In downtown Kent, outdoor dining is key to economic recovery

The American Rescue Plan will send over a billion dollars directly to cities in Washington State.

Cities will spend some of their money helping small businesses offset the costs of operating during the pandemic. The city of Kent is trying to use federal relief money in new ways.

This story is part of The Main Street Project, a series that documents the impacts of the pandemic and economic recovery one street at a time.

First Avenue South runs through Kent’s historic downtown core. The street has lots of restaurants including the Iron Pot, a Korean restaurant owned by Kyung Lee. He used to own a restaurant in Seattle.

“I never feel like I got help from the city," he says. "But since I move here – Kent is amazing, they help me a lot.”