Business Spotlight: Maize & Barley
Small businesses and the people who own and work in them are the heart of our Edmonds community. To keep our downtown thriving, it’s more critical than ever that we think local first.
In this new series, we will be highlighting independently-owned businesses, and learn more about the folks that make them run!
Meet Venus Forteza from Maize & Barley.
What is your favorite part of your business?
Serving our community. It is evident the quality and attention we put into our food and beverage selections is something our customers really enjoy and it’s very rewarding to witness and be part of.
Why did you start your business?
We want to build community and cultural awareness around food and sustainability.
Why did you choose Edmonds for your business?
We moved here in 2009 from the Ballard area, we wanted to stay close to the water and Edmonds is a beautiful walkable town. Every day I come into work the view is a source of inspiration. Since then we have found that the community in Edmonds is a thoughtful, friendly one and we’ve truly enjoyed the people we’ve gotten to serve and now call friends.
What is unique about your business?
We have a very well curated beer list of small local breweries. But if that doesn’t excite you… I hope organic bread made fresh for our sandwiches does. Everything we do is made in-house, from the mustard to the pickles, and smoking our tofu. The only thing we don’t make in-house on our regular menu is the tofu and the cheese. We leave the cheese to local farmers, Ferndale Creamery, but we’re still looking forward to making our own organic tofu.
Why should people do business with you?
It’s about supporting local, investing in your communities. We buy as much local as we can or from regional sustainable sources, and that money goes back into those communities for schools, local resources, farmers etc.. That builds us all up for a better, stronger community together.
What are you currently doing differently during this time?
We started an online ordering program with photos and full item descriptions for people to get a better sense of what makes our food unique and entice them to try something new!
Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
I eat chicken wings with a fork & knife…I know…don’t judge me!
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your business?
We’d like to highlight Intentionalist—it’s a Seattle based minority woman owned online search engine that highlights businesses of LGBTQ, women and peoples of color. Their campaign is #spendlikeitmatters. We believe strongly in that motto. As consumers, the power of our spending habits can drive industries forward into more sustainable practices and push for local investments in the very communities that sustain their businesses. Together we rise and I believe that Edmonds is a destination that highlights community, natural beauty and some of the best the PNW has to offer. We have a passion for good food, beer, outdoor recreation and community.
Maize & Barley
525 Main St
Years in business: 1.5
Photos by Matt Hulbert
