by Devin Chicras
Running out of time to find a holiday gift for your family, neighbors, or co-workers? Look no further than our own neighborhood! There are plenty of great gifts available in the Skyway-West Hill area.
Moon Village Bakery
This “Black, Indigenous, Asian, LGBTQ, family-owned and operated” bakery never uses “bleached flour, genetically modified ingredients, hydrogenated oils, or artificial flavors, colors or preservatives”. In fact, most of their ingredients are local.
Moon Village Bakery seeks to minimize waste by offering limited quantities of rotating goods in-store (donuts and cookies frequently sell out if you don’t get there early enough) and relying on a subscription model. Anything that goes unsold goes into the Little Free Pantry out front.
Many neighbors have been thrilled with their bread subscription service which features a different bread each week, from traditional dinner rolls to some unexpectedly good flavor combos which often coincide with which ingredients are currently in season. While you can choose to include delivery anywhere in King County with your subscription, you can also pick up your order in store for a significant discount.
Whether you’re looking to pick up some cookies for Santa, a box of donuts for your co-workers, or a bread subscription for someone you care about, Moon Village has you covered. Check out their online order forms for cakes, donuts, and bread subscriptions or stop by and chat with Miles and Naomie!
Pro tip: if you stop by the bakery, you might even find a unique gift for someone on your list made by local POC and LGBTQ+ artists!
7418 S 126th St, Seattle, WA 98178
Open Tuesday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Angel City Soul Food Deli
As of 2022, Ms. Lee and team have been bringing “homemade, authentic soul food” to Skyway for a solid decade. If you’ve got a craving for BBQ, catfish, wings, or a sweet tooth for “Seattle’s Best Peach Cobbler”, Angel City Soul Food Deli is the place.
Prolific caterers, Angel City Deli can supply simple bag lunches for your work event or an entire smokehouse BBQ buffet for your next Seahawks viewing party. If you want an order of their Tuesday Seafood Gumbo Special or Friday Cajun Jambalaya Pasta without getting out of your pajamas, you can find them on DoorDash, GrubHub, and UberEats.
But for the serious soul food aficionado in your life, you need their brand-new digital gift card. Check out online in just a few minutes and have a gift card sent directly into the lucky inbox of your choice.
Pro tip: Email Angel City to request to be put on the list for exclusive coupon codes and save!
Did you know: Skyway used to be known as Angel City (the name still exists as a voting precinct in central Skyway), which took its name from one of Skyway’s earliest developers – John P. Angel, a Greek immigrant who was wounded fighting in France during World War I and later helped fight for disabled war veterans at home, helped feed and clothe 60,000 people during the Great Depression as a state government employee, and transformed 260 acres of land into the beginnings of what we now know as Skyway during the World War II “wartime boom”. He also donated the land the first Skyway Library sat on. Learn more about his fascinating life in his Seattle Times obituary.
12621 Renton Ave S #C, Seattle, WA 98178
Open Tuesday – Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. (closes at 6 p.m. on 12/24 and closed on 12/25 for Christmas Day)
Facebook • Instagram • Website • Email • (206) 772-2223
Nevzat’s Espresso
The perfect gift for literally anyone on your list actually exists: a Nevzat’s Espresso reloadable gift card (engaging chit-chat, hilarious banter, and the latest neighborhood news come standard with every purchase).
Since 1995, regulars know that it only takes one stop by this locally-famous coffee shack to get hooked. And super-regulars have figured out that gift cards make it easy and fast to pay for your coffee before the morning commute.
For those that aren’t into hot, blended, or iced espresso drinks, try a tasty Italian soda with whipped cream, fruit freeze, hot chai tea, or gourmet hot chocolate with steamed and frothed milk and real chocolate syrup. Don’t forget to grab a jumbo muffin for the road.
Pro tip: Be sure to start up a punch card – you’ll fill it up before you know it and earn yourself a free drink. Try out the seasonal eggnog lattes while they last, a “candy bar” drink (like Milky Way, Snickers, or Almond Joy), White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle drink, or grab yourself a delicious “Nevzat’s Special” – a top-secret smooth, creamy, and nutty syrup that took years to get just right.
12602 Renton Ave S, Seattle, WA 98178
Monday-Friday 6 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Website • (206) 772-5096
Skyway Grocery Outlet
Soon to celebrate ten years in Skyway in March 2023, independent owner-operators Jeff and Erin McNeil have turned Skyway Grocery Outlet into much more than a grocery store that broke through the years-long drought of access to fresh, healthy food in Skyway. They have built a veritable pop culture museum with nostalgic memorabilia in every corner, they have contributed to countless local events by being a longtime sponsor and generously donating goods, and they have built up community by creating a gathering place and public stage which has hosted everything from live music to the Alajawan’s Hands Annual Community Family Reunion. That stage area is set to get a major facelift thanks to an allocation from the Participatory Budgeting process, as selected by the community.
In addition to picking up those final ingredients for your holiday meal, Skyway Grocery Outlet is also the perfect place for last-minute gifts at a massive discount whether you need to fill up the stocking or not come empty handed to the party: a bunch of name-brand kids’ toys under $15, gift-able items for adults (including Dolly Parton’s delightful line of kitchen products), high-end chocolate bars, and more can easily be found throughout the store.
At the checkout lane, pick up a Skyway Grocery Outlet gift card and load up any amount you like for one of the most utilitarian and convenient gifts you could possibly give. Don’t forget to pick up a festive greeting card near the entrance to seal it in.
Pro tip: Scrambling for the perfect host gift? Skyway Grocery Outlet boasts an extensive (and super affordable) wine selection, with bubblies and beers already pre-chilled in the fridge. Pick up a handy wine gift bag nearby and a fancy box of truffles or pre-packed artisan cheese flight to go the extra mile.
11656 68th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98178
Open daily, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
Website • Instagram • Facebook • Email sign up for coupons, sales, and store events
More ways to support local
- Fuel up during your holiday shopping run with a hot meal from Salima Specialties or Taqueria Dona Mari (formerly Taqueria la Herradura).
- Gather with your friends for Festivus at Beach Comber Sports Bar & Grill (closed December 24 and 25).
- Out late? Crazy Corn is often still slinging hot cups of esquites till 10 p.m. (and sometimes a little later on busy weekend nights) which will warm you right up.
- Up early? Pick up some organic Ethiopian drip coffee from Winnie’s Cafe & Deli in Lakeridge.
- My’s Vietnamese Sandwiches and Deli carries an array of brightly-colored pre-packaged Asian treats and sweets like Yan Yan, Hello Panda, and Pocky.
- That busted audio receiver that you’ve been meaning to replace in your home theater to enhance family movie nights? Bet Toku at Skyway Radio & TV Service could fix that.
- Be environmentally-friendly by repairing your significant others’ tools they won’t get rid of in the garage at The Tool Doctor.
- Be wallet-friendly by picking up a whole bunch of cheap books from the Friends of Skyway Library shelf at Skyway Library and support all-ages programming.
- Before you pick up family from the airport for the holiday, go get your car detailed at The Auto Barber (there’s an end-of-year interior detail service special going on!).
- Take the family out to Skyway Park Bowl for a fun night out! Closed December 24 and 25.
- Know someone looking for a new hobby? Get them a model kit from Skyway Model Shop, which has had one of the most extensive retail model kit collections and supplies in the entire state since 1994.
- Sending a gift that’s gotta make it to its destination by December 25? The Skyway Post Office can help you send that Priority Mail Express by December 23.
Like having a more engaged, informed and vibrant community? You can make a huge impact by joining your neighbors in giving $5 or more a month to the leanest, hardest working all-volunteer nonprofit in the neighborhood.