The “Village by the Sea,” (known as Langley to most Whidbey residents and visitors), has several unique businesses. One of these is Foamy Wader, offering handmade jewelry with nautical themes made from recycled products.
Alexa Allamano graduated from the University of Washington in 2006 with a degree in theater. She originally made jewelry as a hobby, but soon discovered that this was something she enjoyed doing and wanted to see if she could establish a business that was based upon making unique items she could offer to the public. She first established the Foamy Wader business online in 2008 before opening a physical storefront in 2014 in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood.
Alexa and her husband had been regular visitors to Whidbey since 2004. When her family decided to make the move to Whidbey in 2016, they lucked into finding a house to rent that had just been listed on Craig’s List. While deciding if island life suited them, she commuted from Whidbey to her Seattle storefront for a year. When she became pregnant with the couple’s first child in 2017 she opted to simplify and relocate the business to the island, which is where her husband’s family has lived for many years.
Alexa notes “I love the sense of community on Whidbey. When we opened here, I was impressed with how many of the local business owners came over to welcome me.”
Alexa says she originally began making jewelry from natural items just for fun, but decided to create a business based upon using recycled materials. She adds, “I wear my jewelry creations every day and enjoy showing them off to people who stop by Foamy Wader.” The recycled materials she uses to create her jewelry come from New Mexico. All of the Foamy Wader jewelry is designed and hand-made on Whidbey.
Foamy Wader jewelry is designed around nautical themes. Alexa first sold some of her items at Madrona Supply Co. (formerly MAKE Whidbey) in Clinton, but was pleased to find a location in Langley that she could use for her business. She originally worked out of a site in Langley from 2017 to 2020, but chose to close the store due to the uncertainty of retail during the pandemic lockdown period.
She continued to operate her business online-only before reestablishing in a tiny space within the Langley Village in late 2020. Alexa created an innovative outdoor “window shopping” concept to maximize the tiny 180 square foot space, allowing browsers to view items in the windows and order through her website by scanning a QR code. With her business quickly growing in 2022 she began searching for an additional facility to expand operations. The result was a larger storefront (the business’ third move within Langley) to the former site of the Whidbey Island Gem Gallery.
The current location for Foamy Wader is in Langley at 206 – 1st Street, next to Ott & Hunter. Alexa says she feels this current place is just right for her business: “There are windows that look out at the beautiful water sites, and the store has an airy, beachy feel to it.” She currently has four part-time employees and still offers “window shopping” out of her Langley Village office space.
Foamy Wader has been featured in Business Insider, Entrepreneur, Seattle Times, and other publications. The store is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day, including Sundays. For a look at the type of jewelry available at Foamy Wader, visit the website: https://foamywader.com/. You can also call or text at: (206) 778 - 8469.
