July 2024

It’s finally here: we're opening on Beacon Hill! When we announced Little Thing to the world in July 2023, we didn’t yet have a lease signed or a firm idea of where we would end up. All we had was an idea: an ultra-neighborhoody spot to drink and buy wine. We knew we wanted to be in south Seattle, an area relatively underserved when it comes to wine—plus, close to my own home—and we knew we wanted it to be pint-sized. A few weeks later, I was perusing Craigslist for potential locations and stumbled on a peculiar advert for a sublet at a small spa in Beacon Hill. Less than a month later, we signed a lease, and now after 11 more months, we’re opening our doors. 

There isn’t nearly enough room here to go into all the intricacies of the last year; I would need chapters to talk about the frustrations of zoning, permitting, licensing, inspections, construction, etc. I have been radicalized by this process. Unfortunately, local government isn’t always built to support small businesses. Time and time again, we found ourselves begging for clarity in the opacity of bureaucracy. And nevertheless, in all that muck, we found allies who helped us navigate some of the most myopic expectations. (Shout out to the LCB!)  It took a year, but here we are, with all the t’s crossed and i’s dotted. 

I’d like to take a moment to thank my wonderful business partner, Katie, and her lovely family, who have graciously let us run a small wine shop out of their detached garage. I will miss the pickup parties at the garage. I’ve loved the intimacy of it all, watching new friends meet and drink together. But we're on to bigger (not much) and better (for sure)!