SugarPill: Full Apothecary in Capital Hill

Ashley Metcalf

Proprietor Karyn Schwartz crafts magic for her customers with the use of Apothecary, Culinary and Mercantile ingredients.

To the common eye, SugarPill may appear to be yet another retail shop offering souvenirs to bypassing tourists. But taking a closer look, SugarPill offers a unique and eclectic mercantile rare to Seattle, as well as free consultations.

Owner Karyn Schwartz started her company last February providing herbal supplies, natural remedies, and culinary spices. Her products appeal to a variety of people, and establishing a retail base to offer her services is something Karyn has sought for quite some time. The apothecary section features bulk herbs, the culinary area offers seasoning blends, salts and spices, and the mercantile category includes natural body and skin care products, paper goods and nutritional supplements. "What is very popular are my culinary options such as salts, honeys, preserves, chocolates, teas-all being from local vendors," explains Karyn.

With a varied background in social work, massage therapy and being a chef, Karyn is passionate about helping her community. Opening SugarPill has offered her a nice outlet to serve her family, friends and the public. "This has been such an amazing opportunity to reach a lot of people and be available to my neighborhood, as the best work I do is teaching people."

Karyn is thankful to give to back, since her business start-up was in a large part possible because of community support. Karyn had immense assistance from friends, clients, colleagues and her amazing partner that believed in her success. In 2010, Karyn sent a proposal to her community, in what she calls a CSA Investment- Community Supported Apothecary, based on the older model Community Supported Agriculture. Karyn sent a letter out to her community explaining her business model and services, and asking for support. Within a few weeks Karyn received over 100 responses with offers of capital and confidence. In a matter of weeks Karyn gained half of the capital she needed to open her retail shop, the other half was obtained through a loan by Community Capital Development with the assistance of the Washington Women’s Business Center.

In the future, Karyn wants to make her business more sustainable, and help more people throughout her community. She feels lucky she is in a position to help already, and hopes her business grows and reaches more people throughout the Seattle Area. Stop by SugarPill today to get a knowledgeable consultation, herbal remedies, and goodies along the way.

SugarPill 900 E. Pine St. Seattle, WA 98122 • T 206.322.7455

ReUsies: Little Baggies That Make a Big Difference

Ashley Metcalf

The Seattle based company, ReUsies, has been in operation since 2008, offering customers a nice alternative to the traditional sandwich/snack bags. ReUsies owners Karen Whorton and Becky Harper realized their families went through a multitude of plastic bags every day, and were interested in finding a substitute. After they tested their reusable baggies at their children's school, they knew they had a brilliant idea on their hands, and sales catapulted once they launched their business.

"Reusable water bottles, boxes and Tupperware are too cumbersome for my kids," explains Karen, as she details the beginning of her business venture. She was fascinated with not only conserving the many daily lunch bags used by her family, but also leaving a smaller footprint for future generations. They offers re-usable, 100% cotton bags lined with leak-resistant nylon and secured with Velcro closures in numerous is sizes and designs; appealing to a wide, diverse customer base.

"We are proud that over 12 million plastic baggies have not been used, thanks to our product. This is such a personal accomplishment," Karen details. Remarkably, ReUsies is making a slow and steady impact and, with the help of Groupon, growth intensified even more last year. This online resource was huge exposure to clientele who otherwise would not find their product, and they hope to utilize Groupon’s services later again next year.

ReUsies is still expanding, and Karen enjoys working along her partner for many reasons, the main being their complementary strengths. "We prefer to handle different parts of the business and pride ourselves on our responsiveness to our customers, since we deal directly with them." Their long term goal is to continue expanding and one day have the opportunity to hire additional employees or an intern.

ReUsies is undoubtedly doing their part to spread awareness about environmental issues, and you can follow their developments at reusies.com/blog and their twitter page at #ReUsies. To see their lists of products, or to read more about the company, please visit their website at www.reusies.com.

Seattle Salads: A Fresh and Fast Alternative

Ashley Metcalf

Seattleite Desirae Rabe Shakes Up a Creative Concoction at the Queen Anne Farmer's Market

(Seattle, WA-August 13, 2011)- Desirae Rabe, the creator of Seattle Salads, values a healthy lunch alternative and recently began producing a delicious and savory meal for her neighbors at the Queen Anne Farmer's Market. Seattle Salads serves as a healthy and quick substitute to the monotonous lunch hour in Seattle, where many opt for cheese drenched pizza, burgers, or teriyaki and white rice.

"I am not scared to break the rules on salads," says Desirae, as she describes her unique Bacon Jalapeno Madness Salad; made with organic mixed greens, corn, black beans, green peppers, red onion, Blue Cheese Dressing, and Tim's Cascade Jalapeno Chips instead of croutons.

Seattle Salads has been serving the Seattle area since June 2011, selling pre-packaged salads and homemade, all natural salad dressings. "There are not many options for inexpensive, quick, healthy on-the-go meals in Seattle," says Desirae, explaining the dilemma many people face when they want a salad, but do not want to spend a fortune at specialty stores. Her largest competitors are Whole Foods and PCC, but Desirae sets herself apart by creating unique, all natural dressings, that, as she states, "are almost impossible to beat."

Lime-Peanut, Strawberry Mint, Dried Apricot, Champagne Pear, and her homemade Blue Cheese are a few of her salad dressings - the most popular being the Lime Peanut. I tasted this popular salad and its unique, Thai infused flavors of lime and peanuts complemented the sweet raisins and hearty beans - it was flawless.

Desirae's largest problem was at first figuring out which way to grow first, and explains how the Farmer's Market has taught her how to efficiently run a business on a small scale. Her plans for the future are to tap into the business lunch catering market, and expand outside of Seattle. She also looks to target local gyms and universities. Her customer service background has acted as a catalyst to her business, and she hopes to open her first shop within the next year.

You can visit Seattle Salads every Thursday at the Queen Anne Farmer's Market, from 3-7:30, through October 6th, 2011. For the most updated information including the new salad of the week, check out her Facebook Page and visit her website at www.seattlesalads.com. Mention this article when you meet Desirae at the Market and buy one salad, get one salad half off.

Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant

Ashley Metcalf

At Lucy's, the new Ethiopian Restaurant in Seattle, you will be welcomed by a relaxed ambience and flavorful cuisine. Each dish is rich in taste and nutrition and is accompanied by a variety of traditional drinks. Lucy’s has unique appetizers, such as a zesty tomato salad or pastry rolls filled with whole lentils, and delicious desserts to complete the meal.

Ethiopian cuisine is greatly enjoyed by Americans for reasons beyond its selection of flavors. This cuisine has immense health benefits stemming from its use of simple, natural ingredients. The food consists of breads, stews (known as wat), grains and spices. Typically, a meal has a combination of flatbread (injera) with different wat stews.

The main ingredients in Ethiopian cooking consist of powdered chili pepper, onions, ginger, and garlic. Equally, two essentials are butter and vegetable oil, which are simmered or sautéed in a pot to create the wat stew. The rich redness of the stew, stained by the popular paprika spice, when added in small amounts creates an enormous taste. Meats such as beef, chicken, fish, goat or lamb complete most dishes; and for vegetarians, dishes are made of split peas, lentils, potatoes, carrots and chard.

Ethiopian drinks are an exquisite part of the dining experience. Tej, for example, is an ancient honey-based wine that usually initiates a meal, sometimes in place of an appetizer; Talla is a beer made from local grain that often accompanies snacks and coffee can be enjoyed at the end of a meal, arriving with natural honey as a sweetener.

Lucy's Ethiopian Restaurant is open seven days a week from 11 AM to 2 AM, and features live entertainment after 10 PM, every night. Reservations are not necessary, but recommended.

Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant

10000 Aurora Avenue Seattle, WA 98133 Seattle, WA

(206)402-3058