#BossLadySeattle // Libby Aker
Happy Friday, Friends!
If you’ve known me for a while, you know that collaborating and supporting small businesses has been important to me. Frankly, it’s also how my own photography and design work has grown, too. So while we’re all mandated to stay home, I’m launching a new weekly series called #BossLadySeattle to help highlight some of my fellow boss ladies, who are small business owners making it work here in Seattle.
In this feature, I’m so excited to share more about Pioneer Square business owner Libby Aker. I connected with Libby through a shared local families group and I had the pleasure of getting to know to collaborate with her on my Mini Sessions in the fall. I knew I couldn’t coordinate these sessions by myself anymore. Working with Libby was fantastic and I’m still in shock she was able to make time for this AND run her restaurant! And more importantly, she made the experience pretty awesome for the dozens of families we had the pleasure to work with that season.
Read on to learn more about Boss Lady Libby below…
Tell me a bit about your restaurant Pioneer Square D&E. How the heck did you open a restaurant? How did this come about?
I’ve been in the restaurant industry for 15 years. I’ve always been passionate about food and hospitality. I met my husband 10 years ago when we were on the opening crew for RN74. It’s pretty much been a goal of ours to open our own spot since then! Then towards the end of 2018, things started falling into place really quickly and all of a sudden we opened in December!
What do you love most about running D&E?
The community!! Our neighbors, our regulars, our staff, friends and family—I love seeing them take pride in the space we’ve built.
Pre-COVID times.
Yes, you can order fried chicken for delivery or pickup.
I saw that your team has been stepping it up and helping feed front line workers. Can you tell more about that?
Yes! We partnered with some friends in Bellingham to organize a GoFundMe page to help feed frontline workers all over the state! The project has delivered 650 meals and counting!
Here’s that link to GoFundMe page: https://bit.ly/3aF6o81
You're also an day-of-coordinator and are amazing at organizing events. Can you tell me more about this and how it ties back to running your restaurant?
Yes! I coordinate weddings as a passion project! A big part of my hospitality career was spent running events for restaurants, distilleries and venues. Creating memorable moments and watching people celebrate is a big passion of mine. I feel really lucky to be able to continue to do that while working at D&E.
Libby’s restaurant, Pioneer Square D&E is a family run, small business restaurant specializing in fried chicken and craft cocktails. D&E stands for “drinks and eats” and has an extensive takeout menu including cocktail kits, wine, beer, and ice cream sandwiches. // Images courtesy of D&E Pioneer Square.
What is the biggest challenge for you running a restaurant right now and also being a parent? How can we help?
I think my challenges are probably the same as all parents in these uncertain times. I’m struggling to figure out what our lives are going to look like for the rest of the year so I can PLAN. I’m a planner and not being able to predict where we will be at six months from now is tough.
People ask me all the time what they can do to help—I love it! Buying gift cards or ordering take out is great. If you can, choose to order and pickup directly from the restaurant. D&E’s website allows for you to order and pay online to have as little contact as possible. Also, if ordering food isn’t in your budget right now, liking, sharing and commenting on social media posts is really helpful! The social media algorithms are not super helpful to small businesses, but interactions online help boost our views!
HOW YOU CAN HELP CONTINUE TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS SEATTLE!
If you don't already, be sure to follow Libby at Pioneer Square D&E on your social accounts.
You also can order directly through here: www.pioneersquarede.com.
Instagram: @pioneersquarede
Facebook: @pioneersquarede