Local Hispanic owned businesses

from Choose Monroe Magazine - 2022

Parks in Monroe

MODERN HOME FURNISHINGS COMES TO MONROE

outique shopping just got bigger and better in B downtown Monroe. Modern Home Furniture, owned by Isabelle and Steve Sayler, recently opened at 126 East Main Street, turning 1,800 square feet into a cozy, welcoming, home furniture and decor boutique. With music playing in the background, staff that is happy to see you, and more than a few cozy

Couple finds connection in new boutique furniture store on Main

BY ELLEN HIATT

Modern Home Furniture is located at 126 East Main Street

Hours of Operation: Fri., Sat. Sun. 11am - 6pm with more hours coming soon!

couches to curl up on, the space feels like home.

That’s what their customers tell them when they walk in. But don’t let the homey vibe and small setting fool you. This place is big! Adding power to the boutique is the couple’s Everett store that showcases as many as 30 complete vignettes (complete furniture sets) and a warehouse stocked full of furniture. Relax on a velvety sofa while you surf a 360-degree view on a big screen, checking out the Everett store’s display. Like what you see? It could very well be in stock and delivered within a day.

The business started when Isabelle heard a message in church that spoke to her heart. She was a single mom at the time, working at Microsoft. It wasn’t a great time

to take a risk, but she knew in that moment she needed to do what she loved. Up until then, she’d been buying and selling used furniture on the side. She loved to design and decorate, and could see she had a knack for this business. Within a few months of switching to used furniture sales full time, she and Steve met.

“He really encouraged me and made me believe I could do this,” she said. With that, she moved out of her garage and into a storefront and switched to selling new furniture. They had stores in Bothell, Bellevue and Lynnwood, before moving their operation to Everett. They thought about opening another storefront and decided, instead, to get warehouse space.

“We made a business judgment that we will keep everything in stock. We serve millennials. They want it immediately. It used to be they wanted it within a week. Now they want it delivered in one to two days,” she said. “They have kind of an Amazon mentality. That’s the only way you’re going to survive in this economy.”

“As you know, there were a lot of supply chain disruptions a year and a half ago,” Steve added. “Under her great guidance, we expanded. When other furniture stores were turning away new shipments, we said ‘keep it coming!’ We bought 16 shipping containers of furniture and decor.”

The other way she said Modern Home Furniture survives: low prices.

“We have had some very strong conversations with our suppliers. They want us to raise prices on our Snohomish and King County families to be ‘fair’ with our competitors. We say we have to be fair with our customers, too. The bottom line is important, but we want to help our customers be fiscally responsible. We are a community business.”

Steve takes her lead on that. “We have very strong female leadership. I am very proud of my wife in that respect. She has broken glass ceilings in an industry with a lot of men. In the beginning they would come shake my hand thinking I was the boss.”

“It’s so competitive,” Isabelle added. “It’s important for us to be strong together.” The couple said they bring their marriage and their business together in a complete partnership.

Partnership with their community is part of that bigger picture. They support Damascus House in Seattle to help people without homes, and hold Santa events in their stores

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22320 YEAGER RD • MONROE, WA ANTHOLOGYRANCH.COM during the holidays. The couple says they’ve made family of many of their customers, one of whom came to their store to create a special moment, revealing to her husband she was pregnant.

It helps that both Isabelle and Steve speak Spanish, she’s fluent as a Latina from Miami and he as a small-town boy who learned Spanish on a mission to Venezuela.

“We have found Monroe to be so charming. When I saw the location, I saw the potential in Main Street. I fell in love with that corner,”

Isabelle said. Steve added, “It’s been wonderful having customers come in and say, ‘Welcome to our community!’.”

Modern Home Furniture’s low prices and ability to keep their display items in stock is impressing Monroe residents including resident and business owner Crystal Amsberry, who left an online review:

“If you haven’t stopped by this boutique, you should visit asap! The owners are super friendly and so very helpful. We went in last week looking for a couch, and we were able to run over to the Everett store the same day to order an amazing, modular sectional. We just received our sectional today and love it!! We will be back to the boutique for their beautiful decor ”

TASTE OF MEXICO in monroe

he many Hispanic owned businesses of Monroe add to our community experience and connection. Comforting, spicy, complex Mexican fare is a hit locally, and there are plenty to choose from with a great T variety of restaurants and markets bringing authentic Mexican fare.

Ixtapa

Antojitos La Poblanita

101 East Main Street, #107

As if you needed another reason to hit Monroe’s Main Street, Antojitos La Poblanita inside Monroe Town Center Building is highly rated by whatever measure you choose— online review or from your friend who introduced you to this fruity sensation. Frozen drinks line the display case, along with esquites (Mexican corn in a cup), tostilocos (Tostillas with delicious toppings) and a mangonada. You’ll think you’re on a Los Angeles street corner with the freshest fruits and Mexican fare served up from a street cart.

El Paraiso Mexican Grill

14090 Fryelands Blvd.

With outdoor dining and a view of Lake Tye, this restaurant on Fryelands Boulevard is a familyrun, local chain. They cook up fresh, homemade tortillas every day shaped in front of your eyes in the front of the restaurant. You’ll enjoy a bevy of cocktails with over 150 tequilas to choose from, and a wide range of beer. Cozy up to a table and enjoy chips, salsa, and warm bean dip while you scour the menu. Join your neighbors on the patio, soaking up the summer sun and enjoying the sounds of friends on the lake. Large, yummy portions will keep you coming back.

Ixtapa

19303 US-2

This is your destination for soulcomforting, big-portioned, saucy, cheesy meals enjoyed with friends and family. The Ixtapa Burrito is a fan favorite, with beef Chile Colorado, guacamole, sour cream, onions and a mild salsa. It’s also a win for bacon-wrapped shrimp and cheesy beans, cocktails, and a warm welcome. The three cheese avocado salad is filling enough, but if you’re really feeling hungry, the steak fajita salad is mouthwateringly good. Stop by with your family soon, as this is the place the locals gather, and everyone is family inside. As Blair Broughton posted on Ixtapa’s Facebook page under a photo of a group of friends, smiling for the camera, margaritas in hand, “Honestly, if you don’t have a photo like this with friends from this exact room are you even from the valley?”

Las Tres Marias

116 West Main Street

This Mexican restaurant on Main Street has incredible tamales and by

all accounts is a “great value for the money,” with “fresh food and friendly service.” Try their real molcajete, with carne asada, cactus, rice, beans, guac, and chips and salsa. Get the family size and you won’t have to cook tonight. You’ll feel like family here. According to local resident Brandon Shafer, the food is “some of the best on the planet,”.

Pueblo Viejo

118 West Main Street

Sweet and fluffy sugar donuts, fresh prepared cactus, homemade tortillas, and carnitas on the weekends. Come for the fresh Mexican pastries, still cooling on the rack, or the freshly made Chicharrones and tamales. A sizable grocery section will provide all you need to make your own meal, or pick up a piñata for the weekend birthday party. Who doesn’t love whacking a piñata and scooping up candy, no matter how old you are!

Tacos Pihuamo

329 East Main Street

Who doesn’t love a street taco food truck? Stop drooling and visit Tacos Pihuamo. Get your street taco with all the toppings… cilantro and white onions, a lime wedge, radish slices, and a big, fat, roasted jalapeno. Get in the fast-moving food truck line for authentic sopes, carne asada militas, cabeza, and tripa. Long day of hiking, rock climbing, or shooting the rapids of the Skykomish River? Stop in for a healthy and filling veggie burrito… be informed that the hot sauce is, indeed, hot, the flavors are authentic.

Taqueria El Rey and Restaurant

19191 US-2, #173

If you haven’t jumped on the latest and greatest quesabirria tacos craze, make your leap at Taqueria El Rey. The slow-cooked meats are stuffed between corn shells with a little cheese, flipped and fried, and served with the consommé for dipping. Amazing. Come by for a chorizo breakfast burrito, or a $2.25 Carne Asada taco. Top off your meal with a cinnamon-laced horchata. Arrive with a healthy appetite. The Carne Asada burrito is filling and the spicy mole is oh-so satisfying. Visit in their sit-down restaurant or catch the food truck at 17614 West Main Street, Monroe.

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115 Main Street

This butcher shop and bakery is a go-to stop for Mexican pastries, soup, meats, groceries, and whatever else you may need. Near the historical museum, it’s a destination for their quality,

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flavorful salsas made in-house, and marinated meats. Visit on Sunday for their special barbacoa or carnitas and tamales made the same day. This store carries a lot of products you won’t find in other stores stocked with Mexican foods, including some specialty foods. Locals and Seattlites alike make a special trip for any of the above.

Tijuana Restaurant

118 East Main Street

Tijuana Restaurant has been a Monroe mainstay for about three decades. High backed booths in a classic family-friendly atmosphere, suitable for date night in old town Monroe. The Chile Relleno will not disappoint as it avoids over-doing the cheese in favor of letting the veggie flavors shine. This family-run Main Street business is all about

authentic Mexican fare. Google reviewer Pete Nice sums it up nicely: “There is an incredible dish here called ‘Caldo en su Jugo’ which is a pillowy dream of comfort. If you need a huge hug inside your belly, come here and order this.”

Yoli’s Snack Bar

102 West Main Street

Open early for your breakfast smoothie, Yoli’s is serving up genuine Mexican snacks, frozen fruity drinks like mangonada and coconut, raspberry, and mango raspados among the many options. Drinks taste extra good when you know that Yoli’s owner, a single mom, supports many community events downtown Monroe. This place is legit and delicious. Do try the mangonada, but come back for the fresh fruit bowl and a torta sandwich.