The property at 15348 Bothell Way NE once led to a roadhouse, where the community could drink, visit, talk, and listen to President Roosevelt's "Fireside Chats" on the radio.
In the 1950s, the Jahoda family built the Sheridan Market, and served the Sheridan Beach community for decades. It was still a place where you could catch up and connect with your neighbors.
When the Jahodas retired, they sold the business, and leased the building to a series of tenants who ran it as a convenience store. The last tenant closed the business in 2017. The building sat empty, and started to fall into disrepair.
Driving past the site on a daily basis sparked an idea for Paula Goode and her husband Ernesto Pediangco. They wanted to preserve the historic Sheridan Market building while operating a small retail and café business, providing an all-ages community space for Lake Forest Park and the region to enjoy. The couple used all their savings to buy the former market.
A friend started a GoFundMe page to help them raise money to obtain permits, complete renovations, and get the property open for business. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
"It launched and I thought, you know what? How can anybody ask for money at this point in time?" Goode said. The GoFundMe site took in about 12 percent of their ask before they stopped counting on that source of funding.
Goode's day job is selling fire alarm systems for large commercial buildings and complexes. It's her salary and commissions that continued to fund the Sheridan Market project.
The market opened its coffee shop first.
"I noticed that after we first opened, right when COVID started and we still had to wear masks, people were really fearful when they came in. You know, they were very depressed," Good said.
"And those same people now come every day and they sit here and drink their coffee and they just talk. It really helps them. People have missed that kind of connection, and I think that's really important."
The community got involved right away. A neighbor from across the street redesigned the market's logo to print on T-shirts. Their coffee supplier put together a work crew to help clear the construction debris. Another neighbor was hired as kitchen help, and became indispensable. A barista also hosts the open-mic night. Someone donated a piano.
The market is decorated in a midcentury modern style, with shelves full of collectables and novelty items.
Goode's hobby is belly dancing, and Pediangco is well-known in the region as a master percussionist. Their dream for the Sheridan Market included performance space for music and dance. Having performed in many substandard situations, they put a great deal of thought into designing and building the stage area and facilities.
"Well, you know, as a musician, I've been on many stages," said Pediangco. "I've been where the stage was a bunch of pallet boards stacked up and then they throw on a funky old carpet that's got grease stains and whatnot, probably came out of the garage or kitchen."
"Like if I'm doing dancing, I've had to change clothes in a cooler," Goode added. "And use bathrooms that aren't much more than 'bucket rooms'."
Pediangco designed and built two stages for the market; a wide, solid platform for bands, and a hollow "tuned" stage for dancers. There are three spacious restrooms, a shower and laundry facilities.
"We both like to fix things," said Goode. "We used a lot of recycled materials, a lot of donated things. And we took all of the wood that came out of the building. We reused all of that."
The Sheridan Market is also available for rental for rehearsals, classes and private parties.
"It's a community access place, so people can rent this space and it's already got the stage, the sound system, and the lighting," said Pediangco. "Eventually we'll have cameras in here, too, so we could do high quality live- streaming in a wide panorama to show the whole stage."
Regular musical events at the Sheridan Market include the Wednesday open mic night and the Friday "Happy Hour," a no-cover jazz-and-more performance from 5 until 7 p.m. The event often turns into a jam session until closing and is fueled by Pediangco's homemade pork or chicken adobo, or something he calls a "PeruPino burrito."
Student musician showcases are part of the line-up, too. Last Saturday's "Who's Schooling Who? Evening of Jazz" featured students from Roosevelt and Edmonds-Woodway High School jazz bands, alongside professional musicians.
Upcoming special events include "Jazz for Mothers and Others" on Sunday May 8, and The New Age Flamenco band on May 28.
Event schedules are on the Sheridan Market website and Facebook.
