By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Midday on a Tuesday, Stu Hennessey is up on a ladder in front of his Admiral District store, screw gun in hand. He’s removing the plywood from a broken window and as it’s carried off, he calls to helpers that they’d better hang onto the pieces. “We might need them again.” He’s not joking. The damage done early Thanksgiving morning was the fourth time Alki Bike & Board has had to make repairs to its entrances in recent years. While that frequency makes them an outlier, they are just one of many West Seattle businesses dealing with one-off or repeated burglaries and vandalism.

The city of Seattle is expanding a grant fund designed to take some of the financial pain out of repairs and preventive security measures, but not all victims hear about the program or are eligible. It’s also unclear how effectively prevention can stem the tide of burglaries and mental health crises that are most often the source of damage. In talking with business owners dealing with recent damage, it turns out that very often, it’s the community itself — both individuals and other businesses owners — that comes to the rescue when what seems almost inevitable, comes to pass.

Many times, it happens in the early morning hours. “I received a call from my landlords at maybe 6:30 am that someone had broken in. I live close, so I just came here,” recalls Annalise Johnson. She found the entry door to her business, Charcuterie by Annalise, pried open in a broken frame, and a wide variety of things missing. “They were probably disappointed because I had no cash.” In lieu of that, they stole blank checks, a laptop, bottles of wine, premade gift baskets, and weirdly, reams of printer paper and some Poppi soda. Johnson says an accomplice in a truck dropped off the burglar and picked him up with the loot in the alley. “It was violating and discouraging and feels terrible,” she recounts, especially the lack of response from police in recovering her laptop from someone who brazenly tried to sell it back to her. But she found lots of support from nearby businesses, including The Neighborhood restaurant, which held a fundraiser for her. “Business owners reached out to me: Diane at Alki Arts, C & P Coffee asked if we needed to use their fridge space. After feeling so discouraged, it really brought me back to life, how much people are here for each other.”

At the time of the theft at Johnson’s business on July 13, 2025, there was no longer a Storefront Repair Fund. The city of Seattle used federal COVID-relief funds for a pilot repair-fund program starting in 2022, helping qualifying businesses that had damage to their windows, doors, locks, and gates. Grants were made to 800 Seattle businesses out of 1200+ that applied for reimbursement from break-ins or other damage, with $1.6 million parceled out in $2,000 increments. Of that, 42 of the grants were given to West Seattle businesses, and of those, 9 businesses received 2 grants each because they had damage on two different occasions. Not surprisingly, the funds dwindled to zero in mid-2024. “This is a wildly popular program for small businesses and neighborhood organizations,” says Eric Moss, communications director for the Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED). Still, there wasn’t an immediate source for funds to get the program going again.

Jong Kwon was in the same boat as Annalise Johnson after a burglar broke into his restaurant, Nikko Teriyaki (4710 42nd Ave SW), on December 13th of 2024, wrecking the front door to get in, and taking some cash-register change before running off. “It seems like they came in and pretty quickly knew where to go,” Kwon says, based on camera footage. It was that same dreaded early-morning call with bad news. “I was just hoping that they weren’t targeting us, like a hate crime. Did they take anything? It felt like it would be better that it would be a robbery than to terrorize our store.” Kwon arrived to find a response first from police and then firefighters “The cops told me if we needed assistance we could have plywood on the door. The fire department came by and helped us get that up.” After knowing he could lock the door, he was able to focus on getting ready for business that day, despite feeling completely unsettled by what had happened. But it was many months before the door was fixed, and not until later this year that he learned that he might qualify for a new and improved repair fund.

That fund, called Back to Business, took its name and inspiration from a program in Kansas City, Missouri that was discontinued this last August for lack of funds in that city. Coincidentally, its demise happened in the same month that Seattle rolled out its new program, based on recommendations from the Seattle OED and a group of business owners and related organizations that were invited to be part of the Small Business Policy Group. The mayor and City Council approved the expanded repair program along with changes to city permitting rules and a proposed tax break for small businesses.

While the timing of Back to Business and the rest of those small business perks announced in August might look, cynically, like a gimme to the business community from politicians eager to bring in much-needed votes ahead of a contentious general election, OED says it’s all part of their ongoing efforts to support the city’s economic recovery. “Small businesses are at a tipping point for survival in Seattle for multiple reasons – rising costs, public safety issues, and the reality that it’s hard to operate a small business in Seattle,” says OED’s Eric Moss. “The risk of losing more small businesses is immense and unacceptable. The Back to Business Program is just one of many levers the City is pulling to make neighborhoods safe and vibrant.”

The investment being made for the program is significant: $800,000 for 2025 is just the first of a multi-year commitment, which includes $3.3 million for 2026 and $2.5 million for 2027. The funding is divided each year into three efforts. For this year, that includes $420,000 for the Storefront Repair Fund, $180,000 for the Storefront Security Fund, and $200,000 for Neighborhood Business District Investments. The repair fund now grants up to $3,000 per incident to qualifying businesses, while the security fund offers $6,000 toward improved security measures after applying businesses consult with a crime prevention expert. The neighborhood grants go to business districts for projects designed to improve public safety. This year, Capitol Hill and the Chinatown-International District were selected for those funds. The decision about how the 2026 funds will be divvied up is still in process, and with Mayor-elect Katie Wilson’s new administration coming in, decisions about how the funds will best meet intended goals may shift over time.

Meantime, checks are going out based on applications filed and approved in recent months. Damage occurring as far back as July 1, 2024 is being considered for grants, with a limit of 3 incidents per business per calendar year. OED has received 216 applications citywide since the launch in August, and just 9 of those are from West Seattle. Of those, 6 have been approved for grants so far, among them, Classic Cut Barbershop (9455 35th Ave SW). While nothing was stolen from the store when their front door was shattered at 2 am in February, the required repairs made for a $2,100 unplanned expense. Owner Feras Al Shammari, who has been cutting hair for 20 years, was unaware that anything like the storefront fund would be a possibility when the damage happened, but a customer who works at the library had heard about the new program. “He stopped by and asked who’s going to cover the cost. He gave me the website and after I contacted them by email, I got a response in 2 days.” Several weeks later, after sending all the required documents and being approved, a reimbursement check came in the mail. He says he was surprised and pleased with the outcome, and quickly let neighboring businesses know about the fund just in case.

With a repaired door and additional cameras in place, Al Shammari says he doesn’t feel like he needs to pursue a security fund grant. He’s ruled out putting up a security gate or otherwise barring the entrance because for his business, at least, he thinks it sends the wrong message to both thieves and potential customers: “Maybe there’s something valuable inside? Some people think maybe you have ATM. Maybe this is not a safe place to be in?”

At Baked (2604 California Ave SW), owner Kristina Serfass was rolling out gingerbread dough early this week in a much-dimmed front room, due to plywood covering both of her storefront windows. The glass was damaged, along with part of her window display, the same morning as the damage next door at Alki Bike & Board.

She was awaiting the arrival of the glass replacement company, just in time for the Admiral Jubilee winter stroll on Thursday, when her shop was an official stop for the event, with hot cocoa, cookies, and gingerbread kits for sale.

“I feel kind of fortunate. I’m not a desirable place to break into. I’ve been in this space since 2011… and it’s the first time I’ve had to deal with something like this.” She says her doorway regularly shelters people and that they usually clean up and move on with no problems. That was not the case on November 27th, when nearby surveillance cameras showed a person throwing leaves and what may have been bricks toward the storefront, in apparent distress. “It could have been worse: nothing stolen, no one hurt. but as a small business, it’s hard. It’s good to know the city is helping out [with] something out of our control.”

Serfass says the community has really stepped up too, starting with her neighbor Hennessey, who rounded up enough plywood for both shops on Thanksgiving morning, when no hardware stores were open, by putting out a request on the Puget Ridge Neighborhood email group. She’s now nearly sold out of gingerbread kits, a seasonal offering beyond the custom cakes that are her mainstay. The kits benefit both her shop, and the West Seattle Food Bank, to which she donates part of the proceeds.

For Serfass, who is responsible for the repairs as a tenant, and for whom an insurance claim doesn’t make sense, having this kind of fund available is a welcome surprise. “I feel like there’s not a whole lot of small business help a lot of times.” In this case, firefighters were covering the storefront with plastic by the time she arrived (she missed all the calls and texts until after 9 am) and she was even contacted by Councilmember Rob Saka’s office to check in and let her know about the repair fund. She plans to apply for a grant once she has all the paperwork in hand, and she isn’t letting the damage dampen her generous spirit. “It wasn’t a calculated, malicious attempt. I hope the person gets the help that they need and that it doesn’t happen again.”

What happened down the street at Menashe & Sons Jewelers (4532 California Ave SW) last August 14th actually was calculated: a daytime robbery designed to terrorize everyone inside the store and steal $2 million of merchandise. Despite a security door and lots of witnesses, the robbers got away, with only one of the four arrested 2 months later. Menashe’s had already been through a crash-and-grab attempt on Christmas Eve of 2022, which damaged security gates but did not allow entry. With the gates pulled back during business hours, and armed with tools to break in, the August robbers were able to breach the security door.

The FBI joined Seattle Police in working to find the robbers.

(August 14)

Owner Jack Menashe says he appreciated how seriously the crime was taken by authorities, and says the community response made them feel supported and valued. “I can’t begin to tell you — the love and the caring and the cards and flowers and food.” He says they are still hearing from customers all these months later.

Of the business owners interviewed, Menashe’s is the only theft that resulted in an arrest. Jack and his son Josh attended a bail hearing for the suspect, DaSean Harrison, on November 17th. Harrison is also charged with robbing two Cash America pawn shop locations, and representatives from that business were also in the courtroom. “The prosecuting attorney and police said it’s really, really important that you speak, have a chance in your own words to say what you went through,” says Jack Menashe. “It was important to me.” After the testimony, a motion to reduce bail was denied, and the judge ordered Harrison to continue to be held on $250,000 bail. Harrison has pleaded not guilty and the trial is now tentatively scheduled for February 2, 2026.

It took an extended time to compile the paperwork required to apply for Back to Business grants. Menashe says they just turned in everything last month, and have been told they’ve been approved. “Next time you come in here, you’ll be going through two security doors,” says Menashe. That and other security improvements will be paid for in part by both the city repair fund and the security fund, though the vast majority of losses are being handled through insurance. The city grants do not reimburse for lost merchandise, among other things. “Every bit helps, but it’s just nice that you can trust and believe in your city a little. For the type of business we’re in and the amount of inventory, you just have a little faith.” But the Menashes are counting on more than that: “I have a security guard, as you can see,” he says, “We need to protect employees and customers while they’re in the store.”

For many businesses, filing an insurance claim for things like broken windows isn’t an option, and that’s if they even have insurance. Either deductibles are high or the likelihood of premiums rising after a claim makes business owners quickly discount the option of making a claim. It’s one of many reason the Storefront Repair Fund is so well used. One business still waiting for repair funds from the city is Nikko Teriyaki. Jong Kwon is expecting to hear back soon, but he’s already considering filing for a second grant: Just before Thanksgiving, one of his windows was damaged by someone he heard was visibly drunk, so right now it’s boarded up. Like other businesses, he has security cameras, but also the lingering worry that it could happen again at any time.

Eric Moss with the OED says the goal is to have the repair fund be less and less necessary as more police officers and CARE department workers are hired. “Over time, with improvements in storefront security and crime prevention, as well as investments in neighborhood improvements, the need for the repairs will decrease and more businesses will be able to participate in the prevention side of the program and not need the repair side as often.”

One business owner who says he will not be asking for a security-fund grant is Stu Hennessey. “Bars? No,” he says, pointing to a security gate on a nearby business. “We can’t have that look and have people feel good about shopping here.” Hennessey says the walkability of the Admiral business district is already less than it should be and he’s advocating for a “walk all ways” intersection to make the crossing there more inviting and safer. The security fund grants do support a number of efforts beyond security gates, including lighting, window planters, permitted street planters, and laminated glass and can be applied for even if there’s never been damage at a business. But the fund does not cover security cameras or graffiti removal.

Alki Bike & Board received a grant in the first round of storefront repair funding, which Hennessey says he really appreciates, but he says what small businesses really need right now is for customers to choose them over big-box stores when they go shopping. Using his store as an example, he says some of the used bikes in their shop are much nicer for the price than what can be bought new at corporate retailers. While his shop is there to sell bikes, his commitment to community is evident as you walk in the door. In addition to rows of bikes in all shapes and sizes stretching to the back of the space, there’s a display right up front for customers’ holiday donations to WestSide Baby.

Hennessey knows the need is great and that help doesn’t always reach those who need it, so he’s keeping that plywood handy. “As long as we have people struggling out in the cold, we’re going to have problems like this. We can’t lock up our problems.”

You can find more info about the Back to Business program by going here.