As Jazz pointed out yesterday, the situation in Seattle is difficult enough that even Nike can’t withstand it. The company just announced that its flagship store downtown will be closing this Friday for good. But if the situation is tough on Nike you can imagine how much tougher it is on small businesses that don’t have nearly the same resources.
Last week a group of business owners got together for a town hall event held in a barber shop by KOMO News. Nearly all of the owners had very similar concerns, from break-ins and the cost of repeatedly replacing broken windows and doors, to rampant theft and worry about the safety of their employees.
Matt Humphrey, the owner of the barbershop, asked “What happened to Seattle?” “It’s painful to see that the word on the street is you can get away with coming in and robbing me,” he said. He continued, “My whole life …