Emily Wilder is truly a local girl. She was born in Clinton and lived on the island until 2013, when she moved away to attend Evergreen College. There she focused on learning about sustainable foods and agriculture, ultimately earning a Bachelor’s Degree.
After college, she moved to Boston for two years to attend Bentley University, where she got her Master’s Degree in Business in 2019 and continued her commitment to helping people understand the importance of what she learned about sustainability. Her education evolved into a theme for her life: “How do you convince people to purchase sustainable products?”
In 2020 she moved back to Whidbey Island where she started her business, Salinity Seafood and More, and became involved with Island Shakespeare Festival. She is currently on the Board of Island Shakespeare, and spends her time promoting the theater as well as an array of products created from sustainable methods. She also teaches chocolate and oyster workshops at the Bayview Cash Store.
One of the sustainable products she loves to talk about with people who come into the store is the delicious, beautiful, and endangered local oyster, the Olympia oyster species.
She notes: “Many people don’t know what products are sustainable. I enjoy sharing what I know and encouraging people to be more aware of the origins of the products they are buying.”
Salinity Seafood and More works with over 85 small businesses and artists in the Pacific Northwest. Items are available online at www.eatsalinity.com, and can be shipped anywhere in the U.S.A. The retail store in Bayview is shared with Island Shakespeare Festival’s Bard’s Boutique. The store is open 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day except Wednesday. And they have free samples!
