SEATTLE — You could call it bonus baseball.

And the Mariners playoff success isn’t just benefitting the bars and restaurants in Pioneer Square.

“We’ve had a steady stream of folks coming through. Longtime Mariners fans, and even there were a few guitar players amongst them,” said a beaming Karl van der Velden, inside Emerald City Guitars.

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The place has been in business since 1996, in an era known for live music in Pioneer Square. As those tunes faded, it became more and more dependent on special events.

And these games help.

“There have been a number of folks in here taking videos, taking pictures, which of course, we allow. They’re sending them to their friends. Hey, look at this store I found in Seattle. It’s a wonderful thing to have people come through and experience whether or not they’re here to buy a guitar that day,” he said.

More than bars and restaurants have been winning as the Mariners do the same, the Alliance for Pioneer Square said.

“People walking around, creates this energy, and it creates just more foot traffic, more people coming in, shopping, hanging out. I think it creates a different experience for the neighborhood,” said Angela Nguyen of the Alliance on Thursday.

She noted that the small Cone and Steiner grocery store off King street has seen walk-in activity go up, and the flooded streets have improved public safety in the short term.

“We faced a handful of challenges, but think we’ve also noticed a lot of really big improvements as well,” she said.

Nguyen adds the positive momentum from the opening of the Waterfront Park, and the recent string of Art Walks has also helps. 25 new businesses have opened in 2025, and eight new restaurants are scheduled to open in the district by the end of the year.

Van der Velden thinks if the Mariners continue to pull the right strings, or hit the right notes, the good vibes and good tunes will continue.

“In the current situation and the playoffs and how well they’re doing, it just builds the excitement even more,” he said.