the foundation

Morning setups at Pike Place can take many forms. Our game is to be done and ready to go by 8am (new ice, rotation of product, new signs, etc...). We could just show up and go through the motions hoping that happens, but we don't. We huddle every day and discuss our intention; our commitment to the day as a foundation. It's an opportunity to get present with yourself and get present with your team. If something is on my mind keeping me from being with the day, I'll tell everyone (or get over it!). It may look the same and my actions may be the same, but I've never done it before this way today. This foundation doesn't just happen, it takes intention and it takes everyone being part of that "setup by 8" game.

Today was one of those unique days in that it wasn't the same crew standing around at 6:29 awaiting a huddle. It wasn't the coffee cup on the counter with talk of the Seahawks latest move, or a smoke on the sidewalk to exhale before work. Today had 20some high school students with shovels in their hands telling us about their Business club in St. Michael's Minnesota.

A couple things happen on days like this. I'm standing in Starbucks across the street with my coffee telling the barista about the crowd that has suddenly formed around my work. I really wanted a normal morning, I really wanted to shoot the shit about what I saw on Sportscenter, and I really am not pumped about all the cameras and onlookers awaiting the "show" at Pike Place Fish. Key to getting over this is knowing I have a choice. I need to get whether I'm going to stay in hiding mode and pretend I don't notice this massive group of kids who have read our books, watched our video and are here for an experience. I can be ordinary.

I can also embrace the fact that I just got 20 extra pairs of hands to help me get my shop setup by 8. The game isn't changed, it just has new players.
These kids don't have expectations, they don't want something specific from me, they're simply here. So as soon as that grumbling in my head begins and says to be ordinary, wanting a "normal" day and disengaged from what's present.......I snap out of it and enjoy an opportunity for a different foundation to my day. I walk out of Starbucks into the rain (ahhh, a cleanse from my negativity! ha!) and begin to find out why these kids and teachers are here and maybe what we can do to start our days with a new experience.

flexing mussels of the Northwest

The town of Coupeville on Whidbey Island is an hour and a half away from our humble market. You can take a 20 minute ferry ride from Mukilteo, just north of Everett. Or you can head even farther and cross the breathtakingly high bridge over Deception Pass onto this quiet, and scenic Puget Sound island filled with mom and pop stores, road side stands, farms and on this particular weekend: mussel festivals.

Mussels are available year round and the folks at Penn Cove Shellfish deliver their bounty every single day. Since 1975, this operation has been sustainably farming and harvesting shellfish and amazingly delivering the goods within 24 hours to dinner plates worldwide. You can eat in Singapore and see "Penn Cove Mussels" on the menu!

With the temperatures in Seattle hitting near 65 and the sun shining, Saturday at Mussel Festival was more like a Grateful Dead show than a gathering in Coupeville. The boat tours were sold out, the mussel eating competition you couldn't get a seat or a view, and all the chowders in town were empty by early afternoon. Pictures from the event graced the front page of the Times and the shopkeepers and restauranteurs in Coupeville definitely had good nights of sleep on saturday night.

Sunday however, the overcast skies of March returned and Coupeville was back in it's element. Dogs sat outside tied to the trees as folks with spoons, cups and punch cards for the chowder tastings and "mussel hustle" took over Coupeville for a second day.
"I'm so glad we came today and not yesterday, I heard it was mobbed," said one sunday attendee. The defending champion chowder at the restaurant Oystercatcher was all smiles with the sunday crowds. "We added a little more ruttabega and carrots this year to up the veggie taste." said the owner. People who paid a couple dollars were given a punch card that allowed them to taste up to six different mussel chowders throughout the town. At the end, punch cards were turned and compiled to crown a new mussel chowder champion for 2010.

Toby's tavern had a line out the door,dalmation seals layed out on the mussel flats, Flyers brewery had the suds a flowin', and yes, Scott came up short for year number two in the mussel eating competition.
"Although it was nice to see a fellow Pike Place friend, he looked a little nervous and that's not how you win an eating competition," said Place Pigalle owner Seth. Pigalle keeps mussels as a big presence on their menu and really seemed to be enjoying seeing the other side of their food.

We've only just begun....

December 13th brought a few things for Pike Place Fish Market. Doug Strauss, a longtime fishmonger, school teacher, basketball coach, and now foundation administrator was throwin' crab and shoveling ice as if he'd never missed a beat. Holiday shoppers milled about in the snow as Faith the two-legged dog and her family showed up! The weather and the atmosphere was one thing to remind us but so is that ominous stack of shipping orders watching over our display awaiting their trip through the maze of UPS to the doorsteps of thousands.

The holidays here bring a large amount of shipping orders, which means pallets of boxes, mountains of tape and cardboard, and but a small army of committed and intentional fishmongers at 86 Pike Place.
"The foundation keeps me so busy, but it's a lot of head work and a lot of sitting in front of a computer...so when I got the call from Sammy, I said 'I'll be there,'" said Doug. "I want to work and shovel and move!" And not only did he not miss a beat with the mechanics of fish and crab aerodynamics, but Doug always brings some inspiration to the crew with who he chooses to be for others in life and when at the shop. "Pumped to be back at the PPFM for a few days!"

The UPS trucks will be at our mercy starting today so look out. We have fresh crab and both wild and farm raised King Salmon, times are good! Ship it early folks, as much as we love UPS, we don't want people sitting at their dinner table waiting for that beloved, brown truck.

Alan Gordon of the LA Galaxy

American soccer stars throw a fish during MLS Cup 2009

From our first exposure to maybe our biggest yet

Back in the early 90s, the Goodwill Games came to Seattle. The Goodwill Games, over the course of its 16 year existence, helped launch careers of a couple thousand athletes from over probably 100 countries. It was a brainchild of Ted Turner as a way to ease Cold War tensions and did a lot of good in the world. Serving also as one of the launching off points of the "world fame" of Pike Place Fish, the Goodwill Games helped bring a whole heckuva lot of attention to a group of well-intentioned authentic fishmongers. Any Fishguy or BizFutures presentation you hear from us these days includes the story of our bi-weekly dinner meeting back in the late 80's where we said "let's be world famous fishmongers" and we all laughed.......only to have Goodwill Games cameras in our faces throwing fish and then every following day having strangers show up asking "where do they throw fish?"

Well it's now almost 20 years after such exposure and not only are we on film for a sport, but Friday November 20th put us on a stage with the world's game of "futbol" or in the US: Major League Soccer. Playing host to the MLS Cup between Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy, Seattle began opening it's arms this week when soccer games burst out in the street from guerilla marketers and people NOT wearing cleats on the street felt to be in the minority.

With all due respect to the Goodwill Games, this is not a gathering of people playing games to "ease tensions" or to "spark discussion", this is the most popular sport played on the planet. ESPN and US Soccer Legend John Harkes will broadcast what they shot today to approximately 122 countries. The MLS is a league that plays host for players from all corners of the globe. These players play for American cities, European clubs, African nations, and from Universities all over. Basically, we have cameras here every day but Friday there were about 30 cameras that were legit media outlets filming us throwing fish to soccer stars. Funny stuff. We usually have people catch a fish, wash their hands and maybe get a picture. Today, we had custom made aprons from the MLS, we had about 3 cameras behind the counter and 25 out front all filming for TV and we had two pro players Chris Seitz and Alan Gordon essentially trying to "score" a salmon past the other as a sea of people clogged up the entire corner of 1st and Pike yelling about the match on Sunday. There were industry-types and marketing specialists sweating as these dead animals hurdled through the air and flashes lit up everyone's face like we were shooting a feature film. "First class you guys, thank you!" said the marketing team from MLS. I think they expected a bunch of surly and bitter dudes who would resist crowds but they got the fishguys from Pike Place!

The history of soccer and it's place in America always seems to get a bum-rap but since it's arrival in Seattle there has been nothing but uproarious welcome and enthusiasm. The Seattle Sounders made the playoffs as a first-year expansion squad and sold out every single match setting a new MLS record for attendance at over 30,000 seats per game (most MLS clubs only get about 11,000 per game). I write this on Friday and usually do these updates when inspiration visits. The match isn't until Sunday so watch out for more and know your chances of avoiding the fishguys in the media is getting more and more slim. Soccer is getting exciting and that we could be part of all this before the Cup is pretty exciting. Keep here and on facebook for a video of all the happenings from the weekend.

Auctioning ourselves off like pieces of.......Fish!

On Saturday, October 10th, veteran fishmongers Ryan "Yoko" Yokoyama and Chris "Cheddar" Bell stood proud for us fishmongers at Pike Place and helped raise some excitement for the local Seattle non-profit People for the Puget Sound and their annual Harbor Lights Auction. Amassing over 575 guests at the Fremont Studio here in Seattle, the auction had both live and silent items up for bid, including ours which was a dinner for 10 people to be cooked at a place of their choice. Yoko and Cheddar ran throughout the crowd in those goofy orange pants throwing those tasty salmon all over that auction making us a tough act to follow. "I wanted Governor Gregoire to catch one, but instead I chucked it right over her head!" said Cheddar.

"I think it's great to get out and support people like PFPS because what they do is support what we do to keep the waters around here healthy. We don't have a business without the advocacy that they provide," said Yoko. "It's our livelyhood really."

Cheddar added "yeah, it's a little odd sometimes to run around while people are eating and throw fish so close to them but hey, it breaks up the reality a bit and everyone gets to have fun. 's really not that different than what we do at the market. Kinda nice to take it somewhere else and be so well received."

The Harbor Lights Auction and the "Party for Puget Sound" raised more than $236,000!
People for Puget Sound is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, working since 1991 to restore and protect the Sound and Northwest Straits. The Puget Sound Business Travel Association is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is the collective voice of business travel mangament in Western Washington.