Sip and Ship, Ballard

It only took a few minutes within my first visit to Sip and Ship to realize that I had stumbled upon a special spot. It was a sunny, Sunday afternoon in the middle of December and Sip and Ship (also known as Ballard Mail and Dispatch) was crowded with people shopping for gifts, picking wrapping paper and greeting cards, and mailing packages. Despite the fervor and mayhem often associated with such holiday errands, the staff at Sip and Ship remained beyond attentive and calm. For example, while I stood deciding which set of floral note cards to purchase as a stocking stuffer for my grandmother, a young woman approached me and asked, "Can I make you a cappuccino while you shop?" I was amazed. Not only because I had never before had a salesperson offer to serve me a beverage while I shopped, but also because a cappuccino is my espresso drink of choice. How did she know? (I accepted her offer, of course!)

Part coffeehouse, part specialty boutique, part packaging and mailing service, Sip and Ship is, according to the store's owners, "Like a concierge service for the neighborhood." Diana and Stephen Naramore have made it their mission to create a place where people can come to get business done in a relaxed atmosphere. At Sip and Ship you can send off the mint-condition Cabbage Patch Kid circa 1984 that you sold on eBay and then shop for a birthday gift for your girlfriend (perhaps a sweet-smelling bar of soap or a container of gourmet hot chocolate or, my personal favorite, a zip-up Ballard sweatshirt). They will wrap the present for you on the spot in artsy paper while you sit checking your email on the store's free Wi-Fi and eating a bowl of soup next to the big windows that look out onto Market Street. The upstairs loft was created with families in mind and is a place where kids are welcome to sit and play while their parents check a few errands off their to-do list.

Stephen and Diana attribute their ability to create an inviting atmosphere to the fact that they both spent years working in the cruise industry. I attribute it to the fact that they are both kind, loving people who genuinely care about building community.

Ballard Sip and Ship
1752 NW Market ST
(206) 789-4488