). Originally licensed to a woman named “Mrs. Jones” and two of her friends, the bakery remains the oldest continuously operating business in the market (Three Girls Bakery, n.d.). Today, it stands as both a beloved local staple and powerful symbol of Seattle’s longstanding community of women entrepreneurs.

Just a few blocks from the market is another iconic local business near and dear to Seattleites hearts, Monorail Espresso. While the coffeehouse now operates out of walkup windows, it is famed for being the first espresso cart in the world (Monorail Espresso, n.d.). The women-owned and operated enterprise employs a mostly female staff, “upholding the values of social justice and equality with which the company was started.” Former barista and current owner,  Aimee Peck, has expanded operations across downtown while staying true to the company’s core principles: quality coffee and exceptional customer service.

If you’re craving a sweet treat to accompany your coffee, look no further than The Pastry Project in Pioneer Square. Founded in 2019 by two “pastry-loving, justice-driven” women, the one of a kind bakery offers free baking and pastry job skills training, soft skills practice, and job placement assistance to individuals with barriers to employment in the industry. Their bakery is open Thursday to Saturday from 9am to 1pm, serving up mouthwatering cinnamon rolls, maple pancake croissants, perfect chocolate chip cookies, and more. As a bonus, they even offer a free cookbook and tool library for anyone to learn and have fun in their home kitchen. 

Our next stop takes us to Belltown, home to Partners in Print (a.k.a PiP Letterpress), a small but mighty, woman-led arts nonprofit. PiP offers a wide range of programs designed to foster community engagement and hands-on creativity–from letterpress printing classes and a bookbinding club to print socials where both emerging and experienced artists can gather to commune and create original letterpress artwork (Partners in Print, n.d.). Through partnerships with Seattle Arts & Lectures, Writers in the Schools, and Seattle Children’s Hospital, PiP also produces its Words of Courage exhibition, an annual volume of poetry broadsides written and designed by patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital. The program creates space for young artists to share their experiences and explore the power of art as a healing mechanism. This is just one of the many impactful initiatives PiP leads, all rooted in its mission to “amplify new voices, share knowledge, and spark creativity.” (The Seattle Women’s Commission collaborated with Partners in Print on the “We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For” exhibition in October, 2025).

With 11 locations and counting, it’s hard to get far without stumbling upon one of Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream shops. Ask any Seattleite what their favorite flavor is and you’re in for a lively debate. Crowds gather during the summer months as loyal patrons line up for a hearty scoop or a sundae topped with whipped cream and a Chukar Cherry. Founder and CEO Molly Moon Neitzel puts her values at the heart of the business by offering free health care, safe & sick leave, 100% compensation for paid family leave, the most generous subsidized child care in our state, subsidized ORCA passes, a matched 401K, and certified living wages. Moreover, 10% of profits or 1% of sales (whichever is greater) is given to food banks, equity organizations, and women and girl empowerment initiatives each year. Molly’s philosophy? Every neighborhood deserves a joyful, multigenerational community gathering place where the shared love of ice cream brings people together.

Hailed as the soul of women’s sports in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, Rough and Tumble is a pub on a mission to change how we value women athletes and women’s sports. With locations in Ballard and Columbia City, the sports bar boasts big screens, a vintage skee-ball machine, life-size cutouts of your favorite iconic athletes, and a rotating memorabilia collection, not to mention a full menu featuring popular dishes such as “Billie Jean King Wings” and “Phoebe’s Mushroom Miso Grilled Cheese”. Founder Jen Barnes says, “More than a sports bar, Rough & Tumble is a flywheel in the women’s sports ecosystem. We don’t just air the games, we amplify them generating hype, driving visibility and creating spaces where inclusive fandom thrives.”

The Seattle Women’s Network (SWN) was founded in 2022 by Gurneet Chaabra to create spaces where women feel seen, supported, and resourced and where women-owned businesses can grow through genuine relationships and community-led visibility. Serving the Greater Seattle Area, SWN hosts curated networking socials, panels, workshops, and pop-ups that spotlight women founders and foster real connections. The organization also provides visibility opportunities for women-owned businesses through featured vendor experiences, community promotion, and brand collaborations. “Our events are inclusive and designed to be welcoming and community-first,” says Chaabra. “We hope to build deeper partnerships with aligned organizations to increase access to resources and visibility for women-owned businesses year-round.”

For those seeking adventure, connection, and confidence in the outdoors, SheJumps is a national nonprofit working to increase the participation of women and girls in outdoor activities. Through mentorship, skills-based clinics, and community-driven events – from skiing and snowboarding to hiking and mountaineering – SheJumps creates welcoming spaces where women can build confidence, develop new skills, and find belonging in the outdoors. With a strong presence in the Pacific Northwest, the organization partners with local leaders and volunteers to remove barriers to entry and foster inclusive outdoor communities. Whether it’s a first-time camper or a seasoned adventurer, SheJumps is grounded in a simple but powerful belief: when women support each other outside, they thrive everywhere.

Women-owned businesses make Seattle brighter – bringing creativity, care, and bold new ideas to every neighborhood, from bustling main streets to quiet corners. And, they’re a major economic force: nationally, women own more than 12 million businesses and employ over 10.7 million workers (U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy, 2018). Supporting them can be as simple as trying a new women-owned cafe, booking a local service, or recommending a favorite shop to a friend. This week, choose one women-owned business to support. Make a purchase, leave a review, and share about your experience.

References

Delfino, D. (2022, March 21). Best Places for Working Women. Magnify Money. https://www.magnifymoney.com/news/best-us-cities-for-working-women/.

Clifton, D. (2012, October 2). Market’s Three Girls Bakery 100 years old. Seattle Times. https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/markets-three-girls-bakery-100-years-old/.

Washington Secretary of State. Voting Rights for Women, Women’s Suffrage. https://www2.sos.wa.gov/elections/timeline/suffrage.htm.

Three Girls Bakery. (n.d.). About Us. https://threegirlsbakery.com/.

Monorail Espresso. (n.d.) Our Story. https://monorailespresso.com/pages/our-story.

Partners in Print. (n.d.). https://partnersinprint.org/.