Ten years may seem like a drop in the bucket, but stop and think: ten years ago, George Bush was elected for his second term (this very month), and here in Seattle in 2004, the $165.5 million Rem Koolhaus-designed downtown Central Library opened, Jim McDermott had recently achieved rockstar status for his comments in Michael Moore’s Farenheit 9/11, and small plates were just starting to trend in restaurants. This week for Throwback Thursday, we dig into our own archives—which have conveniently archived the city quite beautifully—and give you a peek at what was happening in November 2004 in Seattle. In the highlights below, read how more has changed than we realize.

COVER STORY: The Power List: 25 Most Influential People in Seattle

The whole list is notable, so it’s hard to know where to start or stop, but here is a sampling of who was chosen for our Most Influential 2004 list:

1. Carl Mack, President, Seattle-King County NAACP

Capping the list of Seattle’s 25 Most Influential People of 2004, Carl Mack, president of the Seattle-King County NAACP is on the decade-old cover, megaphone in hand. He earned this spot because he had recently re-enlivened the the 91-year-old local chapter of the NAACP, multiplying its membership three-fold in the first two years of his presidency.

2. Jim McDermott, U.S. Congressman, Democrat

In 2004, Jim McDermott had recently been made famous by his comments in Michael Moore’s anti-Bush documentary Farenheit 9/11. In the film, he expressed his dispproval of the Iraq War, and the opposition (by this time, considered prescient) he had communicated early on.

Jim McDermott in DC in May 2004; photo credit: Mike Decesare

3. Mark Driscoll, Pastor, Founder, Mars Hills Church

The then-39-year-old pastor and founder of the first Mars Hill Church in Ballard was drawing thousands of churchgoers weekly ten years ago at his first church branch in “famously secular Seattle.” At the time, he commented, “I see us as theologically conservative and culturally liberal, which puts us at odds with everybody.” Ten years later, after gaining nine locations in Washington, one in Oregon, California, and New Mexico each, Mars Hill Church has decided to close its doors at the end of this year. 

 4. Deborah L. Jacobs, City Librarian, Seattle Public Library

Jacobs was a major player in the “new” Central Library that launched in May 2004. 

5. Pramila Jayapal, Founder and Executive Director, Hate Free Zone Washington

With 9/11 much more on top of mind, this organization serving mainly immigrants was fighting discrimination of various sorts in Washington state in 2004. It set up an anti-discrimination program in local schools, and started a Muslim voter registration campaign.  

It’s also worth noting that the introduction to the Most Influential cover story began, “Seattle isn’t a showboat kind of town,” and discussed how “the very word ‘influence’ caused more than a few pained expressions to break out.” Additionally, the article goes on, it evoked the “suitably Seattle humble query, ‘Who, me?'”

Maybe not that much has changed after all.

OTHER FEATURES IN THE NOVEMBER 2004 EDITION:

NEIGHBORHOODS: South Lake Union transformation

In the article “Bio-Boom or Bust?” James Bush wrote, “On the shores of South Lake Union, a close-in neighborhood will rise with brand-new condominiums, upgraded perks, a streetcar connecting to downtown and biotechnology businesses with high-paying jobs for thousands of Seattleites. Sounds good so far?”

Old-timers remember a SLU before it was Seattle’s biotech hub, home of Amazon, and a growing spread of restaurants, coffee shops and retailers. They remember, maybe even, when Mayor Greg Nickels made the 20-year transformation of South Lake Union (“from former industrial-warehouse district to dynamic multi-use neighborhood”) his main priority during his first term.

If the neighborhood’s Whole Foods Market is any indication–which opened up shop at 2200 Westlake in 2006–it seems Nickels has reached his goal. Today, the South Lake Union specialty grocery store is the busiest Whole Foods branch in the country during the 12 to 1 p.m. lunchtime hour, with a record of nearly 1,400 transactions during that interval; traffic the retailer attributes largely to Amazon. There were growing pains certainly—the still hilarious acronym that followed the first streetcar attempt, originally named South Lake Union Transit, comes to mind—but it seems the neighborhood has found its stride and then some.  

The article with a photo of ZymoGenetics, with its headquarters in the old Seattle City Light Steam Plant building; the original caption says “the city hopes to attract [more] biotech businesses” like this one; photo credit: Kevin P. Casey.

FOOD: Thanksgiving to Go

While most Seattle grocery stores and many restaurants are lining up to cook you Thanksgiving dinner or give you turkey and fixings to take home this year, this was a novel idea in 2004. In the issue, two Seattle area businesses—Lisa Dupar Catering and Metropolitan Market—were profiled for offering takeout Thanksgiving meals, “taking 98 percent of the hassle out of the holiday meal.” Today, both still offer to-go meals for the holiday, as do most major grocery stores (including Whole Foods, PCC, Safeway, and QFC) and many restaurants (London Plane, Tom Douglas’ Home Remedy and Jack’s BBQ). What’s has changed is the cost: In 2004, Lisa Dupar’s eight-dish meal for six cost $198. This year it’s $300.

ART: Customized Holiday Card Making

Since the inception of iPhoto and a slew of other software that make it beyond easy to self-design a set of custom holiday cards–photos and all–in a few clicks, it’s hard to remember when we didn’t have that option. A 2004 feature on custom-made holiday greeting cards, however, takes us back, paper and glue style.

The 2004 Seattle mag staff suggested hiring Rachel Brandzel, owner of Real Card Company in Madison Valley, or another designer to choose paper (textured, if desired), colors, photos, and a message, and let these experts do the work. No doubt these cards were much fancier than what we usually print on our own today, and clients paid for that quality: “Count on spending $5-$15 per card, with letterpress, photography and fine paper adding to the cost,” the article read.

FYI, Rachel Brandzel is still busy creating, though her Real Card Company now goes by Rachel Brandzel Creative. It does a range of branding, marketing, and art direction work today, no longer with a storefront, but it still makes customized holiday cards–mainly for what Brandzel describes as a “legacy” group of families she’s worked with for years (today, $8-$18 per card). Brandzel says she has enjoyed the experience of getting to know these families, and what has changed with them over time. She still works with some new clients each year as well, but the card business has shrunk in the last decade, largely due to the increase of options online. Nonethless, she still feels theirs is a niche product that many appreciate, as “one size doesn’t fit all.”

Real Card Company customized holiday card designs from 2004; photo credit: Rachel Brandzel

Rachel Branzel Creative current customized holiday card designs; photo credit: Rachel Brandzel