LYNNWOOD, Wash. — A creator from Lynnwood is honoring cocktail culture in a unique way.
She creates one-of-a-kind vintage travel bars, sourcing materials from the Northwest and around the world.
"I affectionately call my travel bars ‘The Happy Travelers,’” Kim Parsley said. "I want to bring back that time when people really enjoyed the creation of the cocktail as much as drinking the cocktail."
She curates antique and vintage glassware, books, and bar tools that fit into a variety of carriers, from camera bags to vanity cases. She was inspired by popular mid-century travel bars.
"Back in the '50s and '60s, Mad Men era, there were these suitcases. They were made for throwing back whiskey, whiskey or whiskey in an aluminum cup,” she said.
After a long career in interior design, Parsley believed she could make travel bars with both function and flair - while also practicing sustainability.
She spends hours scouring local consignment and thrift stores, searching for pieces of her puzzles. Aurora Antique Pavilion in Edmonds is a favorite spot for hunting.
"(I love) walking through that secondhand shop and seeing something that you just know was very special for its time,” she said. "I get when people have a collection of items and they just sit on a shelf, but I want these to be used again."
Each travel bar is based on a specific drink, matching each customer's individual taste. Special tags describe the history of what's inside.
But as much as Parsley celebrates cocktail culture, her cases aren't exclusively designed to carry hard alcohol. She knows plenty of people prefer mocktails, because she's one of them.
"I've had a long history of enjoying full proof cocktails and I'm now enjoying spirit-free cocktails,” she said. "It's not about how much you can drink, and how quickly. It's about the host or hostess creating the cocktail in front of you and you're sharing that whole experience and talking about the experience."
Whatever's inside - and wherever they may roam – Parsley hopes her Happy Travelers give people new reason to toast pieces of the past.
"Give them a new life, and pass that story on to someone else to enjoy,” she said.
The Happy Traveler cases can be ordered online. Parsley customizes based on special requests.
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