Heritage Displays

Few of the millions who visit Seattle’s most popular attraction each year realize that Pike Place Market is more than a destination to buy flowers or fish — it’s a living, working community. Home to a medical clinic, preschool, food bank, and community center, it also provides housing for nearly 450 low-income and senior residents.

The Market brought us on to help share the many untold stories of the people who make up its rich and diverse history — and who keep it thriving today. We worked closely with Friends of the Market, the Pike Place Market Foundation and the Pike Place Market PDA, along with local historian Jennifer Ott, to curate a diverse mix of perspectives and stories. These illustrated vignettes now appear on kiosks, walls, and doors throughout the Market, offering glimpses into its vibrant past and present.

A warm, human-centered illustration style connects stories across the decades: from the Market’s founding in 1907, to its grassroots preservation in the 1960s, to today, where descendants of the original Italian, Japanese, and other immigrant vendors keep the Market humming with life.