Bring Your After-Work Business Concept to Auburn, WA

Auburn already attracts plenty of visitors. Now, the city wants to give them more reasons to stick around.

Each year, about 1.8 million people visit downtown Auburn after 5 p.m., with around 5,000 visitors on a typical day. The area stays busy until 10 p.m., offering a steady customer base for businesses open in the evening.

Auburn has about 87,000 residents and a median household income of $97,884, giving entrepreneurs access to a strong local market. The city’s population includes young professionals, families, and retirees. The largest age group is adults between 25 and 44, who seek new dining and entertainment experiences and tend to spend more on leisure and social activities in the evenings.

In addition, Auburn attracts visitors from nearby communities and regional travelers, many of whom attend events or commute for work and are looking for after-hours options. Auburn After 5 aims to attract businesses that meet this demand and offer residents more evening options close to home.

Build Auburn, WA’s Evening Economy

Auburn, WA, is looking for businesses that encourage people to gather, explore, and spend more time in the city after regular working hours.

Potential concepts include:

Upscale casual restaurants and chef-driven dining concepts
International restaurants and food halls featuring Asian, Latin American, Mediterranean, and other global cuisines
Craft breweries, cocktail bars, wine lounges and social drinking concepts
Live music venues and intimate performance lounges
Comedy clubs and small-scale entertainment venues
Retro arcades, gaming lounges and esports cafés
Escape rooms and immersive group experiences
Golf simulation lounges and indoor sports bars
Art studios offering evening classes, paint-and-sip events and workshops
Pottery, ceramics and maker studios with evening programming

Boutique theaters, independent cinemas and movie-and-dining concepts
Trivia, board game and tabletop gaming cafés
Dance studios offering adult classes and social dance nights
Specialty dessert shops, bakeries and late-night cafés
Experiential retail with evening events, such as cooking classes, tastings, crafting or DIY workshops
Family entertainment venues with evening hours and activities for multiple age groups
Date-night concepts that combine food, drinks and an activity
Flexible event and gathering spaces for private parties, community events and corporate groups
Fitness and wellness concepts with evening social programming, such as yoga, recovery lounges, or group fitness

These ideas can attract a variety of customers and help make Auburn’s evenings more lively.

Community members gathering in downtown Auburn.

Visitors enjoying food and drinks at a local Auburn venue.

Connect With an Established Customer Base

Auburn’s customer base goes beyond just residents. The city also draws workers, families, visitors, and event-goers.

Auburn, WA’s evening visitation provides a foundation for businesses that operate beyond the traditional 9-to-5 schedule. New restaurants, entertainment venues, and experiential businesses can complement existing destinations while giving people more reasons to visit Auburn, WA.

The opportunity extends beyond attracting customers. Auburn After 5 can help diversify the city’s business mix and support a downtown where people can work, live, dine, and spend their leisure time.

Customers enjoying a local café.

People playing electronic darts at an indoor entertainment venue.

Grow Your Business in Auburn

Auburn Economic Development helps entrepreneurs learn about the local market and find new business opportunities. The city wants to connect qualified business owners with available spaces and guide them through setting up in Auburn.

Want to know what it’s like to run a business in Auburn? Watch the city’s Business Owner Video Gallery to hear from local business owners themselves.