entrepreneur — Episodes — All Ways West Seattle

How We See Ourselves

Get to know Wes Olsen, a longtime West Seattle-ite who’s discovered a new way of viewing and valuing his community through his passion for street photography.

One of the things I love about street photography is the way that people are captured in very candid moments, not posing for pictures or framing themselves in a particular way. In the age of the selfie, it’s definitely a refreshing take. And sometimes the results can be pretty surprising, including to the subjects of the photos themselves, because street photography creates opportunities for people to see themselves in a very different light.

It’s a thought I took with me to the Junction recently, when I asked people I met on the street if they thought other people ever saw them differently than they see themselves. Hear the revealing things people of the Junction had to say.

How we see ourselves as individuals and as a community is something I find myself thinking about whenever I’m scrolling through the latest photos from Wes Olsen, a local budding talent who recently returned to sharing his work on Instagram under the handle westseattlestreets. We talked recently about what led him down this path, and how he’s capturing our everyday history through his camera lens.

Stay up to date with the street photography of Wes Olsen on Instagram through his handle @westseattlestreets, and check out more of his work at www.wesolsenphotography.com

Get in touch with All Ways West Seattle via our social channels including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, all under the handle @allwayspodcast

Matthew Lee Johnston: The Mind Behind PMA Magazine

Ever since this podcast began, I’ve been talking to people in West Seattle about the various pandemic-related pivots they’ve made in their personal and professional lives. In this episode, I get to know more about a member of our community who made a big bold move well before the whole world changed, motivated by his own internal thinking, his desire to try something different, and the drive to connect people in a positive way.

His name is Matt Johnston, and what he created back in 2018 to deliver on these ideals is called PMA Magazine. It’s focused on people doing good things for their community or the world, and finding out how they make it possible. We caught up with Matt to learn more about the magazine, the movement, and the man behind it.

PMA Magazine issue number six was recently released, you can find it at Easy Street Records or online at gethatpma.com.

Get in touch via our social channels including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, all under the handle @allwayspodcast

Jet City Laboratory Takes Off

As we begin to emerge from our protective pandemic bubbles, opportunities for in-person community connection of all kinds are starting to appear. One such happening is brand new: it’s called Jet City Labratory, a cultural incubator and collaborative space taking shape in the former 8 Limbs Yoga studio that sits just above the heart of the Alaska Junction. While the business is brand new, the enterprising mind behind it is someone you’ve probably seen or heard around the neighborhood plenty of times: it’s local DJ Derek Moon, who we caught up with to learn more about his latest creative endeavor, along with updates on his work promoting Seattle DJs and musicians through Worldwide FM, and the Soul Focus podcast that sprang from his popular nights spinning tunes at Supreme pizza bar.

Get in touch via our social channels including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, all under the handle @allwayspodcast

Open Wide!

This episode is a real mouthful!

First we hear from local dental hygienist Lynn Imel about navigating her job at Kae Dental through the pandemic. Find out what it's been like working at COVID ground zero, and if West Seattle could qualify as a certified "fresh breath zone."

We’ll also learn more about the new local baking operation known as Patch Pocket Productions, owned and operated by pandemic-inspired entrepreneur Wendy Scherer. Hear the origin story of her thriving new business, recently recognized in The Seattle Times as one of the top new pop-ups in town. Find out what makes her enormous English Muffins so special, and how to get in on her latest and greatest home-delivered baked goods!

Get in touch via our social channels including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, all under the handle @allwayspodcast

Best Books: Spring Edition

In this Spring edition of our seasonal West Seattle book report, we hear from people in the Junction about their latest and greatest reads, from classic science fiction to modern-day politicians. If you've got a book you want the world to know about (starting with West Seattle), share it on our social channels including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, all under the handle @allwayspodcast

Next we check in with Eric Ogriseck from Pegasus Book Exchange to discuss his three picks:

The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Massod

Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine by Rosalee de la Forêt and Emily Han

Rosewater: The Wormwood Trilogy #1 by Tade Thompson

Eric also discusses local foraging and his own homemade health products made from locally-sourced natural ingredients.

Getting Over It

Now that we’ve passed a full year without the West Seattle Bridge, how are people dealing with the loss of our primary connector to the rest of the city? We find out if anyone’s been able to find a bright side to the bridge closure. And as local parents prepare to send their kids back to school, we check in with Kisha Vaughan for her Hot Dish on the homeschooling experiment, and her own new ventures in bringing connection to the digital realm.

Back in Action

That spring feeling hits the Junction with the post-pandemic resurrection of neighborhood mainstay, the Poggie Tavern. We find out what’s in store for this legendary watering hole from one of the new owners, Joel Stedman. Plus, the West Seattle Farmer’s Market expands its offerings to welcome back old favorites and new vendors.

Keith BaconMarch 24, 2021west seattle, community, alaska junction, podcast, local history, west seattle life, entrepreneur

Fish Tales

Food & Wine Magazine recently decreed that the best sandwich in the state of Washington is made right here in West Seattle, at neighborhood mainstay Seattle Fish Company. Go for a deep dive into the story behind this famous fish sandwich and more with Seattle Fish Company owner Jon Daniels. Plus, the Jeanette Williams Memorial Time Machine goes back to another great moment in West Seattle seafood history: the opening of Alki Spud Fish & Chips.

Voices of Experience

The podcast hits its one-year anniversary with a look back at how far we’ve come and gratitude for all the support that got us this far. We talk with Paul Casey about his KKNW radio show, Voices of Experience, and what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur, then replay the interview segment on his show that first introduced us.