June 12, 2023
In the summer, cruise passengers flood downtown Seattle and Pike Place Market as they look for the perfect memento before starting or ending their journey to Alaska.
One place on many tourists’ minds is Eighth Generation, a Native-owned lifestyle brand, which specializes in wool blankets designed by Native American artists and is one of the fastest-growing Native-owned businesses in the country. At the end of May, Eighth Generation moved from its location in Pike Place Market just above the Gum Wall to a street-level space with more visibility at 1406 1st Avenue, directly across from the iconic Market.
“For a lot of people, our store is a destination spot,” Colleen Echohawk (Pawnee, Athabascan), Eighth Generation CEO said. “We also get a lot of people who happen across our store and are drawn in by our beautiful designs. For folks heading up to Alaska, there is a big emphasis on Alaskan Native culture on the ship, so their minds are primed and ready for a store like ours.”
The 2023 Seattle cruise season is expected to be the biggest season ever as it welcomes 290 sailings and over 1.4 million revenue passengers between April and October. Many cruise passengers spend some time before or after their cruise exploring Seattle and the region and supporting local businesses. Overall, cruising from Seattle supports nearly $900 million a year in local economic activity and approximately 5,500 local jobs.
Reclaiming the market
Nooksack artist, activist, and entrepreneur Louie Gong founded Eighth Generation in 2008 when he started customizing shoes in his living room. In 2015, Eighth Generation became the first Native-owned business in the U.S. or Canada to sell Native-designed wool blankets, reclaiming a market that had been dominated by non-Native companies using fake "Native-inspired" designs for over a century, and growing the business of their artist partners through the Inspired Natives® Project.
Eighth Generation opened its flagship store in Pike Place Market in 2016 and launched its own made-in-house wool textile line in 2020 — another first for a Native-owned business. Three years ago, Gong sold the business to the Snoqualmie Tribe and Echohawk took over as CEO in 2022.
The Native-designed wool blankets are designed by Native artists from across the country, spanning the East Coast to Alaska. Their Gold Label Collection of Native-designed wool blankets are manufactured in Eighth Generation’s Georgetown studio.
“We are so honored to work with artists who trust us to bring authentic Native art and design into the marketplace,” Echohawk said.
With its 100% native-designed products, Eighth Generation provides an ethical, artist-centric approach while addressing the economic impact of cultural appropriation. Although the brand does the majority of its sales online, and takes orders from all over the United States, Canada, and other countries; and the brick-and-mortar store is an important part of Eighth Generation’s business.
Skyrocketing sales
During the pandemic, Eighth Generation saw sales at its Pike Place Market store drop as tourism and cruises came to a halt and it reduced hours to just a couple days a week.
“It’s sobering to think about all that business we missed out on,” Echohawk said. “But we had a strong online presence already so we were able to invest in online marketing and that was really great for us.”
Traditionally, Eighth Generation makes the most sales during the summer months. In July 2022, with Seattle cruise and tourism making a strong comeback after the pandemic, Eighth Generation had its best month of sales ever. With the store back open seven days a week, sales shot up 684% as compared to a year ago.
“We are very actively aware of cruise passengers and tourists in the city and do a lot of thinking about how we can get them to become lifelong customers,” Echohawk said. “We see a huge influx of people coming into our store during the summer. We are excited to connect them to true American art and to give them the opportunity to buy from incredible Native artists and help create economic sovereignty.”
Supporting Native art
Echohawk is proud that Eighth Generation offers something unique for tourists and showcases the artists behind the products.
“If a tourist is going into any other store, they will likely find a lot of fake Native products,” Echohawk said. “We sell authentic Native art that you can have in your home. Every home should have Native American art in it. Some people say ‘I'm not Native. Can I still buy Native art?’ Absolutely! People's homes reflect their values and Native art is an amazing way to do that.”
Eighth Generation also invites customers to learn about the artists who created the beautiful products that are for sale. When people walk into Eighth Generation, not only will they see beautiful Native-made products, they will find signage that shares more information about the products, artists and their stories, and tribal backgrounds.
“People stand around reading the signs like they are in a museum, but we go beyond the museum experience,” Echohawk said. “You learn about this artist and now you can buy a blanket, mug, or art piece by them. It’s a different way of engaging with American art and people really respond to it. It’s a very different kind of store. People want to be a part that special feeling.”
The staff are passionate about the products they sell. They take the time to tell customers who the artist is, provide information about the tribes and where they are from, and share funny stories if they have met the artist.
“It’s an opportunity for our staff to share their culture and history. The Native community is proud to have come from tribes that really resisted and decided to thrive, despite colonization,” Echohawk said.
Photos courtesy of Eighth Generation.
