By Art Segal, special to the Blog
I recently enjoyed a tour of Ken’s Market at 7231 Greenwood Avenue North in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood of Seattle. Kevin Hense, Creative Director at Ken’s Market, was my expert and patient guide through a multitude of products, features and departments.
On my first visit to Ken’s Market, several years ago, I had been walking for several hours and was very hungry and looking for a place to purchase lunch. As I continued southward along Greenwood Avenue, I was delighted to notice an entire block devoted to a grocery market! It looked very promising as a good place to find my lunch! As I entered, I was pleasantly surprised by a number of features: one, the many informational brochures, notices, maps and flyers devoted to that region of Seattle. Everything I might want to know about the area was easily available. Second, art work on a selection of full-sized prints, grocery bags and greeting cards, were all available in the same location near the entrance. As I browsed that area, I remembered my original purpose for entering: to find a great lunch, which could be a sandwich, salad box, hot lunch or fruits, depending on my needs and desires at that moment.
I did find a wonderful sandwich, and together with a drink and sweets for dessert, I easily finished my search for lunch, paid at the nearby counter and made my way across the street to a convenient bench where I could enjoy consuming all of these items. I was so impressed by the quality of this experience that I decided I would return to Ken’s Market each time I walked in that neighborhood. Several years later, when the Public Relations manager at the Phinney Ridge Senior Center where I was volunteering (for the Greenwood Senior Center) asked me to write a feature on Ken’s Market, I immediately accepted and set out to contact the most appropriate staff person: Kevin Hense.
When we met at the store, Mr. Hense greeted me cordially and offered to give me a comprehensive tour. First, he showed me the Copper River Salmon, freshly harvested in Alaska; the prepared chicken souvlaki; US Department of Agriculture Prime Picanha steak from Painted Hills, Oregon; and Ken’s special Chicken Souvlaki. Then Kevin showed me their “Home Shop” with its “Color Me Phinney” logo. He explained that this Ken’s store is their flagship “Smash Burgers” center from 11 am to 2 pm.
In addition to so many scrumptious food items, Ken’s Market offers tote bags decorated by artist Grace Pastore, with hoodies, sweatshirts and T-shirts also on display. For every monthly Art Walk, Kevin told me, one local Phinney Ridge artist is featured.
To complement their wonderful food items, Ken’s Market also offers a selection of chilled wines, summer brews and non-alcoholic “zero proof” drinks, which he referred to as “our cultural movement.”
“Beer is a big item,” Mr. Hense told me. But their coffee selection is nothing to be sneezed at: including “mostly local” brews from Queen Anne, Cloud City, Tony’s, Peet’s, Diablo and Umbria coffees – everything most customers might want on a given day; it’s all there at Ken’s Market on Greenwood Avenue.
As our discussion turned to personnel, Mr. Hense said, “We are all about empowering our employees, and we do that in a variety of ways.” By the way, Ken’s Market is open from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM every day of the year except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. “Brand ethos is our mission,” he said, “as part of our modernized vision.” And he is very proud to state that “All our employees live in the Phinney Ridge community, so it is a localized economy, and with good benefits.”
“Ken’s Market is a unique place,” Mr. Hense stated as I began to wrap up our meeting. “We are a very independent market, and nothing is wasted here.” Reducing waste, he continued, results in “quiet benefits.” Peter, an employee at Ken’s Market for 40 years, “continued coming for several months after his retirement, to scoop ice cream for the customers, “especially the children.” That is loyalty!