Staff Bios

Leslie Sarah Stephenson, Owner

I am originally from NYC, but I call Seattle, WA home now - my parents have zero expectation of me every moving back, so you are all stuck with me now. I am a recovering lawyer and retired Naval Officer. In my second year of law school I joined the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corp and served for 1 year in the reserves and 11 years on active duty. During those years, I was stationed in Newport, RI, Norfolk, VA, Diego Garcia B.I.O.T., Bremerton, WA, and San Diego, CA before begging to come back to Washington and to serve my last tour back in Bremerton, WA. I couldn’t be a lawyer anymore (the memes about unhappy lawyers are real!) and wanted to pursue something more creative, so I went all the way back to undergrad to get a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Graphic Design at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA.

I started making polymer clay jewelry as a hobby but I was easily convinced by my friends that I could sell it. Three years later, here I am.

If you need me and I’m not working, I’m probably in the mountains - either hiking or snowboarding - or out on the water paddle boarding or swimming. I love cheese, pasta, and pizza (in that order), traveling as much as I can, and the Kraken.

Jeeter, Posthumous Nap Expert and Cheese Tax Collector

Trigger Warning: Don’t read further if you can’t hear about the passing of animals.

Jeeter was the 14 and a half year old rescue dog that ran my life up until this past August. He loved naps in the sun, naps on the couch, naps on the beanbag chair in the office at daycare, and naps on me. Basically, just naps. He had a very high cheese tax, but every moment that his love of cheese kept him excited was worth it.

He hated water, but loves fluffy frozen water. Would tolerate unfrozen water for a calm paddle board or float down a river, or for a very quick dip on a very hot day. He loved running in the woods and going on hikes, especially with his best friends.

On August 3, 2026 I was visiting my best friend in DC (the lesser Washington) when I got a call at 7:30am EST from VEG - the emergency vet. Jeeter had been brought in by his wonderful caretakers after having a seizure that lasted 15 minutes. After a few tests, the amazingly kind vets at VEG let me know that he had not been responsive to people walking in and out of his room since he got there, and even with anti-seizures and sedatives he was showing signs of continued seizure-like activity during testing. It was time to let him go. I immediately flew home. The vets were able to authorize end of life care over the phone so that he didn’t have to suffer another 8-9 hours until I got home, but I rushed straight to VEG when I arrived so I could say my goodbyes and collect his belongings. I am still not ok. I still can’t drive into the parking lot with the VEG (which is also my closest Whole Foods). I still haven’t had it in me to post on social media or change his Instagram account to a posthumous account. I still haven’t been able to plan any sort of farewell to scatter his ashes. I’ll get there one day, and when that day comes if any of you ever met him and want to come see him off and probably have a cheese and bacon filled picnic in his honor, you are welcome to join.

Some coincidental things I learned around his death:

1) He passed exactly 1 year to the day after his best friend. They were two peas in a pod. Literally yin and yang (Sokka was white with black spots, Jeeter was black with white spots). I hope they are playing somewhere.

2) There was a chicken in VEG when I got there. Queenie. I’m sorry if she was yours because apparently she passed that day too. I wound up with Jeeter because he had been stray and eating chickens from a chicken coop with a buddy and animal control was called. He could never be trusted around chickens (or ducks - sorry, Chris and Corrie!). I like to think that he had some road snacks for his trip across the rainbow bridge. The vets were a little horrified at that, but dark humor and sarcasm is how I cope.

Jeeter is forever the employee of the year because he was the best boy. I miss you, bud.

Fred

Fred was a terribly unprepared hiker who went for hike with just his LeslieSarahDesigns sweatshirt and nothing else. We found him in the woods and he agreed to work for us as a booth greeter at the Haunted Farmers Market. He has been with us ever since. He is a terrible employee - lazy, always sitting around, refuses to work in inclement weather (in the PNW, no less!) - but the kids seem to like him so we keep him.