Growing up between Shanghai and Bellevue, Claire Sumadiwirya couldn’t help but have a global lens through which to view the world. As the daughter of an executive in the travel industry, visiting far off places and encountering people steeped in different cultural norms, world views, and living conditions is as natural as breathing. Which is why, after graduating through the Bellevue School District and then going on to UW and eventually getting her MBA from Seattle University, she was most interested in creating space in her favorite city, Bellevue, where diverse people could gather and create community.

 

In 2016, that dream became a reality. Claire opened her first entrepreneurial hospitality experiment, Bellden Cafe, on Main Street. The Bellden Cafe isn’t just a place to get a great cup of coffee and some of the most amazing avocado toast you’ll ever experience. Claire has expanded the storefront into a social club, offering community-focused dinners, events, and rentable private space for more intimate gatherings.  

 

Through this storefront, Claire built a socially-focused business, creating donations and opportunity for those in need. She founded the Bellden Community Fund, donating 10% of all proceeds from the cafe and products she sells. This community fund operates three fold now; it provides her workers with a living wage above minimum wage, donates back to other nonprofits in the area, and provides essential job training to immigrants new to the area.

 

In traditional Claire fashion, the job training extends beyond barista. Claire’s priority is to create learning experiences for her workforce that have real world applications. She mentors her staff in marketing and financial literacy, supporting entrepreneurship and encouraging others to start small businesses in Bellevue. She helps by teaching business structure and classes on how to navigate the paperwork to set up a new business in the area. The cafe sells granola and candles fabricated on a production line. She is also a proponent of work-life balance, incorporating mental and physical health lessons into the mix to prevent stress and burnout. Finally, she supports these fledgling businesses with ongoing education on how to run a successful business.

 

She currently is training six of her staffers in this entrepreneurship program but is excited about the establishment of her new 501(c)(3), The Bellden Life Project, a foundation which will enable her to expand her programming. With most of her current trainees immigrating from war zones in Ukraine and Russia, this outreach and job readiness training will have a huge impact on the most vulnerable in the area. Claire also runs a flower arranging class and flower delivery service through Sophia’s Way, delivering flowers on Fridays arranged by residents there.

 

For more information on upcoming dinners or other events hosted at the Bellden Cafe, or if you are looking for ways you can support The Bellden Life Project, visit the website www.thebelldenlifeproject.org or follow Bellden and Claire on the socials @belldencafe and @clairesmdwry on Instagram.  

Claire is truly a Bellevue native enhancing and making a difference in our little town. As Coretta Scott King once said, “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” Claire is a West Bellevue community member taking action to help Bellevue achieve greatness.