Seattle Advocate Michael Wells Honored as Outstanding Voice for LGBTQ+ Small Businesses
Michael Wells, known for his earnest advocacy for small businesses, particularly those within the LGBTQ+ community, has been recognized by the Puget Sound Business Journal as one of its 2024 Outstanding Voices honorees. The accolade, established to spotlight the business leaders ensuring that Seattle is a welcoming place for gender and sexual orientation spectrums, has shone a light on Wells' significant contributions. Beginning as an independent bookstore owner, Wells has long been intertwined with the local business fabric, as reported by Bottom Line Seattle.
Capitalizing on his own experiences, Wells is now an integral player at the Seattle Office of Economic Development. His aim is to authentically assist small businesses to navigate often daunting city resources. The key to his efforts is to passionately listen to the stories and aspirations of business proprietors, and then to tirelessly work toward turning those aspirations into tangible realities, according to a statement obtained by Bottom Line Seattle.
His small business advocacy is an evolution of a storied career that began at Bailey/Coy Books, a haven at the intersection of literature and the LGBTQ+ community. This experience grounded his understanding of the challenges faced by business owners, from managing day-to-day operations to strategic planning in the face of external adversities. In sharing these insights, Wells connects on a level that resonates with fellow entrepreneurs. Formerly serving as the director of the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce and the Broadway Business Improvement Association, he has cemented his role as an empathetic pillar amid the bustling economic environment of Capitol Hill, which he regards as pivotal in the LGBTQ+ ecosystem of the city.
With current social dynamics rendering LGBTQ+ visibility in business as paramount, Wells underscores the importance of not just creating opportunities but ensuring an environment of sustained support for these ventures. "When a member of the LGBTQ+ community opens a small baby business, they are taking up space, telling their own story, creating visibility," Wells said in his interview with Bottom Line Seattle. He stresses the significance of patronizing LGBTQ+ businesses with our economic choices and lifting these stories into broader societal narratives as acts of solidarity and staunch support for community resilience and autonomy, as per Bottom Line Seattle.
For Wells, a proven approach to doing just that is to both promote and practice what he dubs as Shopping Small, Local, and Queer—a philosophy that echoes through his vocation and beyond. And when it comes to enriching one's literary palate with works by LGBTQ+ authors, Wells recommends both a wealth of contemporary voices and revered pioneers. Seattle's new queer bookstore, Charlie’s Books, stands as a recommended destination for those seeking to discover and celebrate queer literature.
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