New Shop: Likelihood

Likelihood, a new specialty boutique at 2201 Seventh Avenue, offers everything from classic and collectible sneakers to a selection of unique apparel, home goods, and accessories. Co-owner Daniel Carlson describes his shop’s offerings as not necessarily designer, but on-trend and ahead-of-trend.

Shoppers can expect a warm and welcoming store experience, one that Carlson says is designed to be an “exhale moment in your day.”

“It’s not overstuffed with product or overwhelming. We wanted to create a place that’s meant for creative discovery and exploration. Browsing is good for you here,” he explains.

The SLU spot is Likelihood’s second location. Its first opened its doors in May 2015 in Capitol Hill. SLU’s store has about four times more apparel offerings and a larger stadium space that’s meant to hold bigger community events. Likelihood is known for being active in the community and Carlson plans to grow its engagement in this space.

Carlson is proud of Likelihoods “details of retail” and how that helps its customers. “This means a lot of things for us. It’s a clean, organized store. We don’t want to cause stress, so you’re not going to be overwhelmed by selection. We are painstaking in our buys and curation, and we spend lots of time bringing in stuff we think customers will love and be excited about. One of our signatures is the humble lint brush — we lint brush all the shoes after someone tries them on.”

The lint brush ethos was born out of personal experience for Carlson, who once ordered a pair of $300 shoes and opened the box to find dirty soles.

“We don’t want you going home with dirt on the bottom of your shoes. This is a gift to yourself; it should be a present when you open it,” he says.

Carlson is enthusiastic about Likelihood’s future in South Lake Union.

“We’re really happy to be in SLU. It’s been a great experience so far. We’re excited for our prospects as a long-term play here — we think this area will become even more fun and interesting the coming years.”

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