insiderseattle
Weekend-long Grand Opening Celebration begins on Friday, November 2 at 10 a.m.
SEATTLE (October 30, 2018) – Made In Washington is pleased to announce the company has reinvented its original store in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market to become even more food-centric, by adding dozens of Washington-made, artisan food and beverage lines and giving the iconic store its first significant remodel since opening in 1984.
As part of this, the flagship Made In Washington store will also be the first to carry fresh-case smoked salmon direct from the SeaBear Smokehouse and offer the beloved seafood company’s signature Smokehouse Tasting Flight, a bountiful smoked salmon tasting experience that aims to educate Seattle visitors, recent transplants and locals about Pacific Northwest seafood.
“The goal was to make it a place where locals and visitors alike can discover, sample and purchase an expansive and ever-growing collection of our region’s most interesting artisan foods, chocolates and beverages,” said Mike Mondello, President, Made In Washington.
A weekend-long Grand Opening to the public will begin on Friday, November 2 at 10 a.m. at the Made In Washington store at 1530 Post Alley. SeaBear will give away FREE Smokehouse Tasting Flights all weekend and the store will sample many other Washington-made foods and beverages.
“Made In Washington will celebrate its 35th Anniversary in 2019, so there was no better way to mark this important milestone than to focus on our roots: Pike Place Market, where it all began,” said Mike Mondello, President of Made In Washington. “Seattle is known around the world as a foodie town and the Market is the epicenter of that. More than simply refreshing the space, our reinvention is a celebration of Washington food.”
The anchor of this change is a large section dedicated to SeaBear Wild Salmon, a local seafood company that has been crafting some of the best Pacific Northwest smoked salmon and other seafood for more than 60 years. This includes a deli-case offering its many fresh seafood items – direct from the smokehouse – for the first time. A SeaBear timeline complete with video showcases the brand’s history and impact, while a black and white backdrop, yellow rain slickers and giant, frozen King Salmon, make for very Instagram-worthy and sharable pics.
SeaBear products have been a staple in all Made In Washington stores due to its Gold Seal Pouch, which preserves salmon and makes it shelf stable, allowing tourists and locals to send a “little taste of Seattle” to loved ones all over the country. Now, customers will not only be able to ship product, but will have an opportunity to learn about Northwest seafood with SeaBear’s signature Smokehouse Tasting Flight. Similar to a wine flight, this seafood flight is meant to educate visitors and recent transplants on Pacific Northwest smoked salmon versus what many might perceive as smoked salmon (lox).
For a $5 sampling fee, patrons will receive five different tastes of SeaBear product: Lox (what most of think of as smoked salmon), Traditional Northwest smoked salmon (what it is, here in the Northwest), Smoked Halibut Mousse, a Smoked Scallop, and the The Smokehouse Slider (SeaBear PNW smoked salmon, AJ’s Walla Walla Sweet Onion Mustard, Mama Lil’s Pickled Hungarian Goathorn Peppers on an Essential Baking bun). The $5 tasting fee can be applied to the purchase of any SeaBear products.
“For the past year, Made In Washington has seen its artisan foods, chocolates and beverages be the driver of growth,” said Bill Gates, Vice President – Retail, Made In Washington. “In addition to the expansion of SeaBear items, we continue to add many other new Washington artisan foods, chocolate, coffee and wines each month. Some of our very favorite recent additions include Recipe33’s flavored almonds, Mitch’s Wing Sauce, and Girl Meets Dirt Shrubs.
“Much of the inspiration of what we are bringing to life at Pike Place Market comes from our reinvention last year of the SeaBear Smokehouse Store in Anacortes,” said Mondello. “With the changes brought to life there, that store is +25% in revenue growth. That – at a minimum – is our expectation for the reinvented Pike Place Market store.”
About Made In Washington:
Made In Washington, founded in 1984 by locals Gillian and Jack Matthews, has four retail locations in the Greater Seattle area. In addition to the original Pike Place Market store, they are located at Westlake Center, Alderwood Mall, Bellevue Square and one licensed store at the airport, managed by the Hudson Group, as well as the online store at MadeInWashington.com. The brand is known as the go-to source for locals, visitors and businesses alike for locally inspired, locally made gifts that share one’s pride in our region.
About SeaBear Wild Salmon:
SeaBear has been operating continuously in Anacortes since being founded under the name “Specialty Seafoods” in 1957 by Pacific Northwest fisherman Tom Savidge and his wife Marie. Tom Savidge invented the process for preserving salmon naturally – now known as the Gold Seal Pouch. This allows the salmon to be stored with no refrigeration and is a mainstay of the SeaBear line. Today, SeaBear sells direct to consumers in all 50 states through its website SeaBear.com, and in high-end grocery and foodservice.
