Decades in the making
The business that has been part of town for as long as anyone can remember.
Why we started it
Kitsap County is home. Generations of our family began here, and a lot of our own history is woven into its shoreline towns.
Several generations of our family worked at the naval shipyard in Bremerton. Tyler's grandparents owned and operated the general store in Port Gamble for years. Like so many families here, ours has stories tied to the places where people work, gather, and look out for each other.
There's a lot of history in Kitsap, and most of it lives with the people behind its businesses: the shop that's been on the corner for decades, the one that opened last spring, the one that found a new way forward after a hard year. Everyone has a story to share. We started Built in Kitsap to help get those stories out, in the owners' own words.
Nate and Tyler Walters
Every Kitsap business has a story
Long-established or brand new, family-run or first-generation, we want to hear them.
Just getting started
A new business with a reason for being, and a founder with a story worth hearing.
Passed down or reinvented
A family business on its next chapter, or one that found a new way forward.
If it's based in Kitsap County, it qualifies, including your own.
Nominations are open for 2027
Nominate a Kitsap business
Customers, employees, family, neighbors, partners, and owners are all welcome to nominate. We read every one.
1
Nominate a business
Tell us about a Kitsap business whose story deserves to be shared, including your own.
2
We reach out
We contact the owner, and mention you nominated them if you'd like.
3
Their story is shared
After a conversation with the owner, they approve their story, and we publish and celebrate it.
From every corner of Kitsap
From Hansville to Olalla, and Seabeck to Bainbridge Island, every community has businesses with stories worth telling.
Don't see your town? Every Kitsap community counts.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Common questions
Built in Kitsap is a community project of Walters Wealth Management, a family-run practice in Poulsbo. Each owner reviews and approves their story before it's published.
Businesses are featured for their history and contribution to Kitsap County. Inclusion does not indicate a client relationship with, or an endorsement of, Walters Wealth Management, and no compensation is exchanged.
What kinds of businesses can be featured?
Any business based in Kitsap County, new or long-established, family-run or not. The coffee shop that opened last spring has a story, and so does the shop that has been on Main Street for decades.
What does a featured business receive?
A feature story about your business, written from your own words and approved by you; sharing on our website and social channels and with local news outlets; a share kit of photos and suggested posts for your customers; and a framed copy of your story as a keepsake.
Is there any cost or catch?
No. There is no cost to be featured, and nothing is exchanged. The project exists to share the stories of Kitsap businesses and the people behind them.
Who approves the story?
The owner. Every story is reviewed and approved by the owner before it's published, and they can ask us to remove it.
Why is a wealth management firm doing this?
Because we work with so many business owners, we hear incredible stories all the time: how a business got its start, the hard years it survived, and the people who kept it going. After hearing so many of them, we decided they were worth sharing.
Can I nominate my own business?
Yes. Owners are welcome to nominate their own businesses, as are customers, employees, family members, and partners.