Vanishing Seattle Films: Ballard - Scandinavian Specialties

Vanishing Seattle Films presents the third in its series of shorts that take a deeper dive into the stories of history, legacy, and resilience behind the #VanishingSeattle hashtag. Each episode of this documentary series focuses on a small business or community space significant to a Seattle neighborhood.
Scandinavian Specialties is the last remaining Nordic-focused retail shop in Ballard, a neighborhood that has grappled with preserving its Scandinavian and working-class history against a backdrop of rapid development and gentrification.
Director/Producer/Cinematographer: Cody Lewis
Producer: Jon Evans
Executive Producers: Cynthia Brothers + Martin Tran
Editors: Cody Lewis + Stephen Takashima
Special Thanks To:
Scandinavian Specialties
Waterwheel Lounge
Swedish Club
Pacific Fishermen Supply
Sons of Norway
National Nordic Museum
Seattle Municipal Archives
King 5 News
Almost Live!
KCTS9, CityStream
The Friends of Freebuilt Films
The Good People of Ballard
This film project was supported in part by 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax.
Produced in association with Northwest Film Forum.
Vanishing Seattle is a project that documents displaced and disappearing institutions, small businesses and cultures of Seattle - and celebrates the histories, spaces, and communities that give the city its soul.
More info:
www.vanishingseattle.org
www.scanspecialities.com
freebuiltfilms.com

[@26skogen]

Ballard is not the same place where I grew up. It was hard when Olsen’s closed. I went there all the time. Now Scandinavian Specialties is in danger. We Norwegians miss old Ballard. Even though I have move away I still do business with Scandinavian Specialties. I miss hearing the language spoken and being able to greet the shop keepers på norsk.

[@user-ib3qb5zn8u]

I am russian . I was here aug-nov 1995 , when i worked on american crab boat JUNO ...We fixed a boat on Foss ship yard ....it was a very good time ! ! Seattle , this best what i saw in my live .. Salute from Russia !

[@clarkshomecleaning8710]

I used to work there and make those fish cakes. Two of those fresh out of the fryer with mustard cures ANY hangover, trust me!

[@paxwallacejazz]

I lived in Ballard been to Hatties and used to play piano at the Ballard Bait Shop been to the Fire House and used to Eat at that old Denny's Now at 61 I'm in Copenhagen the one in Denmark

[@Aidan_Au]

Thank you for making this video and sharing the often untold stories. This is very well produced and well filmed! Thank you again!

[@JoellePretty]

Coming here from Minnesota in the late 90's, I was delighted to find Olsen's had lefse! I am grateful for Scandinavian Specialties and brought my bestie from MN when he visited. We got lingonberries (and other fun things) to make Swedish meatballs together.

[@seanhutchins1]

I delivered the Ballard tribune , Larson's bakery probably isn't there anymore. Just learned they knocked down mom and dad's behind Safeway on 15th. Norse blood all gone !

[@takeshikovacs02]

Larsen's is still here! They just celebrated their 55th anniversary in May.

[@johnpappe3289]

Two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar! Say goodbye to Ballard it is a long time ago over!

[@IamY00t]

Fikk lyst til å ta meg en tur til Ballard

[@kellymeehan4651]

That song at the end is hilarious hahaha

[@helenmurphree3434]

There was a certain smell to the Scandinavian shop that was on Market St (I don’t remember the name) maybe pickled or salted meats or fish. I would recognize it immediately.

[@nicholaschard7143]

Over 60 years ago my dad owned a Richfield service station in historic Ballard and worked on Stan Borsons Volkswagen bus ,I remember when Stan gave me one of those giant Sugar Daddy's that came in a cardboard box and the wood handle was the size of a broomstick he gave my dad his Scandinavian Christmas record.

[@anthonyc8248]

I've seen this literally every city I've lived in first San Fransisco, Dallas, and Austin.

[@TravellyWorld]

👌👌👌👌👌Nice VLOG! Thank you for sharing!Hi from Travelly 👍

[@erik4-a272]

They have been "sanitizing" B-lard for a while. I remember when they closed The Backstage there years ago. Now Bop Street Records is gone along with many other fun/arty places too. How many folks remember Nix Auto Wrecking, or even Ballard Auto Wrecking? Places you could find cool old stuff CHEAP. All gone! No-Mo (think about that reference!) Ya Sure Youbetcha! Bub-eye!

[@gregfawcett5152]

When is the Smoke Shop going to re-open...best Dive Bar in Seattle

[@youtubecensors5419]

Great editing! How you managed to get so many shots of Ballard without a single tent city, junkie on the nod, or meth head smashing windows is impressive!

[@chasgotthespins6124]

or me smoking weed.

[@arhondo]

Your point?

[@rissamain8729]

Musician credits? Curious about the music. Loved this.

[@jamesfoland5072]

The surprising thing is, that most Swedish people have left. And the proper pronunciation has been forgotten. Ballard uses the Dark A which sounds more like an o. My grandmother and great grandmother would always correct me when I said it wrong. Like the new bar Skal the a is an o sound.

[@Savignylol]

Of course it's an "o" sound, the bar is called SkÅl! :). My Norwegian great-aunt moved there in the 50's. She died a couple of years ago, but her children still live in Seattle and Portland. We visited Seattle and Portland from Norway in 95', it was an amazing experience; Supersonics game, helicopter tour over the skyline, Space Needle, Mt. Rainier +++. Sad to see that some of the staples are being pushed out, or going out of business. You could always come visit, though. Scandinavian countries are very safe and with very high living standards, but I'm sure you already know this. :)

[@jamesfoland5072]

@@Savignylol I have thought about going. I have distant cousins all around Norway and Sweden. The family farm is still running last I heard.

[@gardendaisy]

Very sad

[@georgenicholai6089]

Not just Ballard, Seattle is done. Finished. The voters have spoken.

[@stevealavi]

Holy fucking NIMBY from every interview subject. Yikes

[@GregHalvorson]

Dude, the history is already gone…. Sad.

[@aptmix]

oh no, things aren't the same as they were 65-75 years ago........