Kent Station has got you covered, literally! Kent Station tenants have a new-found hope and energy for their businesses thanks to the City of Kent for using funds from the federal CARES Act. A partnership between the City, the Kent Downtown Partnership and Kent Station management resulted in tents and patio heaters to extend outdoor seating. Since the installment of these heated tents in early October, business owners are finding new momentum and an increase in customers coming out to dine and shop.

The added tents and heaters are a big deal for restaurant owners like Julian Ramos, owner of Agave Cocina and Cantina Restaurants. “The tenting provided to us has expanded our allowable seating area and is especially helpful when demand is highest: the weekends. People feel snug, safe and cozy inside the tent,” said Ramos.

The expanded outdoor dining is not only a welcomed boost for business owners around Kent Station, but it also brings a sense of “normal” to customers. Peggy P. from Puyallup and her sister Betsy M. from Mercer Island have a long-standing tradition to meet at Kent Station with their beloved Great Pyrenees dogs for lunch and to catch up. Both health care workers, they remain very cautious about their exposure to COVID and do not prefer to dine-in, however when they learned about the outdoor heated tents at Kent Station, they were more than thrilled!

“We are so happy that we have this safe way to meet up all winter long to continue our tradition of lunch together,” said Peggy. “We love the fact that not only do the tents have heaters, they are also dog friendly,” said Betsy M.

Judy Woods, a former council member with the City of Kent, and a frequent Kent Station shopper explains, “As an older person who is trying to maintain the recommended protocols, I am delighted to have safe places to gather for a meal and conversation with friends during the fall and winter seasons. The tent environment will be helpful to many who have been dreading the bad weather months.”

In addition to restaurants extending outdoor dining for customers, AMC theaters just re-opened at Kent Station giving even more reason for people to come out, grab dinner and a movie. Now that AMC has re-opened at 25% capacity, they have been hyper focused on providing a safe environment for movie goers. “We really hope that we continue to see more overall traffic as a result of the re-opening and with options to dine outdoors in a warm, protected and safe environment,” says John Hinds, General Manager of Kent Station.

For more information on Kent Station and upcoming events, check out kentstation.com.

About Kent Station: Located on 18 acres in the heart of downtown Kent, Kent Station® is an urban shopping village developed by Tarragon, a Seattle based company. The 470,000 sq. ft., mixed-use development features locally-owned and national retail stores, professional office space, and dining and entertainment, including a 14-screen AMC Theatres Cineplex and a branch campus of Green River College.