We, Rob and Karma Hugo, are a husband and wife team who grew up in the South Sound area.
We built Yardbirdshistory.com and made “Skinny and Fatty: the Story of Yard Birds” because we found that a lot of people had strong memories of Yard Birds and Sea Mart shopping centers. For those of us that shopped there it was more than just a store. Almost everyone that lived in the areas surrounding the stores had a connection and the employees keep telling us about how it felt like a big family rather than just a place to work.
Karma had started to collect Yard Birds memorabilia because of the uniqueness of the mascot and the sense of humor. We wondered about where it all came from and who could have built such a place, so we decided to start interview people in hopes of making a documentary about it. We never expected to meet such incredible people and learn about an entrepreneurial story that would be nearly impossible to replicate today.
Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to talk to us and share their time, stories and pictures with us!