QuallyQue Inside the minds at QuallyQue

Athena Fredricks is committed to motivating an important community inside our neighborhoods – the moms. Stroller Strides gives these busy women a chance to get in a workout and spend some social time with adults without having to find childcare, but these children are far from neglected. Many of the exercises involve singing songs to [...]

The pair behind Paron’s closet put a new twist on a “mom and pop” store – Kimberly Homes and Bev Ward are niece and aunt. Even the store’s name pays tribute to a branch of the family tree that goes back for generations, most recently held by Kimberly’s daughter, Paron. November 2010 marked the store’s [...]

One of my first questions for Nathan Marion, Director of the Fremont Abbey was: What do they do? “We’re always continually figuring out better ways to say that,” he laughed, “because it’s definitely one of those unusual spaces where you kind of have to be here and interact with an event or class or experience [...]

A neighborhood is nothing without it’s neighbors – meet the next “man on the street” that QuallyQue found roaming your ‘hood.

Jamie from Capitol Hill
How would you describe Capitol Hill in one word: “Diversity”
Favorite place to hang out: Cha Cha Lounge and Pony.
Do you agree with Jamie? Disagree? Leave your thoughts in the comments below and [...]

Victoria Roberts opened Zovo Lingerie in University Village over five years ago. “I do all my shopping in boutiques as opposed to department stores because I feel overwhelmed in big stores – and mostly privately-owned small boutiques, not chain stores. When I went to go bra shopping before I opened the store, I was frustrated [...]

You may not think that the terms “environmentally friendly” and “oil change“ go together, unless you’ve met Alex Kagarlitsky. He and his team moved into their formerly moss-and-paint-covered home on 45th Street and Corliss Ave about five months ago and as they put it, “We’ve been cleaning the whole time.” The small staff, who had [...]

Neighborhoods are made up of more than just businesses, so QuallyQue hit the road to get to know the average (or not so average, for that matter) people on the streets in your community.

Greggo from Georgetown
Favorite place to hang out: Jules Mae and the Nine Pound Hammer.
Best thing to drink in Georgetown: a [...]

There may not be a “B” in the title, but peanut butter and jelly play an interesting role in the story behind this Magnolia business. It begins with local proprietress Patti Howell as a “dawg” herself, graduating from the University of Washington. She then honed her business skills at a few larger Seattle companies, including [...]

Greenlake Bar & Grill has held down the fort at NE 72nd Street and Greenlake Drive for almost ten years, with a big anniversary approaching this October. The brothers behind the bar are John and James Schmidt, who grew this original idea into a string of five Neighborhood Grills throughout the Seattle area. But fear [...]

The Ballard Loft isn’t one of those bars that you could pick up and reproduce in any location. In fact, co-owner and General Manager Dan Murphy told us, “It was built on a concept around the needs of the neighborhood.” He and his business partner decided to create a casual, neighborhood sports bar with quality [...]

It’s almost impossible to walk out of Casita International empty handed. The 10-year-old Capitol Hill staple, nestled between the Red Balloon Company and the Costal Kitchen, is covered from ceiling to floor with eclectic handmade artwork, clothing and jewelry from around the world.

“We know who we are – we’re a college bar. We’re not trying to be an ultra lounge, or anything that we’re not.”

While they may be standing on their heads or swinging through the sky, the heart of Georgetown’s School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts (SANCA) remains firmly in the right place. Balanced carefully on the shoulders of co-founders Jo Anderson and Chuck Johnson, their troupe has grown over the past five years from five students to [...]

Terri Sullivan has been the woman behind Queen Anne’s El Diablo coffee shop for over a decade and has developed strong ties to her community in the process.

Avalon Glassworks is one of those places you may have driven by hundreds of times and thought, “I should really stop in there someday…” and you know what? You’re right.

Husband and wife team Jon and Shannon Felix have been the faces behind this independent glassblowing studio and shop for the past seven of its seventeen years, after buying it from a previous husband and wife team in 2003. The walls are lined with multi-colored vases, bowls, ornaments, sculptures, fishing floats and pretty much anything that you could envision made of glass, all made in house. Four to five professional glass blowers complete the delicate process, but the creative design behind the product comes from the woman in charge.

You don’t need to buy a ticket to the Tony Awards or fight for parking downtown to find high quality theater – we’ve got a great option right here in “downtown West Seattle,” the Alaska junction. Arts West gives our community easy, affordable access to challenging and entertaining performances along with community outreach particularly targeted at [...]

We caught up with Charlie at West 5 for a few drinks, some light banter, and maybe work an interview in. He filled us in on some upcoming shows, a little behind-the-music stuff, and… well, just watch the video – it’s all in there.

Charlie Beck Interview from QuallyQue on Vimeo.

You can see the Memphis Radio [...]

Spend ten minutes with Thomas Starks and you can’t help but be affected by his contagious energy. An artist with long-standing Northwest roots and strong community connections—on top of a brilliant but rare combination of soulful songwriting and performance talent—Thomas is the charismatic frequent headliner of popular venues all over the Greater Seattle area. With [...]

Nature Consortium in 140 characters or less:
“A grassroots, community-based organization whose mission is to connect people, arts and nature.”

Capers in 140 Characters or less: “Decorating, entertaining and gift ideas tailored towards people in Northwest, urban homes.”

Family Promise in 140 Characters or maybe a few more:
“We help newly homeless children & their families by getting them off the streets and into a stable, supportive environment that moves them toward self-sufficiency.”

Easy Street Records in 140 characters or less: “Seattle’s record store, the original, the best.”

Angelina’s in 140 characters words or less:
“Big food, big family, big fun!”