Dungeness Traders at the Chicken Coop Farmers Outlet
3532 Chicken Coop Road, Sequim
360-406-0745
Hours: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday-Friday
By PATRICIA MORRISON COATE
The iconic little red building at the corner of Chicken Coop Road and U.S. Highway 101 has been reborn again as a seafood shop — but with a bountiful bonus. It’s a mouthful, but the owners of Dungeness Traders at the Chicken Coop Farmers Outlet wanted to retain the sense of a neighborhood store at 3532 Chicken Coop Road when deciding on a name. When Joshua and Cindy Sylvester moved here three years ago and her parents Jim and Liz Harvey visited from Maine, no doubt they drove by it, never imagining it would lead to a new life and venture for them.
His wife and mother-in-law are of Jamestown S’Klallam heritage, Sylvester said, “and the big thing was to come here and continue the roots of the family. This opportunity for the building came up last October, and we thought, ‘Wow, it was being used as a seafood place,’ and my in-laws have 30 years in the seafood business. We’re foodies and it was a perfect fit, seafood and organic foods.”
If it’s not already, “fresh is first” should be the family’s motto. Since moving here in October 2014, Jim Harvey has networked with native fishermen and other local vendors to supply fresh and never-frozen fish and shellfish, including coho and king salmon filets, mussels, oysters, manila clams and Dungeness crabs weighing up to 2.5 pounds caught by Elwha treaty fishermen. Grab a cooked crab on ice to go or, for the absolute freshest, have Harvey capture your choice from the store’s tank. For a gourmet treat, try a package of smoked or candied salmon.
“We’re hoping to smoke fresh fish in the future,” Sylvester said. “We’re trying to expand daily as we make contacts with fishermen and certainly look to carrying more.” He noted that as he and Jim learn what the community wants and doesn’t want stocked, the inventory will adapt and that it’s been “a real learning curve.”
Stemming from his passion for eating organically, Sylvester has contracted with Johnston Farms in Agnew and Kol Simcha Farms in Sequim for a wide range of organically grown fresh produce. A board next to the front door conveniently lists vegetables currently available and their prices, including Walla Walla onions, Yukon Gold potatoes, celery, bunch carrots, kale, chard, crimini mushrooms, jalapeños, heirloom garlic, corn, red and green peppers, green onions, ginger, three varieties of tomatoes and two of squash. Dungeness Traders also has organic lemons, limes, bananas and apples.
With the focus on neighborhood, Sylvester invites area crafters to bring in their cottage business items to display and sell.
Since opening on Aug. 12, Sylvester said, “Diamond Point has been very supportive and one of the greatest things has been the community all has come in to say, ‘Hi.’ It’s very neighborly.”
While Sylvester was being interviewed, Harvey was enthusiastically helping customers at the fish and seafood cooler. The store will be open year-round from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday-Friday and Sylvester plans being able to ship seafood by winter. He’ll go back to school shortly as a wilderness skills teacher at Owl’s Hollow School in Sequim while his in-laws run the store.
“These guys are the best family I could ever ask for — they treat me like a real son,” the 36-year-old Sylvester said. “It’s very important for us to be with the heritage of our family,” he added, gesturing to S’Klallam drums and artwork collected by Liz Harvey that decorate the walls and a display case — and to honor sustainability from the sea and the land.
Reach Patricia Morrison Coate at pcoate@sequimgazette.com.
