Under the Marquee *

Breadcrumbs From a Black Woman Business Owner in South Seattle

There are those days when a city feels like it's whispering something to you.

You don't always know what it is.

You just know you should pay attention.

That was the kind of day I was having in work mode, Seattle.

I was sitting in one of my usual places, searching through Instagram, doing what I sometimes do when I'm looking for a little inspiration from the city's food, hospitality, travel, and creative community.

I wasn't looking for myself.

I was looking for something that might inspire a new something in me.

Then a notification appeared, and I clicked.

Madinah in the Market, hosted by Madinah Slaise.

I had been following Madinah because of her connection with KBCS and because I enjoy discovering the local storytellers who introduce us to people and places, we might otherwise walk right past.

Her latest post announced an upcoming live interview with a Pike Place Market partner.

For the first time, the interview would be filmed live with an audience.

The tickets were free.

My immediate thought was:

I WANT TO GO.

So, I decided to chase the inspiration.

I watched her YouTube episodes.

Then another.

Then another.

I subscribed.

I was fascinated by the way she moved through the market and told stories about Seattle through the people who make this place what it is.

And maybe there was something else drawing me in.

Her name was Madinah.

I had traveled to Madinah the year before, so the name already carried a little meaning for me.

And she was a Black woman telling stories in a city I remember from the past and now love.

Sometimes connection doesn't need a logical explanation.

Sometimes something simply resonates.

I closed Instagram eventually and returned to my own work.

I had a market coming up at the Seattle Convention Center Under the Marquee Community Market and there was plenty to do.

I posted about it.

Shared it.

Reposted it.

Shared it again.

I was doing all the little things a small-business owner does when nobody is standing over your shoulder telling you what needs to happen next.

There was no guarantee anyone would see it.

No guarantee anyone would come.

No guarantee any of it would lead anywhere.

But something in me kept saying:

Do the thing.

So, I did.

The next afternoon, I arrived at the market around 2:30.

The market wouldn't open until 5.

I like being early.

I like seeing a space before it fills up.

I like having time to breathe, set up, observe, and let the atmosphere reveal itself.

There were only a couple of vendors around.

I ran into an old business colleague and we started catching up.

Then something made me turn around.

I can't explain it any better than that.

I just felt something interesting behind me.

I looked.

And there she was.

Madinah Slaise.

Before I fully recognized her, I said:

"Hey, I know you."

She smiled.

And then she said something I wasn't prepared to hear.

"That's why I'm here to meet you."

Wait.

Me?

She explained that she had been following my page and had seen my reel about Under the Marquee.

She noticed I hadn't included the time.

I told her that was intentional.

I wanted the people who were genuinely interested to take the next step and find the event.

She smiled.

Then I started asking her questions about the live broadcast she was preparing for on August 12.

And once again, she stopped me.

"Tell me about you."

That question stayed with me.

Because I thought I was the one following the storyteller.

I didn't realize the storyteller had been following me.

We talked for several minutes.

We laughed.

We shared pieces of our stories.

We took pictures.

And then, just like that, we returned to the work we had come there to do.

But I walked away thinking about something much bigger than a chance encounter.

Maybe this is one of the things I love most about Seattle.

You can be looking for one story and accidentally find another.

You can walk through a market expecting to sell something and leave having discovered a person.

You can follow someone online and then unexpectedly find yourself standing face-to-face with them.

You can be a small business owner working quietly on something that feels enormous to you and discover that someone else has already noticed.

That last part matters.

Because sometimes we spend so much time trying to get noticed that we forget to notice what is already happening.

The people watching.

The people curious about your work.

The people quietly learning your story.

The people who may never comment or send a message but are paying attention.

Madinah reminded me of that without even knowing she was reminding me.

And she also reminded me of something I am learning as I step deeper into hospitality:

Hospitality is about more than serving people.

It's about noticing.

It's about curiosity.

It's about being present enough to recognize an interesting person when they walk into the room.

It's about asking, “Tell me about you.”

It's about creating enough space for a stranger to become familiar.

And perhaps that's why this moment felt so significant to me.

I am building Popcorn Concierge as a plant-based food and hospitality business, but I'm also discovering the kind of founder I want to become.

A founder who pays attention.

A founder who is curious about people.

A founder who looks for the story behind the business.

A founder who believes Seattle's small businesses aren't simply places to buy something.

They are stories.

They are families.

They are cultures.

They are risks somebody decided to take.

They are recipes somebody decided to preserve.

They are dreams somebody decided to make visible.

And sometimes, they're right in front of you.

So, if you're visiting Seattle...

Don't just look for the places that already have a spotlight on them.

Look around.

Follow the little clues.

Talk to the person behind the counter.

Visit the neighborhood market.

Listen to the local storyteller.

Ask a small-business owner how they got here.

You might discover something you weren't looking for.

I know I did.

I thought I was looking for inspiration on Instagram.

Instead, inspiration walked up to me at a Seattle market and asked:

“Tell me about you.”

And suddenly, I realized something.

Maybe I wasn't waiting to become someone worth finding.

Maybe I was already becoming her.

And maybe that's what happens when the atmosphere is in your favor.

You keep showing up.

You keep doing the thing.

You keep telling the story.

You keep looking for inspiration in other people.

And one day, you turn around...

and discover that someone has been looking for you, too.

Gratitude.

For the timing.

For the encounter.

For Seattle.

For the people who keep telling our city's stories.

For the small businesses still becoming.

And for the beautiful reminder that sometimes, the best stories aren't the ones you planned to find.

They're the ones that find you.

— Natalie Eltahir

Founder, Popcorn Concierge

Breadcrumbs From a Black Woman Business Owner in South Seattle