Since 1896
Founded as Seattle Tent & Awning Co. and still building for Seattle businesses
In-house design & drafting
CAD drawings produced by our own team, for your approval, landlord or HOA
Engineered & permitted
Stamped drawings through our licensed engineering partner, and we pull the permit
Fabricated in Tukwila
Frames and fabric made in our own shop, then installed by our own crews
What do you need?
Most commercial calls fall into one of these. If yours doesn't, call us anyway. Custom work is what we do.
New construction · Tenant improvement
Fixed-frame awnings in fabric, metal or glass, designed around your façade, signage and storefront system. Wedge, flat-panel, convex, curved and custom profiles.
See materials →Entrances · Walkways
Canopies for main entrances, lobbies, valet and drop-off areas, stairways and building-to-building connections. Engineered for the span, permitted, and built to the code that applies.
Start a project →Existing awnings
New fabric on a sound frame, valance and frame repairs, or full replacement, including awnings another company built. It's one of the most common commercial calls we get.
Awning recover & repair →Restaurants · Patios · Amenity decks
Large-format retractable awnings, fixed covers, shade sails and motorized screens that make patios and terraces usable in more of the year.
See the Summit large-format awning →Openings · Front desks · Windows
Motorized roll shutters for storefronts, front desks and office windows, plus screens for production rooms, doors and dining areas.
Security roll shutters →Ongoing service
Winter vestibules installed in fall and removed in spring, seasonal covers, shade sail take-downs, removal and storage, and service calls on existing systems.
Seasonal & service work →Fabric · Metal · Glass
Every fixed-frame awning we build is custom designed for its building. Aluminum frames are standard, and we use steel when the span or load needs more structure.
The classic storefront look and the most flexible option for color, shape and branding. Fabric can be recovered later without replacing the frame.
A clean architectural line and a hard roof. Metal suits entry canopies, modern façades and openings that need permanent weather cover.
Marquee-style glass canopies keep entrances bright and protected from the rain. You get one point of contact for the whole canopy.
Design · Engineering · Manufacturing
Most awning projects stall between the designer, the engineer, the fabricator and the permit counter. We handle all of it, so you deal with one company.
01
Site visit & scope
We look at the building, measure, and talk through what the awning needs to do: weather cover, shade, branding, a safer entrance, or all of them.
02
Design & drafting
Our in-house team produces CAD drawings showing the profile, dimensions, attachment and finish, ready to share with owners, landlords, HOAs and architects.
03
Engineering & permits
Structural drawings are stamped through our licensed engineering partner. We prepare the submittal and pull the permit.
04
Fabrication
Frames are cut, welded and finished in our Tukwila shop, and fabric is patterned and sewn in-house. For glass canopies, we coordinate the glazing.
05
Installation
Our own crews install. We're a registered Washington contractor (RAINIS*770JK), not a broker handing your job to a sub.
06
Service for the life of it
Recovers, repairs, seasonal installs and removals, and service calls. The same company that built it can maintain it.
Who we work with
A lot of our commercial work comes through property managers and contractors buying for someone else. We make that easy.
For
Keep awnings looking right across every building you manage, with one vendor who knows the portfolio.
For
A fabricator-installer for awning and canopy scope, from early design help through closeout.
For
An awning is weather cover, shade and a sign in one. We design it around how your business works and how you want it to look.
Industries we serve
Restaurants & cafés
Storefront awnings, outdoor dining covers, interior awnings and dining-area screens.
Hotels, clubs & venues
Entry canopies, valet stations, upper-floor awnings, shade sails and custom event-venue canopies.
Retail & shopping centers
Storefront awnings across a center, tenant recovers, wraparound awnings and security shutters.
Multifamily & commercial property
Entry and balcony awnings, office-park recovers, cabanas, garage and storage-facility canopies.
Healthcare & clinics
Covered entrances, door awnings, front-desk security shutters and window screens.
Schools
Play-area shade, office window shutters and covered entrances.
Government & public agencies
Seasonal covers for parks facilities, office screens and fabric supply.
Corporate & industrial
Loading and facility covers, production-room screens and office-campus canopies.
Nonprofits & arts
Recovers and replacements that keep older buildings looking cared for.
Recent commercial work
New installs, recovers and seasonal work for owners, managers and contractors.
RentonHotel · For the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Custom-designed shade sails fabricated and installed for the Hyatt Southport in Renton, WA.
SeattleShopping center · Through a contractor
Convex fabric awnings for a retail storefront at a Seattle shopping center, built for the tenant's contractor.
RedmondMultifamily · Through a contractor
Fixed-frame awnings for the east and west buildings of an apartment community, delivered in phases with the general contractor.
SeattlePrivate club · Direct
New awnings and recovers of existing ones on a clubhouse, plus a replacement awning at the valet station.
SeattleRestaurant · Seasonal service
Winter vestibules installed each fall and removed each spring at a corporate-owned café.
Portland · SandpointRetail rollout · Through a contractor
Complete awning scopes for a contractor's projects in Oregon and Idaho, including a change to metal wedge awnings.
1896
Seattle's storefronts since the 19th century
Rainier Shade started in 1896 as Seattle Tent & Awning Co., making canvas awnings and tents for the shops, offices and grocers of a young city. Our awnings shaded Seattle and Tacoma storefronts for generations.
We still do that work today: awnings for the businesses that line Seattle's streets, designed, sewn, welded and installed by our own people. Along the way we added metal and glass canopies, engineered structures, motorized screens and security shutters.
The weather hasn't changed much in 130 years. We know what Pacific Northwest rain, wind and grime do to an awning, and we build for it.
Areas we serve
Our shop and crews are based in Tukwila, between Seattle and the South Sound, so we cover the greater Puget Sound region and take on larger projects for contractors throughout the Northwest.
Seattle
Storefronts, restaurants, hotels, clubs, venues and multifamily buildings across the city.
Eastside
Shopping centers, apartment communities, hotels and office campuses east of Lake Washington.
South Sound
Restaurants, clinics, business parks and commercial property close to our Tukwila shop.
North Sound
Restaurants, cafés, offices and attractions from the north end through Snohomish County and into Skagit.
Kitsap & West Sound
Retail, plaza and commercial projects across the water, often with contractor partners.
Beyond the Sound
Larger projects and multi-site packages for contractors we work with, including past work in Oregon and Idaho.
Common questions
Usually, yes. Most cities require a building permit for a commercial awning or canopy. Awnings that project over a public sidewalk, or that carry signage, often need additional approvals. Requirements vary by city. We prepare the drawings, coordinate stamped engineering through our licensed partner, and pull the permit, so you don't have to chase it.
We design it. Our in-house team drafts every awning and canopy in CAD, so you get drawings you can review and share with a landlord, HOA or design team. If you already have an architect, we work from their design intent and produce the shop drawings.
It depends on the look you want, how much light you want underneath, whether you'll want to change colors or branding later, and what the building and code require. Fabric is the most flexible and can be recovered later on the same frame. Metal gives a hard roof and a crisp architectural line. Glass keeps an entrance bright. We'll walk through the trade-offs for your building at the site visit.
Yes. Graphics can go on the valance or the face of a fabric awning, and we can update graphics on an existing awning when a tenant changes. Some cities treat awning graphics as signage, and we'll check that during permitting.
Regularly. A lot of our commercial work is for general contractors and trade partners. For pricing, send drawings or elevations, dimensions, site photos, the scope, your schedule and a site contact. Trade partners can register for Pro Access to get product documentation.
In most cases, yes. We inspect the frame first. If it's sound, we pattern and sew new fabric to fit it. If it isn't, we tell you whether repair or replacement makes more sense. See awning recover & repair.
Seattle and the greater Puget Sound: the Eastside (Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland), the South Sound (Tukwila, Renton, Kent, Auburn, Tacoma), the North Sound (Everett, Lynnwood, Bothell) and Kitsap (Bremerton, Silverdale, Port Orchard). We also take on larger projects elsewhere in the Northwest, often for contractors we already work with. See areas we serve.
Have an awning that's seen better days? Start with a recover.
Awning recover & repair →Start a commercial project
Fill out the form, or email us what you have, and we'll follow up. The more we know up front, the faster we can price it.
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Tell us about your project
We'll follow up with next steps
Contractors, architects and designers can register for our trade portal for product documentation, or send us a scope and we'll price it.