“I’ve been doing this for so many years that I just envision it, I build it layer by layer, and it comes out the way I want it.” Growing flowers and arranging bouquets is second nature to Lue Thao, a first-generation Hmong flower farmer and owner of Thai Tao Farm.

The contagious smile on Lue Thao’s face is reflected back in the smiles of patrons buying bouquets of peonies the size of softballs and other homegrown flowers from their stand at Pike Place Market. Hmong farmers make up nearly 60% of the farm vendor community at Pike Place and provide food, flowers, and an abundance of joy to the Market community, Seattleites, and tourists from near and far.

Hmong families began migrating to Seattle in the 1970s as Vietnam war refugees. In 1982, the Indochinese Farm Project was initiated with funding from King County, the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority, and Washington State University. Through these efforts a distinct Hmong farming community began to grow in the region leading to the 2022 establishment of the Washington Hmong Farmers Cooperative which boasts 14 family farms as members. Hmong farmers are largely responsible for the floral rainbow that has become a hallmark of the Pike Place Market.

“When people think of Pike Place, they’re thinking about the fish and the flowers. They are synonymous with the Market.”

-Patricia Gray, Pike Place Market Foundation Director of Philanthropy

Lue’s parents, Bao Cha and Thai Thao, came to the United States from Thailand in 1980, after fleeing Laos as war refugees. Her father Bao still farms their 12 acres in Woodinville and 30 acres in Duvall. Lue took over the family business about 10 years ago.

Farming is hard work and requires a combination of self-reliance and interdependence. “We are a family and we all do similar things, so we help each other out…If it weren’t for them [my ancestors] making sacrifices, my life would be way different. I might be, like, stuck in a cubicle,” says Lue Thao as she laughs. If you’re reading this from a cubicle, you might want to check if Pike Place Market is open. Just imagine getting up from your desk and heading to the Market to take in the sights, sounds, and smells of this local gathering place. If you can’t step away, this short video made by the Emmy Award-winning team at the Seattle Channel will give you a glimpse of the colors these farmers bring to our city.

Find information on local Hmong-grown products, and learn more about the Washington Hmong Farmers Cooperative at www.wahmongfarmers.com/our-story.

We are highlighting this story as part of our Stories in Place series which focuses on places around Seattle, big and small, that community members hold near and dear. If there is a place you would like to feature in this series let us know! Send your suggestions to seattleneighborhoods@seattle.gov.