Highland Park Corner Store in West Seattle is more than just a neighborhood shop, it’s a community hub where locals gather for coffee, New Zealand-style ice cream, and locally made goods. Owned by Meaghan Haas, the corner store and its sister spot, Tip Top Ice Cream Shop, intentionally stock products from women-owned, BIPOC-owned, and LGBTQ-owned small businesses. From craft beer on tap to freshly brewed coffee and unique treats, Highland Park Corner Store is helping keep the tradition of West Seattle’s neighborhood gathering places alive.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Megan, tell us a little bit about your journey. How did you come to be the owner of this adorable corner store?
It started during the pandemic. I moved to the neighborhood, saw the place for lease, and had always wanted to start a community-centric corner store. I’d seen great examples living in New York and traveling in South Carolina. We saw the opportunity and jumped on it.
What types of things do you sell?
We started as a coffee shop with a full-service espresso bar. We have New Zealand-style ice cream under the Tip Top brand, deli and breakfast sandwiches, granola parfaits, beer, and wine for onsite or carryout. We also stock neighborhood essentials like milk, bread, chips, candy, baked goods, and snacks. The intent is to support as many small businesses as possible.
Can you tell me a little bit about the brands that you’re intentionally stocking?
Our beer on tap comes only from breweries that are female or BIPOC or LGBTQ-owned or led. In groceries and snacks, I try to stock local businesses whenever possible. We have Boon Boona and Cloud City, a female-owned coffee roaster, as well as QED coffee (which we serve in our coffee shop). Maeve Chocolates, Dolcetta (a female-run chocolate shop in Georgetown), and Seattle Seafoam, an LGBTQ family in West Seattle who make the seafoam topping for our ice cream and also sell chocolate-covered seafoam here. Papa Tony’s hot sauces and custom spice dust for our ice cream are customer favorites. We try to carry as many local products as possible, supporting local families and businesses.
That’s amazing. You just mentioned two things I don’t think I’ve ever heard of. What is seafoam?
Seafoam, called Hokey Pokey in New Zealand, is made from honey, sugar, and corn syrup. You heat it, it expands, hardens, and crystallizes into airy toffee. It’s chewy inside, distinctive, and great on ice cream or as a snack.
Because of the BECU Equity in Action tab, customers can try a small serving of the ice cream with a topping – but what IS “New Zealand” ice cream?
New Zealand ice cream is a hard-pack ice cream base, sweet cream or coconut cream, blended with frozen fruit in a special machine. It comes out with a soft-serve consistency and is fruit-forward without sugary extracts. It started in the South Island of New Zealand about a decade ago on fruit farms. I lived there while in university, and on subsequent trips I saw it and thought it would be great locally. We imported the machine, and this is our third summer serving it.
It’s fresh tasting, fruity, sweet but not overly sugary. Just really refreshing and unique.
What were you doing before you opened the store?
I worked in the events industry for 18 years, starting with music festivals like Bumbershoot and One Reel Organization. I later worked in experiential marketing for corporate companies.
What do you like about this now?
I enjoyed bringing people together in events, and that’s the same approach I took with the store. I wanted to create a space in my community where people could gather for coffee or beer with a friend or neighbor.
What else do you want people to know about the Highland Park Corner Store and Tip Top Ice Cream Shop?
We’re here in this little corner of West Seattle. We carefully choose our products and intentionally support small businesses. That’s unique, and I’d love more people to understand that.
Was this always a corner store?
It was vacant for two years before my landlord bought it and brought me in. A neighbor who worked here in the ’80s told us there used to be scoop ice cream, pinball machines, and more. It’s been a community store for decades.
If you could fast forwarded to two years from now, what would you want to be doing?
I’d love to continue finding and supporting more local businesses. Ideally, everything we carry would be made locally to keep money in the community. We host community events — food trucks every Thursday, Oktoberfest, and St. Patrick’s Day. I’d like to add more events to bring the community together.
We recently reconfigured the space, removing shelves to add more seating for families. In the middle of the day, we often have parents and young children looking for an outing. Expanding seating has been well received, and it’s been interesting to see and adapt to the neighborhood’s needs.
Intentionalist is all about supporting small businesses. Why is that important to you?
West Seattle used to have many corner stores, but they’ve slowly disappeared or been repurposed. There’s a movement to bring them back, and it reflects people’s desire to support neighbors who have taken the chance to start something. The best way to support small businesses is to shop with them, spend your money locally, and buy their products.