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'We're tired': 116-year-old Seattle business to close shop over encampment safety concerns


Thea Sand is the fifth-generation owner of Emmanuel's Rug and Upholstery Cleaners in SODO. (KOMO)
Thea Sand is the fifth-generation owner of Emmanuel's Rug and Upholstery Cleaners in SODO. (KOMO)
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A business in Seattle's SODO neighborhood has survived everything from world wars to the Great Depression and even multiple pandemics, but says it can't continue to stay open anymore due to the homeless crisis downtown.

Thea Sand, the fifth-generation owner of Emmanuel's Rug and Upholstery Cleaners SODO, said she is closing her business and leaving Seattle due to the persistent health and safety issues from nearby encampments.

"We’ve just kind of had it with what’s happening in Seattle with our euphemistically termed by the city council 'unhomed neighbors,'" said Sand.

She described the situation outside her business, saying they've had trucks stolen from their locked lot, and every Monday morning they arrive to graffiti and needles on the ground. She even arrived to a burning mattress in the parking lot one morning.

"Our clients are nervous coming down here to drop off," said Sand.

My employees don't want to be here early in the morning, after dark or on weekends when we're here alone.

Sand said someone in an RV recently backed down the loading dock of her business and dumped raw sewage into a drain. She said she got the run around from the catch basin and sewage pumping companies for clean-up, so she and her employees had to take matters into their own hands.

"So my employees and I put on basically rubber suits and gas masks and had a five gallon container of Clorox and had to clean it ourselves."

Sand said it was the final straw for the 116-year-old business.

"We’ve been able to struggle through a lot of things, but this last one is just unremitting and constant," she continued. "We’re just tired. We’re just tired of dealing with it, and it’s time to relocate."

Sand's decision to move out comes as a plan to create a designated lot for people living in RVs in Seattle has stalled while officials search for a property owner who is willing to host the program.

The King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) awarded a $1.9 million contract to the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) last summer with the goal of opening the RV lot as soon as possible.

The program would allow between 35 to 40 RVs at a time, and the residents would work with caseworkers to connect with long-term housing options.

Seattle officials estimated there were 449 RV encampments in the city in December 2022 - 118 of those encampments are in the SODO neighborhood, according to the city.

“One RV lot isn’t going to fix SODO’s problem," said Erin Goodman, the executive director of the SODO Business Improvement Area. “We need more, we need faster, we need a comprehensive plan. We also need a more long-term solution.”

Goodman noted that there have been efforts in recent weeks to clean up RV encampment sites, but the pervasive issue is already forcing businesses like Sand's to leave the area.

“They’re exhausted, they fought to survive with COVID, and they are continuing to fight every day to keep their business open, and they feel like they have no support," Goodman said.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell called the RV encampment situation "unacceptable."

"It’s not a proper way for anyone to live, it’s unacceptable to them, it’s unacceptable to the neighbors. We need action from the KCRHA and we will do everything possible to prod that action to make sure it occurs," Harrell said.

Sand admitted she's distraught about relocating her business, which has been in SODO since 1907, and is expected to leave the area in the spring.

"How do you not have a fifth-generation business with second-generation employees and not feel distraught about leaving?" Sand added, "I think a lot of businesses are going to leave before it gets better."

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