MERCEDES CARRABBA
Storyteller. ARTIST. Coffee Roaster.
In Altea, Spain, I seek to share the town’s rich history and artistic spirit through immersive walking tours. With an artist’s perspective, I will guide visitors through Altea, offering stories of its past and present while incorporating sketching into the experience. This town, with its art-filled streets, small businesses, and history, reminds me of Seattle’s Pike Place Market.
My family has run an art studio in Pike Place Market for over forty years, Studio Solstone. My mother, Sarah Clementson, still paints her watercolors of the Pacific Northwest, and my late father, Michael Yaeger, known as the “Mayor of Pike Place,” was a dedicated advocate for the Market community. I grew up in that world, counting change for their studio, wandering the market stalls, and later building my own businesses. I created the Market Ghost Tour and published the book Seattle’s Market Ghost Stories. I founded Ghost Alley Espresso, a hidden coffee spot in Post Alley, and Queen Anne Roasters, where I roasted and sold coffee as a guest vendor.
Now, I continue my storytelling and artistic journey in Altea. If you’re in Seattle, visit Studio Solstone in the Atrium of the Pike Place Market, where my mother still paints. And if you find yourself in Altea, join me to discover the views.