This fishmonger has worked at Pike Place Market since he was a child

Jaison Scott was born in Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market, and he’s spent every day of his life there since.

“I was raised in a banana box behind the counter,” Scott told In The Know. “My mom has been working down here since the late ’60s. When I was born she brought me straight to work.”

Dubbed the “market ambassador,” longtime patrons know and adore Scott. The Seattle staple has worked at many of the stands at the market ever since he was just a small child. His longest stint has been at Pike Place Fish Market, where he has worked for the past 26 years.

A longtime dream of Scott’s came true when Pike Place Fish Market owner John Yokoyama decided to sell the stand to him and three other fishmongers in 2018.

“People come here because they trust who they’re buying their food from,” Ryan Reese, co-owner of Pike Place Fish Market, told In The Know. “They know they’re gonna come here and 20 years later, 25 years later, there’s gonna be Jaison. He’s gonna be there and he’s gonna make sure you’re taken care of.”

Scott works 12 hours a day with his fellow co-owners. Their dedication is emblematic of their devotion to their community. However, Scott is the only one who actually grew up and spent his entire life in the market.

“I’m 46 years old and I’ve been here for about 46 years,” Scott said. “I’ll probably be here for a while. It’s hard to leave this place. There’s people down here that are in their 80s and that still work.”

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