Pike Place Fish Market

The Pike Place Fish Market was purchased in 1965 by John Yokoyama, a former employee of the fish market who believed the purchase would ultimately enable him to afford the car payments on his new Buick Riviera. Little known beyond the Seattle area, the market was nearly bankrupt in 1986, when Yokoyama and his staff sought advice from consultant Jim Bergquist. The bronze piggy-bank sculpture nicknamed "Rachel", a popular symbol of the market, was created by Whidbey Island sculptor Georgia Gerber in 1986. It raises about $10,000 per year in donations for housing and services in low income areas. Four years later, in 1990, Ted Turner's Goodwill Games were held in Seattle. News crews at the Pike Place Market discovered the fish market and its performances with customers, and they filmed them. Soon afterwards, the fish market appeared on Good Morning America, leading to the business and its employees being filmed by various film crews, and being featured in numerous magazines. Today, the fishmongers at Pike Place Fish Market perform in front of up to 10,000 visitors a day during the summer tourist season. Another popular feature of the Fish Market is the monkfish, which sometimes is made to "snap" at customers by use of a hidden line. In 1991, CNN named the Pike Place Fish Market as one of the three most fun places to work in America. ==Fish throwing==

The Pike Place Fish Market is widely known for its custom of hurling customers' orders across the shopping area. A typical routine will involve a customer ordering a fish; the fishmongers in orange rubber overalls and boots will call out the order which is loudly shouted back by all the other staff, at which point the original fishmonger will throw the customer's fish behind the counter to be wrapped. Occasionally they will throw a foam fish into the crowd to scare bystanders, or select a customer from the crowds to participate in the fish toss. The market displays a sign in the general area which reads "Caution: Low Flying Fish". ==Films, books and popular culture==

In 1998, the Pike Place Fish Market was the subject of a documentary film and accompanying book, FISH! Philosophy. Reference to the Pike Place Fish Market is also made by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis in their 2015 single "Downtown" featuring Eric Nally, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee and Grandmaster Caz. ==References==