Our final story tonight comes from Seattle in the U.S. Earlier, we said goodbye to the old North Satellite terminal in SeaTac airport, which was opened in 1973 and only received limited upgrades. Now, we take you to the newly opened International Mall in the wonderful Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Around 20 renovation projects are underway in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the main international airport in the city.
The North Satellite Terminal, which was opened in 1973, only received limited upgrades and was in need of modernisation.
One of the 10 most connected international hubs in the U.S., the 70-year-old Seattle Tacoma International Airport has seen passenger traffic double in the past decade. Other than the newly-opened International Arrival Facility, SeaTac airport welcomed another new thing – the renovated North Satellite Terminal. The $550 million project increased the size of the terminal by 201,000 square units and another 8 gates were added.
Inside the newly-opened SeaTac International Mall, sheer curtains and colourful clothes hang on walls that line the corridors.
Located at the busy intersection of International Boulevard and South 208th Street, the SeaTac International Mall serves as a one-stop store. It also has an attached grocery store, a chiropractor’s office, as well as office spaces for rent.
And African business owners now consider the international mall their new home.
On Monday, a few store owners returned to the mall after celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the festival that concludes Ramadan.
Faisal Mohamed, a co-owner of the International mall said, “It’s great to be here. The community needed something like this.”
Language barriers, lack of access to capital and savings are some of the challenges African American business owners have been facing. These have also given even more challenges to them as African companies in the U.S. have not rebounded from the pandemic as quickly as other companies.
According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, from February to April last year, African Americans saw the largest decrease in active business owners with a 41 percent drop, followed by immigrant business owners with a 36 percent decrease.
Immigrants and refugees were displaced following the closure of Barako Mall, which featured dozens of Somali-owned stores. It was closed in 2019 to make way for a 585-unit mixed-used residential project to be developed by Spokane-based Inland Group.
It was frustrating at first, according to Mohamed. But he, with a business management degree from North Dakota State University, along with two of his friends, combined their business skills and found a space for lease, reached out to prospective tenants and drew up contracts.
Now that the International Mall is opened, Reay from the SeaTac-based Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce considers it a community-led solution to displacement. “Commercial affordability is a huge issue throughout the Puget Sound region. So many small businesses and microbusinesses face displacement, and that has a tremendous impact on the community. It’s a great example of what can happen when private and public collaboration and partnership takes place.” Said Reay.
The renovation project has brought many African businesses back. Also, many envision the new North Satellite terminal will attract more airline companies to choose SeaTac as one of their destinations, bringing more business opportunities to U.S.-based or international companies.
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