Harpreet Gill of Punjab Sweets knows that if the businesses on the East Hill would just work together, they could promote the area better as a shopping destination.
But today, there is no umbrella group to bring all of the business owners together.
“Right now, it’s real scattered. People are just doing their thing,” Gill said. “You don’t see a lot of togetherness up here.”
But Gill is working with the Kent Chamber of Commerce to try and change that by creating an East Hill Partnership, similar to the Kent Downtown Partnership, to give all of the businesses a common voice.
“I just feel like Kent in itself doesn’t really know about the hidden little places up here,” Gill said.
As a chamber ambassador who focuses on community outreach, Gill mentioned her idea for an East Hill Partnership at a chamber meeting in July and she said the idea started to pick up steam.
“From the people I have talked to, they’re very excited about it,” she said.
Gill said a formal partnership or organization could increase the clout of business owners on the hill as well as give them the opportunity to go after grants and other funding, like the Downtown Partnership has done in the valley.
According to Kent Chamber of Commerce Director Andrea Keikkala, she began hearing that East Hill was underrepresented in the chamber and decided to host the meeting to see what the chamber could do for the area.
“There were issues the chamber could do for them,” Keikkala said.
Keikkala said the East Hill area is home to approximately 1000 business, including home-based businesses, and encouraged all interested parties to come out to the meeting to make sure their voices and needs were heard.
Keikkala said there will be members of the police department as well as the mayor on hand to listen to the issues facing entrepreneurs in the area, from security to beautification.
Gill said she hoped the group could work together to help promote East Hill as a shopping district, as well as work to change the perception of the area, which she said needs a “revitalization.”
This is such a busy street,” she said, pointing out the window to 104th Street, “but people hardly look twice over here.”
Gill said many of the small strip malls on the hill may seem older, but the shops in them are vital and active.
“There’s a lot of quality businesses up here,” she said. “This is East Hill’s chance to come together.”
Learn more
What: East Hill Business Forum
When & Where: 7-9 p.m. Oct. 27, Golden Steer Restaurant, 23826 104th Ave. S.E., Kent
Contact: call Dana Krawchuck at 253-854-1770 or e-mail her at danak@kentchamber.com.
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