Supporting Small Businesses at the White Center Night Market
π Date: September 26 – 27, 2025
Overview
The White Center Night Market, held on September 26β27, 2025, was a vibrant success, bringing together local businesses, performers, and community members for two unforgettable evenings of culture, food, and entertainment.
Supporting Small Businesses at the White Center Night Market
We are excited to share the success of the White Center Night Market, held on September 26 and 27, where our SBRN team had supported 34 small businesses as event vendors. From the very beginning, our team provided hands-on technical assistance including introducing businesses to the opportunity, sharing resources, helping them complete applications, printing online business licenses through DOR and Filelocal, and working directly with King County Health Department to secure necessary permits.
Among the 34 BIPOC businesses that participated, 33 were immigrant-owned and 23 were women-owned. Four vendors experienced their first time participating in a public event, four were recipients of the Small Business Resiliency Loan (SBRL), and five received support through CACCWAβs CRP Blended Capital Program. These businesses leveraged the Night Market as an opportunity to showcase their growth, engage with the community, increase visibility, boost sales, and build lasting connections with new customers.
Based on our estimates, the event drew over 1,500 attendees and was filled with positive energy, culture, and excitement. Both vendors and community members shared enthusiastic feedback, expressing appreciation for the cultural celebration and excitement for the chance to engage with local entrepreneurs.
One vendor, A. G. Cole (G. Reese), shared this heartfelt reflection about his experience:
βDear CACCWA Team,
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to you all for inviting me to be part of the White Center Night Market. What an incredible experience β the night air was alive with energy, culture, and community spirit. From Cambodian and Southeast Asian performances to African American and Native American representation. From the martial arts, dancing, stories of the people and the land, to the live rap, the entire evening was a powerful celebration of history, art, and resilience.
My booth stood right in the middle of it all, and the response from the community was overwhelmingly positive. In fact, people loved my products; they commented on my creativity and the story behind what I do β this was more than I hoped for! Without question, this was my most successful show to date, not just in sales but in spirit.
One moment that Iβll never forget came when a mother bought her little boy a pair of my Tech-Glasses. He put them on, then abruptly lifted them up, looked around, and said, βThis is the fake world.β Then he put them back on, smiled, and said, βThis is the real world.β The glasses glowed brightly in the setting sun, and the three of us just looked at each other β amazed, touched, and inspired. That small exchange captured exactly what makes community events like this so powerful: connection, imagination, and the spark of something bigger than all of us.
The event was seamless, vibrant, and full of life β from the performances to the coordination to the sense of unity in the crowd. Thank you to the entire CACCWA team, the Participatory Budget Program of King County, and all the partners and performers who made this possible β including the White Center Community Development Association, the United Southeast Asian Cultural Association, and the Eazy Duz It Car Club. The 50 years of Southeast Asian cultural celebration were honored beautifully.β
This success reflects not only the resilience and creativity of our small businesses but also the power of community in supporting their growth. We look forward to celebrating and supporting even more local entrepreneurs at future events!
β¨ Community Impact
π Vendor Booths
π‘ Partnerships & Collaboration
