Small Businesses Build Community Legacies

Before Ballard became one of the hippest neighborhoods in Seattle, not to mention an epicenter of the gastro-culinary scene, and certainly way before Sip and Ship arrived on NW Market Street, our little shop was a popular destination known as Johanson’s Photography Studio. Do any of you remember? This little retail shop was born in the 1930s and is still relevant today. Johanson’s Studio was owned and operated by an assemblage of fathers and sons for three generations. In the 1950s a young apprentice did a lot of the heavy lifting, which included; changing out the hot flashlight bulbs as soon as they popped, maneuvering large window-sized-glass-photo-plates, and removing them from the camera and into the sunlight with great anticipation for what the mammoth sized negatives would reveal to the photographer.

As fate would have it, this once 14-year-old apprentice would venture into Sip and Ship 75 years later, to get a document notarized. He would generously share stories of his youth, before iPhones came along, when making one family portrait required Kodak film and a time-and-labor intensive process that could take hours to get one shot. One year, he was asked to run their photo booth at the Seattle World's Fair in 1962. He fondly remembered when Elvis Presley came to visit the fairgrounds and climbed up to the roof of his photo shack just so he could catch a glimpse of The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll himself among a crowd of fans.

The black and white images you see are of Johanson's Photography studio during the 30's, 40's and 50's (check out the rad cars going by) all iterations of our neighborhood hub. One fun fact that you may have already experienced is that Ballard Sip and Ship 's front door is the original Dutch door in these pictures. It has not only graced this building for decades, but we think it's charming because it squeaks, alerting our team to offer you a smile as you enter.

In other news, come check out our seasonal delights in our coffee shop with the likes of Gluten-free lemon cookies, Matcha/Green Tea ice-cream, Hand-Pies and Affogato, and Lavender Lemonade.

Come enjoy colors of spring in our gift boutique with gift ideas for Dads and Grads including Frida market totes, key chains and pillows, Rifle Papergoods cards and journals and PNW stickers to adorn any college-or-office-bound laptop.

As always, we look forward to seeing you - but make it on Tuesday - we are closed on Memorial Day.