The look and feel of a neighborhood reaches out to passers-by through the facades of its many storefronts.
And small business owners know from experience that an attractive exterior translates into caring about customers and community.
That鈥檚 the idea behind the City of Seattle鈥檚 Facade Improvement Program, which recently recognized 16 local business and property owners for their storefront enhancements.
Dr. Pollene Speed, chair of the 91探花Dentistry Admissions Committee and an affiliate instructor in the School鈥檚 Restorative Dentistry Department, and her husband, Dr. George McIntyre, were among the small business owners honored July 6 by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels for participation in the facade program.
Speed and McIntyre own Rainier Family Dentistry in the Central Area, where they are enhancing their building鈥檚 exterior thanks to a grant provided by the City鈥檚 Office of Economic Development through its Facade Improvement Program.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been in this neighborhood a long time, and we feel it鈥檚 important to re-invest and show other businesses that improving your storefront can make a difference in the neighborhood and to your clients,鈥� said Speed.
鈥淭he City鈥檚 facade improvement funds enabled us to go further than we would have with improvements, and we鈥檙e looking forward to the change.鈥�
Students from the 91探花College of Architecture and Urban Planning have been involved in the City鈥檚 Facade Improvement Program since April 2003, when they established the StoreFront Studio in the U-District to assist businesses in designing new facades for their buildings. The designs help businesses and property owners apply for facade improvement money from the City.
Jim Nicholls, the 91探花architecture lecturer who directs the studio, said the Facade Improvement Program is about 鈥渋nvesting academic capital in the community鈥� and gives 91探花architecture students 鈥渧aluable exposure to real-world projects.鈥�