By Carolyn Maizel- Salty Raven is a clothing, card, and gift line with a store front in Tillamook. Seasons Kaz Sparks, along with her husband James, operate the shop on 2nd street. The shop has an array of cool designs inspired by the Pacific Northwest. Oregonians can show off their state pride with T-shirts, pins, and stickers that showcase famous landmarks in Tillamook and Portland, as well as familiar Oregon scenery.
Seasons grew up in inner SE Portland and is a graphic design artist. After years of working at Presents of Mind, Portland’s iconic gift shop, Seasons began designing T-shirts with her line Seasons K Designs in 2008. She saw that there was a lack of Oregon inspired designs in the graphic T-shirt market, and she sought to fill that gap. After partnering with her husband James, a business man with nearly 30 years in the creative market, Seasons K Designs became Salty Raven in 2016 and their storefront opened up in 2018.
The couple moved to Cape Meares from Portland in 2016 after falling in love with the area. The beautiful scenery around their home frequently appears in their designs, as well as the flying friends they have met along the way. Seasons and James have a pet seagull that they have named Gerry that flies to their home every day for a meal, and he is the face of Seasons children’s book “Flock of Gerrys- Gerry Loves Tacos.”
The book was self-published in February 2019 and funded through a Kickstarter. It follows a seagull named Gerry (based off of the real seagull), as he and his adorably designed friends helps Octo sell more tacos by starting a band and singing about how delicious they are. Like Salty Raven’s T-shirts, Flock of Gerrys is designed by Seasons and takes place in the Tillamook coast. Readers can point out familiar sights like the Cape Meares light house and beach, the Hwy 6 forestry center, and the food court square on 1st Street. Seasons describes the book as a “musical art book for all ages,” which can be seen from the rhythmic writing style.
More books and characters are in the works, and in the meantime, fans can buy T-shirts and pins at Salty Raven featuring the iconic characters. Flock of Gerrys also has a YouTube channel that has covers of people singing the book. The book is meant to inspire creativity, so fans are encouraged to send Seasons their cover of the book to put on the channel.
You can find Salty Raven at 1908 2nd St in Tillamook, OR. They are open Thursday-Monday. The shop’s website is: saltyraven.net