West Seattle, Washington
21 Sunday
(SDOT camera, looking north over Delridge Way north of Genesee)
If you’ve noticed the signage on Delridge Way near Genesee and wondered about the impending “traffic revision,” today we obtained the official SDOT notice for long-in-the-works northbound repaving:
What: Street Repaving
Where: Delridge Way SW between SW Genesee St & SW Dakota St
When: Monday, March 31 – Monday, April 7. 7 AM – 6 PM each day.
*Weather permittingAt the location and hours listed above:
SDOT will replace several concrete panels in the northbound lanes of Delridge Way SW between SW Genesee St & SW Dakota St.
Parking will be restricted:
o 72 hours before work starts and parking restrictions begin, “NO PARKING” signs will be placed on the street. SDOT crews will facilitate and maintain driveway access to the homes fronting the northbound lane between SW Genesee St & SW Dakota St to the extent possible.
Sidewalk access will not be impacted.
Contact King County Metro for bus-stop impacts.o Lane shifts will be in effect 24 hours a day for the duration of the project.
Northbound traffic will be shifted to the southbound travel lane.
One northbound lane and one southbound lane will be maintained on the west side of the median.
Northbound traffic will be restricted from turning left onto SW Genesee 24 hours a day for the duration of the project.
P.S. Reader Jay pointed out that someone reprogrammed one of the illuminated signboards earlier today. We asked SDOT if security’s been tightened and haven’t yet gotten an answer to that.
10:19 PM: Within the past half-hour, 911 got calls from people who thought they heard gunfire near Delridge and Thistle. Police have just confirmed it; they heard from a person who reported their car was shot at while at that intersection. The shooter(s) were in another vehicle. That’s one of the SPD criteria for confirming gunfire – if someone actually sees it (other criteria include injuries, damage, or found casings)
ADDED 11:37 AM THURSDAY: Here’s the redacted narrative we obtained from SPD:
On 03/26/2025 at 2141 hours I was working uniformed patrol as 3F21. I was dispatched to Delridge Wy SW and SW Thistle St for a report of shots fired. I arrived in the area and did not locate any scene. A short time later XXXXXXX, XXXXXX called in and reported his vehicle had been shot at the intersection and he was currently outside of the city.
I contacted XXXXXX by phone to take the report. XXXXXX stated that he was traveling southbound on Delridge Wy SW and was stopped at the traffic signal at the intersection of Delridge Wy SW and SW Thistle St. XXXXXX advised that a [DARK SEDAN] drove past him at a high rate of speed failing to stop at the red light. XXXXXX stated the light changed to green and he continued southbound, but [ANOTHER DARK SEDAN] came from behind him and attempted to pass him on the passenger side.
XXXXXX advised the vehicle eventually came along the passenger side of his vehicle and fired two gunshots into the passenger door of his vehicle WA XXXXXXX. XXXXXX stated one round struck the door and the other hit the passenger side mirror breaking it. XXXXXX advised that the vehicle sped away westbound on SW Thistle St from the scene. I provided XXXXXX with the Axon link to upload photos of the damage. XXXXXX did not have any license plate information or suspect description. No evidence was located at the scene. GVRU was notified of the incident.
(That’s the Gun Violence Reduction Unit.)
If you didn’t get to the recent West Seattle shredding/recycling event … or have amassed need-to-shred paper since then … Seattle Parks has just announced an event ahead:
On Saturday, April 5, from 10:30 am-1:30 pm, Delridge Community Center will host a paper shredding event. Get rid of confidential documents securely! Please remove paper clips and staples. Limit 2 garbage bags per car. Recommended $10 donation to support Delridge CC’s programs.
Delridge CC is at 4501 Delridge Way SW. One more thing: Parks says this is for residents, not businesses.
Thanks to Amy Do for sending the video of a beaver sauntering across Delridge Way. Amy reports:
A large adult beaver approximately 50-60 pounds was sighted crossing Delridge Way SW between Webster and Holden St at 11:30 pm on Sunday night. The beaver was spotted just in time for a Lyft driver to slam on the brakes to avoid collision. The passenger of the Lyft took a short video. The beaver successfully crossed the street into a small wooded area, and is suspected of living in the greenbelt surrounding Longfellow Creek.
The creek and its watershed are home to multiple beavers, as discussed during an HPAC meeting (with guest Pamela Adams of BeaverInsights) back in January (WSB coverage here).
P.S. Just as we were about to hit “publish” on the above and run out of HQ, we checked email and saw this had just come in, from Matthew – a second beaver-in-street sighting:
Matthew reported having to “shoo” that beaver off Highland Park Way last night around 10:30 pm
The neighborhoods for which HPAC serves as the community coalition – Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge – are also the West Seattle neighborhoods with the largest current concentration of encampments. So this Wednesday night (6:30 pm March 26 at Delridge Library) they will be discussing the city response. From the announcement:
We expect to have folks from SPD, the CARE team, and a discussion with a representative from the Unified Care Team. For those not familiar, they are tasked with doing direct outreach and intervention with our houseless and RV residents. We hope to learn more about their work, their workflow and response times and start a dialogue about more robust ways to bring help getting folks housed in the South Delridge area. While we know this is a citywide, even nationwide issue, we want to lean in as to why we have concentrations of illegal campers here and how we can work together to improve the situation.
The Citywide dashboard from 2024 Quarter 4 notes 2 tent and 3 verified RV sites contacted by UCT in Highland Park. It also gives a relational snapshot of where we are in a list of neighborhoods with unhoused residents. The numbers unfortunately do not reflect the reality what we see around us now.
If you are interested in taking action right away, a current opportunity to help out folks in need is via donation to the Westside Neighbors Shelter.
The library is at 5423 Delridge Way SW.
The Seattle Transportation Levy includes money for some of the many areas around the city that need sidewalks. Just a drop in the bucket – SDOT says 11,000 blocks around the city are sidewalk-less, while the levy has funding for 350 blocks of new sidewalks/walkways. 10 of those blocks will be in North Delridge, according to SDOT. A commitment’s already been made for the long-promised SW Brandon sidewalk as an “anticipated initial (levy) project.” Where else does North Delridge most need sidewalks? SDOT has just announced a walk-and-talk event to give community members a chance to talk about it:
Want to see new safe places to walk in the Delridge neighborhood? Please join us for a neighborhood walk and share with us where you would like to see new walkways and/or sidewalks.
Date: Wednesday March 19th, 2025
Time: 5:00-6:30 pm
Location: Gather at Delridge Library (5423 Delridge Way SW) and then walk the neighborhood with us!Kids are welcome! Rain or shine.
Here’s the official flyer for the event.
(WSB photo from 2022 egg hunt at Delridge Community Center)
MONDAY: Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday, which means Easter (April 20) is about a month and a half away, so egg-hunt season is approaching too. Seattle Parks published its citywide list of community-center egg hunts today, and so far they’re planning one in West Seattle – (updated) 10 am Saturday, April 19, at Delridge Community Center (4501 Delridge Way SW). We’re watching for announcements of others at non-Parks venues and will add those to our calendar too, once we get word of them.
ADDED TUESDAY: Parks tells us they’ve added one more West Seattle hunt to the list – High Point Community Center, also on April 19. The start time for that one and Delridge will be 10 am.
(WSB photos)
Mr. B’s Mead Center (9444 Delridge Way SW) is open for business, as of 4 this afternoon, with even more decor added since we talked to its proprietors last week – Brandon and Krista Eller were busy right up until the doors opened (and beyond), getting ready. The Ellers and friends took a quick break for a ribboncutting organized by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce:
When we stopped by last week, one of the yet-to-come additions was a bookshelf – now it’s in:
The all-ages sibling to Mr. B’s Meadery in Fremont will be open until 11 tonight – and if you stop in to Mr. B’s Mead Center tonight after dark, you can see Brandon’s liquid-light show!
Two local nonprofits asked us to share the news that they’re putting up spaces for lease:
DESC’S DELRIDGE SPACE: When Cascadia Fresh Market closed last month, DESC wasn’t sure immediately what they’d do with the ground-floor commercial space at Cottage Grove Commons (5444 Delridge Way SW). Now they’ve put it up for lease, with these details:
Size: 2,423 sq. ft.
About the Space: Located on the ground floor of DESC’s Cottage Grove Commons in West Seattle, this versatile 2,423-square-foot commercial space offers an open layout with a main area, restroom, and utility room. Previously used as a small grocery store, the space is ideal for office, retail, or other commercial uses.
Permitted Uses: Office, retail, or general commercial activities. (Prohibited: liquor
stores, adult stores.)Utilities: Landlord covers water, gas, electricity, and sewer. Tenant is responsible for other utilities, including garbage, internet, and security services.
Contact for More Info: Brandon Lawton, DESC Capital Project Manager blawton@desc.org | 253-283-1932
WESTSIDE BABY: This White Center-headquartered nonprofit has some spare space too – here’s that announcement:
Are you or your organization looking for office space or do you know someone who is? WestSide Baby has administrative office space available to sublet at our White Center Hub (10002 14th Ave SW)! We hope to prioritize partners and organizations with aligned missions, but are open to talking to other businesses in our community, as well. Contact our Executive Director Allie Lindsay Johnson for more information and to schedule a tour: allie@westsidebaby.org
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Feaven Berhe knows everything won’t be perfect when she soft-opens her North Delridge coffee shop Hagosa’s House this Friday.
But she is excited to start getting the community feedback that will propel her toward that ideal.
“Learning as we go,” she smiles, as we chat in the space formerly known as Pearls, in the 4800 Delridge Way SW building owned for more than a decade and a half by her dad Solomon Tesfu (in the photo above with Feaven) and mom Genet Berhane. To transform it into Hagosa’s House, they’ve brightened the interior in a big way.
As we first reported last week, family is at the heart of Hagosa’s House, which Feaven named for her grandmother.
Her parents are Eritrean immigrants, and their influence will pervade the new café too. Unique features will include Eritrean-style coffee ceremonies, which include roasting the beans just before the coffee is prepared. It’s another way to bring people together, Feaven says, and a way to enjoy the coffee aroma even before it’s brewed. This art on the café’s north wall depicts a coffee ceremony:
Speaking of roasting, Boon Boona will be the coffee source for Hagosa’s House. Feaven says her intentionality guides as much of what she’s offering as possible – with local providers like Harried and Hungry in Georgetown for the sandwiches and salads they’ll offer, and Macrina for the pastries. Again, this is where she plans to start simple and “see what people like.”
And Feaven is excited to be launching this new phase of her life in West Seattle, where she grew up – she even went to elementary school at Sanislo, just up the hill. Her previous career focus was as a “data person” – now she gets to turn the focus on her own enterprise.
Future plans include offering beer and wine – a liquor license will be sought in a few months – and events, maybe poetry and music. “We’re hoping to be here for the community,” Feaven emphasizes. “I love people” – and she’s ready to open a place where they’ll gather to enjoy each other’s company – and “good coffee.”
Hagosa’s House will be open 7 am to 7 pm daily – to start with – at least until and unless the community’s response and feedback suggest otherwise. “Is perfection achievable?” Feaven muses. “We’ll get as close as we can!”
The fourth Wednesday of most months brings a gathering for HPAC, the community coalition for Highland Park, South Delridge, and Riverview – but not this month. HPAC leadership has announced they’re canceling the February meeting, but keep your calendar set for a meeting on March 26. No meeting doesn’t mean no activity, though; on the HPAC website, you can see the issues the group’s paying attention to right now.
P.S. If you missed last month’s meeting – which featured local beaver expert Pamela Adams revealing everything you didn’t know about beavers – here’s our coverage.
WSB photos by Dave Gershgorn
While many were out watching orcas this afternoon, another animal-viewing opportunity drew a crowd – The Reptile Lady‘s appearance at Ounces Beer Garden & Taproom in North Delridge.
April Jackson is The Reptile Lady, a calling in which she followed her dad, Scott Peterson aka The Reptile Man.
She brought a mini-zoo of reptiles to Ounces this afternoon, and her audience was enthralled:
From scales to shells, it was a chance to get up close and personal with the visitors, including Spongebob Scalepants, a Sulcata Tortoise:
Rocky the Cuban Rock Iguana was a crowd fave:
So was Mr. Pickles the Burmese Python:
This wasn’t the first exotic-animal visit to Ounces … they hosted a camel five years ago!
(Photos courtesy Jill Moore)
That’s a photo from Mom’s Micro Garden, a microgreens farm co-owned by Jill Moore of Cascadia Produce, who plans a “flash sale” of microgreens tomorrow at the Cascadia Fresh Market space she’s just finishing clearing out of. Jill explains:
I bought into Mom’s Micro Garden with another woman farmer. Microgreens are simply plants harvested at an early stage, just after they sprout their first true leaves. At that developmental stage, the plant has tons of rapidly dividing cells, an army of antioxidant guards, and is bursting with all the vitamins and minerals the full-size plant will ever have. We grow them vertically in a greenhouse on a food safety-certified farm in Sumner, WA. Our Mom’s Micros customers include Canlis, Climate Pledge Arena, and even the Seattle Public School District. Now, I’m working to make them more accessible to the public by partnering with other businesses for pre-order and pickup locations. This quick pilot at my market this weekend is a test of that model.
Micros can be spicy, savory, or sweet, adding fresh crunch and flavor to any food. My favorite is the cantaloupe green —an almost Willy Wonka-like experience where a single leaf releases a wash of cantaloupe juice. Kids love them, and they pack a whole salad’s worth of vitamins and minerals. Pea vines are also sweet and tasty, providing vitamins, protein, and calcium in just a few tender, pleasant-to-eat tendrils.
Microgreens have about a two-week shelf life, which is why they aren’t well-marketed in grocery stores — large businesses can’t turn them fast enough within the fresh window. It takes small, local agriculture to bring people access to this essential nutrition that can be eaten with anything. Micros literally meet you where you are, you can eat them by themselves or on anything. I put some on my McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish yesterday to make it a better-rounded lunch!
The flash sale is set for noon-2 pm Sunday (February 23) at 5444 Delridge Way SW.
(Sound Transit rendering of Delridge station site)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Erin Rubin, who owns Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) and its nonprofit sibling Mode Music & Performing Arts, is used to making music.
This month, she’s also spent a fair amount of time giving testimony.
As we’ve reported previously, Rubin’s business and nonprofit are in a building that’s in the path of Sound Transit‘s Delridge station. But she’s had two challenges getting in the way of moving Mode somewhere out of that path, so that she and her staff can continue teaching hundreds of local kids:
For one, the building – where she’s been a tenant for a decade – was left out of Sound Transit’s early-acquisition plans, meaning relocation help couldn’t be offered to the tenants, unlike some buildings nearby. ST is looking at changing that; Rubin spoke to the ST Board’s System Expansion Committee last week as it considered an “early acquisition” resolution to buy the building that holds Mode and The Skylark, as well as the building down the block that holds Ounces. (Read the resolution here.)
But even if that happens, another hurdle is the amount of relocation help that can be offered. The Legislature is considering a bill raising the limit, HB 1733. Rubin testified to a Legislature committee last week and shared her statement with us afterward:
We currently serve over 400 students providing private music lessons. In addition, we work with Seattle Public Schools and partnering organizations to provide pay-what-you-can music arts education enrichment and music lesson scholarships to eliminate financial barriers in our local community.
We are waiting to be displaced by the light rail for the West Seattle Link Extension and have been told up until now that our cap for rebuild and rent increase will be $50,000. With the estimates we’ve received so far, we’re looking at somewhere between 350 and $400,000 to re-create the space that we currently are occupying on Delridge in West Seattle.
It’s extremely important for us that a cap increase to $200,000 be voted through not only for us but for other small businesses in other link extensions and neighborhoods in Washington State that will be facing displacement for public transit. It is our reality that this number won’t meet all of our financial needs but gets us closer to what we require to build a space that can house our services.
The heart of our neighborhood communities lies in small business. It’s where our kids congregate after school. It’s where we buy birthday presents and dine on the weekends. In support of local art and education, we have a responsibility to make sure our businesses are able to financially see this next step through for our buildouts and rent increases so we don’t have to close our doors and that businesses down the line are also compensated for their moves in favor of public transit.
On Monday (February 24) at 10:30 am, HB 1733 will have a public hearing in the State House Transportation Committee. Rubin plans to go to Olympia to testify again in support of the bill. Later in the week, the “early acquisition” proposal goes to the full ST Board for its 1:30 pm Thursday (February 27) meeting; here’s the agenda, which also explains how to comment, either in person or remotely. The proposed purchase requires a two-thirds “supermajority” approval vote to pass. Rubin will be there; she says it’s vital to “keep showing up” – not just for her own business and its neighbors, but also to help ensure a precedent for the others in West Seattle that will need to move.
Meantime, the show must go on; until the timetable and relocation compensation are settled, Rubin can’t seek a new space in earnest, so she and the many local artists she employs as teachers at her two Modes are carrying on in the current studios, not just with lessons, classes, and school programs, but also planning for summer camps.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
A transformation from tool shop to “enchanted forest” (and more) is almost complete at 9444 Delridge Way SW.
That’s where Brandon Eller and Krista Eller – aka Mr. B and Mrs. B – will open Mr. B’s Mead Center one week from today, on Friday, February 28, an expansion of Mr. B’s Meadery in Fremont.
At Mr. B’s Mead Center, they are the new owners of the former Center Tool Rental site, re-envisioning it as not only an all-ages “safe community space” but also the production center for their mead; they’ve just moved production from SODO.
Not familiar with mead? Short description: “Honey wine.” But that doesn’t mean it’s “cloyingly sweet,” Krista says, cautioning prospective new customers against assumptions. Look at all the different descriptions on their “soft open” menu:
They’ve been selling most of their mead out of their other venue in Fremont, now in its fourth year, with a few wholesale customers. But unlike some brewpubs, the production facilities aren’t the visual centerpiece of this space.
Their woodsy, quirky decor is. Krista’s been doing much of the woodwork.
Some of it is repurposed, like this tree table you might recall from the shuttered Lodge in the West Seattle Junction.
The “enchanted forest” even features live trees. How did this all sprout in a former tool shop? Brandon explains that he grew up “in the south end,” and he and Krista live in this area. “I just kind of stumbled onto this place,” whose owner Doug was looking to sell and retire. He’s seen the transformation, they add, attending a friends-and-family test run a few nights ago.
He looked around, wide-eyed, they explain, and you likely will too. Even the restroom space has memorable decor – a hallmark of their other location, they explain:
And this won’t just be a place to drink (regular pours, by the way, are 5-6 ounces, and they’ll have a carbonated mead on tap too, with a honey soda also among the offerings). They’re planning events – a limited amount of live music, maybe Brandon’s own band Elephant Crows (“classic rock”). Live art too – Brandon mentions a “liquid light show.”
Wondering about food? Mostly just “snacks – things we can buy” to serve. Charcuterie, for example.
As with most new venues, the plan will keep evolving as they watch how the community responds (the decor won’t be static, either, they promise); starting hours will be 4-11 pm Thursdays and Fridays, 1-11 pm Saturdays, 1-8 pm Sundays. Next Friday’s grand-opening celebration will kick off with a 3:30 pm ribboncutting.
P.S. Scroll down the Mr. B’s Mead Center webpage for a huge helping of history about the site and far more details about their plans.
That sign announces what’s next for the former Pearls at Delridge/Edmunds – Hagosa’s House. We got a reader tip about this pre-sign and have been trying to reach the proprietor, without luck so far, so here’s what its website says about the plan:
Hagosa’s House is a family-owned neighborhood cafe offering coffee and small bites, designed to feel like home. Named after my grandmother, Hagosa, the cafe honors her legacy and celebrates Eritrean heritage. As a Black- and woman-owned business, we are rooted in the community, starting small, growing every day, and dedicated to creating a warm, welcoming space for all.
The website suggests Hagosa’s House will open by month’s end. We still hope to reach the proprietor
BACKSTORY: Last time we mentioned the site’s past identity as Pearls was in May of last year, when a handwritten sign on the door said Pearls was closed for remodeling.
(Added: Reader photo)
7:48 PM: Just happened onto this – police are blocking southbound Delridge at Thistle. Texter says it’s a crash, involving a Metro bus. The SFD dispatch was very short-lived, so apparently no serious injuries. Avoid the area for a while.
8:25 PM: Reopened. Checking with SFD re: injuries, if any.
As the day goes on, we’ll be looking ahead to some of what’s up this weekend (besides The Big Game). Just got this from Jill Moore, who had said she’d do pop-ups in the space where her trial run of Cascadia Fresh Market recently ended:
(May 2024 Cascadia Fresh Market photo substituted for original graphic)
I am hosting a Produce Pop up at Cascadia Fresh Market (5444 Delridge Way SW) on Sunday, Feb 9, from 12 pm – 7 pm.
I am bringing in a bunch of fresh food; a mix of national farm surplus, local farm bounty, and regular wholesale favorites. Avocados, potatoes, fruits, onions, leafy greens, brassicas, etc. I’d like to ask you to go light on fresh food shopping at the big retailers and instead stock up at the market this weekend! Support fresh food access!
(Jill is co-proprietor of Cascadia Produce, so she has a pretty good produce pipeline.)
After last week’s announcement that Cascadia Fresh Market had closed in the ground-floor commercial space of Cottage Grove Commons (5444 Delridge Way SW), we asked the building’s owner/manager, DESC, about whether they planned to open the space for lease. The market had been a pilot project in the space that otherwise would have been vacant after the Delridge Grocery Cooperative closed its store; DGC was an iteration of the nonprofit for which the space was intended from the start. Today, DESC spokesperson Jessica Schreindl had a reply for us: “Today I got word that ‘the commercial space will be available soon if anyone in the community has interest’.” We’ll watch for the listing; in the meantime, you can contact DESC at info@desc.org.
(WSB photo by Aspen Anderson)
On Sunday, we noted that The Home Depot in Delridge planned a 20th-anniversary celebration today, but didn’t have details of what you’d find if you stopped by. So we went over this morning and discovered you’re invited to enjoy free hot dogs and cupcakes. The party’s on until 2 pm at 7345 Delridge Way SW.
From the WSB inbox today:
My name is Lena C. with the West Seattle Home Depot; we wanted to invite our West Seattle Community to our birthday party tomorrow, January 27th from 10 am to 2 pm. We would like to thank our 20-year partnership with our surrounding communities, as without you all we still wouldn’t be here. So please, join us – 7345 Delridge Way SW. By the way, I opened this location as a longtime resident of West Seattle and look forward to almost retiring from this location. Come share your memories with us. Hope to see you there.
We’re waiting for word back on activities planned tomorrow.
P.S. If you’re a relative newcomer – the site previously held a Kmart.
(SDOT camera image)
While SDOT deals with the continuing unplanned closure of the low bridge, it has also announced a planned bridge closure – the newly seismically strengthened Delridge/Oregon pedestrian bridge will be closed Monday through Wednesday (January 27-29). Here’s the announcement we received:
The Delridge Pedestrian Bridge will be closed from 8:00 a.m. on Monday, January 27, to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 29.
As part of the finishing touches on the seismic retrofit, crews will be re-applying sealant to the carbon fiber at the top of the bridge surface to reduce future maintenance and increase safety for everyone. During this time, detours will be put in place for people walking, biking, and rolling, directing them to cross Delridge Way SW at SW Oregon St.
The bridge reopened a month ago; at that time, SDOT warned some short-term closures – like this – would be needed to completely finish the work.
(File photo courtesy Cascadia Fresh Market)
Eight months after opening in the former Delridge Grocery Co-op space on the ground floor of Cottage Grove Commons in North Delridge, Cascadia Fresh Market has closed. Proprietor Jill Moore from Cascadia Produce had always framed it as a trial run. We had asked her recently for an update – and here’s what she sent us today:
Cascadia Fresh Market on Delridge has closed. Established as a pilot in May 2024 to test whether a low-cost market could thrive in a food desert, we now have our answer… and it’s a resounding “kind of.”
The Fresh Market succeeded in many ways. It covered its bills and the cost of food plus a little extra. But in nine months, I couldn’t quite move it to true business profitability. While this was disappointing, it was also incredibly enlightening. Launching a market involves much more than just managing the cost of food. A market is about community engagement, and that was by far the most gratifying part of running one in my own neighborhood.
However, even with a predictable schedule and food available right in their community, people have established habits. Changing those takes time — more time than a single year. The low-cost market model is essential, but I’ve come to believe it’s best suited to food security nonprofits, which are equipped to operate with the support of volunteers, grants, and other resources.
At Cascadia Produce, our larger business, we specialize in providing low-cost food in pallet quantities, primarily to food security organizations. At the Fresh Market, the model was reversed — we sold small amounts of a lot of different things. This required us to rethink sourcing and learn the logistics of smaller, right-sized deliveries, all while minimizing fresh food waste on slower market days.
We became passionate about moving case quantities of food more efficiently, which led us to utilize tools like the Too Good To Go app and partner with local hunger relief organizations for regular gleaning. I’m proud of how little went to compost during our time at the market. Fresh fruit and vegetables really can be lower cost than processed food when we layer distribution methods at a scale of economy.
I’m also proud of how welcoming the Fresh Market was — its bright, simple charm seemed to immediately relax people from all walks. It was so fun to discuss food systems and the curious ways food and people fall through the cracks. I met so many good dogs. If the space had included easier parking and more visible signage, this letter might have been very different.
So much went well. If you ever have the chance to run a project where you can engage in long, meaningful conversations with neighbors, take it. I loved the talks, tending the vegetables, and sourcing exciting new foods.
I firmly believe a nonprofit could build on the Fresh Market model and succeed with the support of volunteers and grant-funded employees. With food security funding set to decrease in Washington by June 2025, I’m happy to open-source the Fresh Market playbook. Cascadia Produce would gladly step back into the role of supplier for any organization willing to iterate on the model. Anyone who would like to discuss this should contact me at jill@cascadiaveg.com.
I owe a huge thank-you to our partners like the West Seattle Food Bank and the DESC building, which owns the Fresh Market space. Local elementary school PTAs, West Seattle Junction FC, various local community organizations, and my wonderful neighbors all offered incredible support.
As for what’s next: I’ve begun conversations about new ways to bring food to North Delridge. It’s too early to share specifics, but there are exciting possibilities. Cascadia Produce works alongside true innovators in food access, and we’re not pausing. We have a huge warehouse of food and we will find a way to connect it to our own neighborhood in some fashion. One thing I can share: this spring, Carrot Man’s Carrot Stand (our free-food stand) will return to 25th Ave SW!
In the meantime, I’ll be hosting a Produce-Only Pop-Up at the Fresh Market space on February 9th, from 12–7 PM, with the possibility of another later in the month. We still accept SNAP/EBT and Fresh Bucks along with cash and card payments. Follow Cascadia Produce or Cascadia Fresh Market for updates. We love you, Delridge.
We’ll follow up with DESC regarding long-term plans for the space. It was included in the Cottage Grove Commons project at community behest more than a decade ago.
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