In the summer of 2021, a fire took out about 10 businesses on White Center’s main block. It really brought the community together as we figured out how to rebuild. If you just ask, everyone is more than happy to help out. The people here are so community-minded. We hosted a fundraising block party, and it was evident that neighbors love supporting community events and local businesses. 

We don’t have many big chains, but almost every storefront is a small business on the main block. We have a professional wrestling–themed bar, Lariat; we have my panda-themed dessert café, Puffy Pandy. We have the roller rink and legacy businesses like the Salvadorean Bakery. When I first moved to White Center, there weren’t any shops that you could walk to. Now, there are so many restaurants, a lot more bars, and probably the best authentic Mexican food in Seattle, making it a real food destination. 

The space my shop is in now [is where I started] a commissary kitchen eight years ago, and I don’t think I ever walked down the main street in those days. The block parties and new monthly art walk feel like evidence of a big shift in the last three or four years towards more local businesses and community events.

While White Center has a Seattle address, it’s officially unincorporated King County. That often translates to receiving less funding than other Seattle neighborhoods. But when people move here, they generally stay, making for a consistent, tight-knit community that wants better for the whole neighborhood. 

Our main focus right now is rebuilding. It’s going to take some time. But that’s part of the White Center draw: the neighborhood is in an impressionable stage of growth, and neighbors get to decide what White Center’s future will look like. 

Puget Sound–raised Donna Chan has been a White Center resident for 12 years. Her dessert café, Puffy Pandy, has a bear on the roof and panda cams inside.