The Ghosts of Pike Place Market

Future Commerce Podcast: eCommerce, DTC and Retail Strategy

Spooky Commerce finishes with an epic finale as we explore the mysterious history of Seattle's iconic Pike Place Market. Phillip, Brian, and Sarah share tales of ghost sightings, haunted (coffee) grounds, and the rich lore behind one of the oldest continuously operating markets in the U.S. PLUS: Phillip and Brian debrief a tragedy involving AI-to-human relationships and discuss the challenges parents face as children gain unrestricted access to AI tools.

The Roast With the Ghost

TW: This week’s episode discusses sensitive subject matter, including suicide.

Key Takeaways:

• AI taking on a life of its own: Children have unrestricted access to increasingly lifelike AI tools.
• Pike Place Market is home to more than just vendors: It's rumored to house spirits from Seattle’s early days.
• Kells yeah: Kells Irish Pub sits on a former mortuary and a former indigenous burial site – and is one of Seattle’s most haunted locations.
• [00:09:30] “​​The thing is, the difference between what you were doing and what an AI is doing is you are interacting with real people. Message boards were human-to-human communication. It was just instantaneous. This is like, getting sucked into a video game that has no end.” – Brian
• [00:18:00] "This thing (AI) has escaped containment." – Phillip
• [00:25:22] “Brian’s developed a palate that's sophisticated enough to taste the ghost in Pike Place roast.” – Phillip
• [00:03:35] "The building that Kells Pub exists in is the Butterworth and Sons building, which was not only a former mortuary, but it was also built on top of tribal burial grounds.” – Sarah
• [00:40:00] “There's just there's so many elements here that would actually enable this sort of storytelling around the place.” – Brian

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