Downtown Everett Association: Revitalizing and Strengthening Downtown
By building connections, supporting the arts, and keeping the city clean, the non-profit Downtown Everett Association is dedicated to revitalizing and strengthening Everett’s downtown business district. I met up with Liz Stenning, their Executive Director, to learn more about this amazing organization.
How did the Downtown Everett Association (DEA) get started?
DEA was started in the early to mid-90s by some business owners who were looking to clean up Downtown Everett by removing graffiti and tidying it up. Downtown was essentially just along Colby and the main streets and, at that time, there were still a lot of vacant businesses because the mall had opened up, and there was an overall feeling of not a lot going on. Some businesses, property owners, and artists partnered together to revitalize the downtown and put in the effort to get more people living, working, and visiting downtown.
Dancers from Mari's Place For The Arts // Courtesy of DEA
What does the DEA do today?
A big focus of our work is to maintain and clean the area. We have a team that maintains public trash cans, as well as removes graffiti and biohazards, takes discarded items to the dump, and removes (and returns) shopping carts.
Additionally, we manage the EverPark garage, which includes keeping it clean and working the booth. We also work on a variety of projects to revitalize downtown and enliven our community. We communicate with businesses and work together - there’s definitely a lot of eyes downtown just by being there.
In 2021, DEA became a Main Street Organization. As an official member, we have support from all the other Main Street Organizations in our state (there are about 40). We stay connected to see what’s working, what types of events other communities are hosting, and get support through conferences and training.
National Night Out Against Crime at Wetmore Plaza // Courtesy of DEA
What’s next for the DEA?
We partner with a lot of organizations that run their own events, Fisherman’s Village and Sorticulture for example. These events are coming back this year in full force.
We also have some of our own events, such as our Planting Day on April 30th and our “Sip and Shop” starting June 2nd. The idea is that different retail locations will offer a different “sip” that people can try as they walk around (and get a free cup for the event). Looking ahead, we’re working on planning a summer block party, some fall events, and then of course our Halloween and holiday events.
We create this sense of place in the downtown area with banners, which we’re currently updating, and a cohesive shopping guide featuring a map of new and old local businesses and artists. Additionally, our Strategic Plan from last spring puts a focus on dining, the arts, and entertainment so people will come downtown for a good experience and come back.
Halloween Trick-or-Treating in Downtown // Courtesy of DEA
What inspired you to get involved with the DEA?
I worked for the Alliance for Pioneer Square and had recently started visiting Everett to see old friends (I was raised in North Everett). Spending time here after so many years confirmed the sense that things were changing. I hadn’t really thought of returning to Everett, but the job pulled me back and it’s been very special since I have a deep connection to my city. It’s funny, in my office if I stand at a certain angle I can see the high school. When I talk to residents at neighborhood meetings, I still know all the streets. I grew up here and it never left me.
How can people get involved?
Today, we have 11 staff, our board, our committees, and our volunteers. We have committees for Economic Vitality, Design, Promotion, and Organization and we’re always looking for volunteers to serve on these. We had over 100 volunteers at our 2020 Planting Day and hope for even more this year. We will also need help at the “Sip and Shop” event and during the summer to maintain the downtown area flower pots.
When DEA was started, some founders assessed their properties to create the Business Improvement Area, which still exists today. When local businesses donate to us, they’re eligible for a tax credit to get a 75% credit towards their state B&O taxes. In 2020 we started a 501(c)(3) to fundraise for events and accept individual donations. We recently started fundraising through our Downtown Everett Partners to try to raise $15,000 for planting and flower season this spring.
Planting Day // Courtesy of DEA
What’s one thing you want people to know about DEA?
We’re here to develop community and support businesses and residents. We see Everett as a great place for people to bring their creativity, start a business, move to downtown, or just take a walk. We’re trying to make it a cool place for people to feel comfortable and want to be here.
We’re behind the scenes in a way - like the snowflakes that went up. The Downtown Everett Partners fundraised for those and the Design Committee worked with the City and Public Works to make that happen. There are a lot of little elves behind the scenes figuring everything out (shout out to Everett Downtown Storage for helping us store the snowflakes!).
Snowflakes and wreaths at Hewitt & Colby for the holidays // Courtesy of DEA
Anything else?
I just want to say that I came from an organization that wasn’t as heavily focused on volunteers and it’s really quite amazing what can be accomplished with volunteers. It’s powerful to see what our volunteers are capable of, so just a huge shout-out to them.
Thank you again to Liz Stenning, and all of Downtown Everett Association’s staff and volunteers, for taking care of our downtown community.
Angela Di Filippo currently works in State Social Services and recently earned her Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology with extensive training in evidence-based leadership coaching. Angela moved from North Carolina to Washington 6 years ago and has proudly called Everett her home for 5 of those years. When not helping others solve problems in creative and strength-driven ways, Angela enjoys her time painting, hiking with her terrier-mix, Indy, and eating waffles.
