Seattle’s Top Pops
When rainy Seattle swaps out its dreary attitude for its summer persona, one of the best ways to enjoy the sunshine is with a frozen treat from Seattle Pops. With a rotating list of mouthwatering flavors and all-natural, locally sourced ingredients, this neighborhood shop is a popular place for tourists and residents alike.
Brainstorming a business
Seattle Pops began as an idea from cofounder Megan Janes while she was living in Birmingham, Alabama, with her wife and cofounder, Suzie Barnes. A serendipitous visit to a pops shop with her best friend gave Janes the thought of bringing something similar back to Seattle, close to where Barnes grew up. Says Janes, “It took about a year and a half to bring the dream of Seattle Pops to fruition. I was not sure how pops would go over in the Seattle area, but I knew it was a foodie city with a focus on hyperlocal sourcing, which aligned perfectly with what I wanted Seattle Pops to be.” She spent a lot of time doing research on almost every aspect of running a frozen treat business, wanting to ensure she was as prepared as possible.
A key part of that prep was recipe development. In the summer of 2013, Janes and her dad spent hours in her aunt’s kitchen testing recipes in ice-cube trays. Some of the first successes were coffee, strawberry, watermelon, and lime. A decade later, those original recipes remain the bases of many of Seattle Pops’ current flavors.
A plan in motion
Janes’s initial plan was to open a brick-and-mortar store right from the jump, but due to a lack of resources, she opted to start small selling at local events and farmers markets until she could save enough money for a store and production facility. Janes and Barnes’s first test run was a freezer stand at a block party in the Seattle neighborhood of Phinney Ridge. Rave reviews propelled them to apply to local farmers markets in 2014, and three years later, they were able to open their first storefront in the heart of the Wallingford neighborhood in north-central Seattle. They did much of the labor themselves; Barnes also custom designed all of the signage.
Looking back, Janes recalls the path to a storefront as particularly arduous: “Operating a business that crams most of its sales into five months is full of both challenging and rewarding days. In 2017, we were working on the build-out of the storefront and production facility while also having one of our busiest summers yet. The days were long and exhausting; we were working over one hundred hours a week. But opening our own retail and production facility within three years of starting from scratch was an amazing accomplishment. It was incredible to see so many of our regulars, family, and friends come out for our grand opening.”
What’s in a pop?
Janes is passionate about focusing on all-natural and local ingredients, which is why most of the fruit Seattle Pops uses is sourced from the state of Washington and the milk for its dairy base comes from Smith Brothers in nearby Kent, Washington. The shop rotates seasonal and specialty flavors into the lineup according to the local produce calendar, while its roster of year-round flavors remains the same. One of its most popular seasonal flavors—Lilikoi Cream (passion-fruit cream)—turned permanent after multiple thumbs-up reviews from customers. Other permanent flavors include Zesty Lime, Very Strawberry, Cookies + Cream, and Local Rotating Coffee. (It is Seattle, after all.) They also offer bakery flavors, such as Vanilla Brownie and Grasshopper Mint Brownie, that have pieces of baked goods inside.
All pops are made in small batches to ensure quality and safety. At its peak, the machine is running for twelve or more hours a day. The frozen treats are created one day and are out the door the next to farmers markets and events—or kept right there in the shop.
Giving back to the community
Aside from delicious treats, Seattle Pops supports the local community by helping with public programs. In 2018, it started the Scholar Popper program, which funds scholarships for team members to help with their schooling costs. And each October, it hosts Trick-or-Can to collect nonperishables for the local food bank. Says Janes, “I know firsthand how public programs can help families in need, and I am grateful to be in a position today where I can contribute.”
Success in business
Janes credits her success to taking things one step at a time and gaining confidence along the way. Her advice to those who want to start a business but don’t know where to begin is to simply try out their ideas. “You don’t have to start with a huge, elaborate opening or unveiling,” she says. “Stick to the basics of offering your product or service, see how it is received, and go from there. I am a big proponent of planning and researching too.”
It also helps to have a great partner. Janes and Barnes work well together, balancing out each other’s strengths. Janes typically handles the behind-the-scenes work like press, social media, and website editing, while Barnes is more hands-on with the store, supporting team members, training staff, and managing gigs and events.
With their sweet treats and open-arms approach to community, it’s easy to see why Seattle Pops quickly became not just a Wallingford institution but a beloved part of the city’s food scene as well.
For more info, visit seattlepops.com