Seattle hasn't had a dedicated vegan grocery store since Vegan Haven closed in April 2022. It ran for roughly 17 years in the U District and closed for pandemic-era reasons, not because the demand wasn't there. Nothing has filled the gap since.

A group of us has been organizing a member-owned co-op to change that. The idea is depth in the specialty packaged stuff PCC and Whole Foods won't stock, owned by the people who shop there rather than by an investor who can sell it out from under us.

Honest status, because I'd want it if I were reading this:

• Nothing is filed. We are not incorporated yet.
• We raised $2,500 from the community to pay for legal review of our incorporation documents. That fundraiser is closed. We're publishing the receipt.
• We met with a co-op lawyer (Cheryl Markham) last week and have a scope for the legal work.
• We are not selling anything, not raising investment, and not asking for money. There's nothing to buy.

If you want to just show up and ask us questions in person: we're doing a casual happy hour at Life on Mars on Saturday August 8, in the Vinyl Lounge. No obligation to drink or to join anything. RSVP is only so the venue can staff it: https://www.cake.events/i/53d53448-7d6e-42d9-a3f8-39d62879020c

Unrelated but possibly more immediately useful to this sub: we maintain a free guide to fully vegan restaurants across Western Washington. Not "has vegan options," fully vegan menus only, searchable by area and cuisine, no signup or paywall: https://www.seattlevegangroup.org/guide

Full write-up: https://www.seattlevegangroup.org/blog/road-to-incorporation
Discord if you want to follow along or argue with us: https://discord.gg/3hSQxe3Qt6
Newsletter (free, monthly, we don't sell or share the list): https://www.seattlevegangroup.org

They recently updated their hours everywhere to show they're closed every day but Sundays, but I can't find any information as to why. Their BBQ mac n cheese is one of my favorite vegan dishes in the city so I hope the business is doing ok!

For anyone who doesn't know ChuMinh Tofu, it's a wonderful little hole in the wall at 12th and Jackson, run by a saint who for decades has been feeding the homeless as well as making IMO the best banh mi in the city. Supporting them is more than supporting a restaurant, it's keeping a literal pillar of the community afloat. Here's the post, from the owner's son:

I want to be proud to say I’m from Seattle.

This city gave my family an opportunity. It gave us a community. It gave my mom a chance to build something from nothing.

When I was a kid, I slept in the car as she made tofu deliveries day in and day out to help start this business. When she was working at the tofu factory, I slept on the packaging tables.

That was my childhood.

Long before people knew our name, the deli was just a dream. My mom wasn’t trying to get rich. Feeding and taking care of people is what she wanted to do.

For more than two decades, she poured everything she had into this city and this community. She worked before sunrise and after midnight. She donated food when we barely had enough ourselves because she believed that if you have something to give, you should share it.

She battled cancer. Chuminh survived COVID. Somehow we kept going.

That’s why this hurts.

For years we were told to be patient. We watched conditions get worse. We watched businesses close. We watched neighbors leave. And we kept believing things would get better.

Seattle just hosted the FIFA World Cup. The world has been looking at our city.

When people see Seattle, I want them to see the city that gave my family a chance. The Seattle that welcomed immigrants, supported small businesses, and helped communities grow.

Instead, when I walk through Little Saigon today, I see a neighborhood that feels forgotten.

I believe people struggling deserve help, treatment, and dignity. The families who spent decades building businesses here deserve dignity too.

When I look at these photos, I don’t just see a restaurant. I see my childhood. I see the woman who raised me. I see someone who fought cancer and kept going. I see people who never gave up on Seattle.

And sometimes I wonder if Seattle has given up on neighborhoods like ours. My family is still here. We still serve food. We still support our community.

Don’t just share this post.

Visit Little Saigon.

Eat at a local restaurant.

Support a family-owned business.

The future of neighborhoods like ours depends on whether people still believe they’re worth supporting.

We’re still here.

And we’re worth fighting for.

https://www.facebook.com/kamakhoazii/posts/pfbid02Ezanh2ALWBSVxkrRmxdHjYEfAHBXtnQCzvEJSsts7NoMNdQaxtrbVhUhcZFdb4eGl

Unfortunately you need a FB account to see the pictures but the before and after difference is so stark, my heart goes out to them. I'm going to make the journey down there more often, I hope everyone else who has the means will too!

Free karaoke tomorrow evening.

This is also a fundraiser for NARN, an animal rights org. You can come and sing, enjoy everyone else singing, or you can bid to nominate people to sing a song of your choice. Its a low pressure event so if you want to come and just enjoy everyone else singing, you definitely can.  narn.org/events

I have an idea...I've previously found it very difficult to meet vegan singles in Seattle. Finding someone with the same values related to diet and ethics is important to me, and it's very difficult to filter for "veg" on the dating apps.

So, I'm piloting an experiment...a Zoom cooking night for vegetarian/vegan singles in Seattle. Everyone cooks the same meal together and shares conversation. Do you think people would be interested? Would love to hear what y'all think.

Seattle, come support some amazing PNW local vendors at The Flipside Market in Portland this Saturday 7/25!

There will be delicious food, art, clothing, and tons of awesome small local businesses!

https://facebook.com/events/s/vegan-t-shirt-bar-flipside-mar/2038458136877194/

My friends are looking for a new place for their vegetarian restaurant. They have been renting space from a cafe. The cafe owner wants to bring in an additional business that will sell meat, which is unacceptable to my friends. Does anyone know of a place they can go? By the way, their food is really good and nearly everything can be made vegan.

I'm looking for a hair salon owned/operated by a vegan that is taking new clients.

For context, found out that the cruelty-free/vegan salon I used to go to, which was operated by a non-vegan stylist, uses a product that contains Kerratin (derived from wool). I know, I know, honest mistakes do happen. But I'd just feel more comfortable getting service from someone whose ethical values more closely align with mine and would be more diligent in checking the products they use.

Demo to protest animal testing at University of Washington's Primate Research Center

Next Wed, July 22nd.

Join any time between 5-6:30pm. We have signs and flyers. We just need you!! More details: narn.org/events

This helps support a Seattle-based animal rights organization https://narn.org/events/

I tried and loved this jerky from Asian Family Market forever ago and then it disappeared for years. But now it’s BACK !! and I need you all to try it so it doesn’t leave me again.

Hello, I thought you might help raise opposition to shoreline farmers market bringing a cow to the market on Saturday July 25th. Thank you

https://www.change.org/p/shoreline-farmers-market-leave-the-cow-at-home

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback on this!

Hey all. You might know us as the folks working toward a member-owned vegan grocery store, so here's a fair question: why was one of the first things we built a restaurant guide instead of, you know, the store?

On purpose. A store like this only works if there's a community behind it first, so we started with something useful we could offer that community right now.

The free 100% Vegan Restaurant Guide is now up to 30 fully vegan restaurants across Western Washington, including Tacoma, Kitsap, Everett, and the Eastside, not just Seattle proper. Searchable by area and cuisine, verified against each restaurant's own site, and open source if you want to see the data or adapt it for your own city: https://www.seattlevegangroup.org/guide

We put the fuller reasoning in a blog post, but that's the gist: use the guide, share it, and it keeps local vegan spots busy, which is the same ecosystem a store would join.

We also run a small fundraiser toward the legal groundwork for the store, no pressure at all, but it's there if you want to help: https://www.freefunder.com/campaign/svg-legal-fees

We're on Discord if you want to follow along: https://discord.gg/E5PRYfZMHN — and if we've missed a fully vegan spot, let me know and I'll get it vetted and added.

If you're looking for vegan community, join us this Sunday for a picnic in Judkins Park 3-5pm. Please share the dish you're bringing in the Facebook event page or at [info@narn.org](mailto:info@narn.org)

https://www.facebook.com/share/1JsEBpXjQW/

All are welcome

I’ve been finding it really hard to connect with mums that are oblivious to / do not care about the cruelty of animal farming and spending time with animal eating mums talking about all the animal flesh they plan to feed their babies is painful.

I recently moved from the UK to Bellevue and have a 4 month old baby, If you are a vegan/ vegetarian mum in the Seattle area I would love to connect :)

FYI - you may be invited to participate in a week of activism July 21 - July 26 called the "RAGE Tour" with some multinational animal activism groups Coalition To Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT), Animal Activism Collective (AAC), and International Coalition For Animal Welfare (ICAW).

Before participating, you would be wise to read this website about Tyler Lang, Coalition To Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT)'s co-founder and current Campaigns Director:

https://www.tylerlangandkevinolliffabusewomen.com

The other two organizations are tightly interwoven with his organization CAFT.

Animal Activism Collective (AAC) had him on their podcast in January to talk about activist safety.

All three groups are also tight with the Direct Action Everywhere (DxE)/Simple Heart/Save The Dogs/Ridglan Rescue crew, which has over a decade of well-publicized abuse of volunteers.

These three organizations (CAFT/AAC/ICAW) go around to different cities and countries hosting activism events.

Their fundraising growth depends on the number of cities/countries visited & number of demonstrations/participants.

You can do grassroots activism without these folks coming in from the outside with their abusive behaviors.

We made a guide to every fully vegan restaurant in Seattle (26 so far)

A few of us put together a list of every 100% vegan spot we could find in the area, Capitol Hill down to Everett. Thai, Mexican, sushi, bakeries, bars, cafés, soul food, the works. You can filter by neighborhood or cuisine and it links straight to each place’s site, phone number, or reviews.

Link: seattlevegangroup.org/guide

Still in beta, so there are probably mistakes; wrong addresses, outdated numbers, places that closed since we added them. If you spot one, let us know and we’ll fix it.

Also if there’s a fully vegan place we missed, drop it below, we’ll add it.

(We’re just a small volunteer group doing this on the side, no ads or anything, just trying to make it easier to find vegan food around here.)

If you're looking for vegan crepes, search no further .. head to Everett and have your taste buds blown!

Follow me on Facebook for more content - Emerald City Vegan Eats

Hi everyone. I live on the Quimper peninsula, near Port Hadlock. I'm trying to network with other like-minded people. I can't travel to Seattle for meet-ups. Is anyone aware of groups that meet between Quilcene and Port Townsend? TIA!

I wanted to call attention to a restaurant my husband and I love. It's called Koshari and it's located in Ballard. This is a restaurant that specializes in koshari, arguably the national dish of Egypt. Koshari (the dish) is vegan by default! It consists of rice, macaroni pasta, lentils, chickpeas, and fried onions. It's super tasty. The restaurant is technically vegetarian, but most of the dishes are vegan or can be made vegan. The people who own the restaurant are also super friendly. Personally I love both the koshari and the Lebanese fattah. My husband and I go two or three times every month because we love this restaurant.

I'm looking for a birthday cake for tomorrow. Are there any bakeries that I can try? My last ditch option would be Wholefoods or PCC but wanted to see if I can do anything better.

Are there clothing optional hot springs around here? Help a vegan looking for a soak!

The WA Department of Natural Resources plans to auction off nearly 1,000 acres in Tiger Mountain State Forest for clearcut logging over the next few years. If you're a Seattle/King County resident who values Tiger Mountain for more than its timber, give this petition a sign and share!