Building from Scratch – Everett entrepreneurs are all in for change
Building from Scratch – Everett entrepreneurs are all in for change
What happens when something you need doesn’t exist? In Everett, entrepreneurs are answering that question by building it themselves. From a play café for young families to a cybersecurity firm protecting local businesses, these stories show how real needs spark lasting ventures.
By Wendy Poischbeg
Some people wait for change. Others build it.
In Everett, the second kind tends to open storefronts, sign leases, and turn ideas into places the rest of us gather.
Businesses here are not born in boardrooms. They start at kitchen tables. In quiet conversations between spouses. In moments when someone looks around and thinks, there has to be a better way.
For Azka Mistry of Little Pandas Play Café, Holly Burkett-Pohland of Burkett’s, and Eric Stefanik of Elliptic Systems, entrepreneurship did not begin with spreadsheets. It began with something more personal: a pull they could not ignore.
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A Place That Didn’t Exist Yet
Little Pandas Play Café is bright, busy, and full of laughter. On any given afternoon, parents sip lattes while little ones climb padded structures or disappear into pastel castles. Grip socks shuffle across soft flooring. Birthday balloons float near café tables. Community hums in the background.
Azka Mistry built it because she needed it.
After more than a decade in banking, marketing and tech, Azka became a mother and realized Everett lacked a space where children under six could play safely while parents stayed connected – and caffeinated. She wanted somewhere open beyond a short play window. She wanted a beautiful, welcoming coffee shop where families could linger. Somewhere vibrant. Somewhere clean. Somewhere she could breathe while her child explored.
When she could not find it, she created it.
Little Pandas is open morning to evening, designed for families navigating nap schedules and workdays. It is an indoor playground, yes, but it is also a social hub. Parents meet there. Friendships form there. The café draws neighbors who simply want a coffee or sweet treat, blending everyday customers with families in play mode.
Azka’s vision was simple: build the space she wished existed. Today, Azka is expanding Little Pandas into Snohomish and King County as owner-operated locations, thoughtfully growing the brand while maintaining the hands-on care and high standards that built its loyal following
The Long View
If Azka represents the spark of something new, Holly Burkett-Pohland represents staying power.
Burkett’s has been a fixture in downtown Everett for decades, and for nearly 30 years, Holly has shaped its direction. She built her own career in retail before purchasing the store in 1996 and making it her own.
Since then, she has reshaped and expanded Burkett’s while holding firm to its values of family, fashion, and community. She added a home and gift division, reworked nearly 5,000 square feet to reflect how customers shop, and introduced men’s apparel after recognizing who was already walking the floor.
But what truly sets Burkett’s apart is unreasonable hospitality.
Holly knows her customers’ stories. Birthdays are remembered. Milestones are noted. Thank-you cards arrive in mailboxes. Clients are greeted as friends, not transactions.
Through fashion shows, private events, and curated gatherings, Burkett’s has become more than a boutique. Friendships form between fitting rooms. Traditions build around seasonal launches. For many, shopping there feels like belonging.
For Holly, that is the point. Hospitality is not an add-on. It is the foundation.
Building Protection in a Digital World
Not every business begins with a storefront.
Some begin with a responsibility.
Eric Stefanik has spent more than two decades in information security, but his work has always been about helping people do what they do best without fear. Long before cybersecurity, he worked in personal training, studying physical fitness and nutrition, guiding clients toward stronger, healthier lives. He loved teaching. He loved watching confidence grow.
That desire to strengthen and protect never changed. The arena did.
Today, as founder of Everett-based Elliptic Systems, Eric helps business owners protect what they have poured themselves into building. The law firm built on reputation. The medical practice built on trust. The accounting office built on precision. The construction company built on teamwork and long hours.
He understands that most owners did not start their business to become experts in cybersecurity or artificial intelligence. They started to serve clients. To solve problems. To create something lasting.
Eric meets them there.
He is a bestselling author and keynote speaker, known for translating complex cybersecurity and artificial intelligence into practical guidance.
But away from conference stages, his work is quieter and more personal. It is sitting across the table from an owner and asking, What keeps you up at night?
Because a breach is not just technical. It is personal. It affects livelihoods. Employees. Families. Years of effort.
Artificial intelligence, in his world, is not hype. It is a tool that can ease administrative strain, tighten compliance, streamline operations, and free teams to focus on what matters most. He builds solutions around the business, not the other way around.
At its core, his work is about care. Protecting the trust clients place in local businesses. Helping owners move forward with confidence.
When systems run smoothly.
When risks are reduced.
When owners can focus on growth instead of fear.
That is the work.
The Thread That Connects Them
Different industries. Different stages. Different motivations.
Yet the thread is clear.
Each owner saw something missing and stepped forward. They put time, money, and reputation on the line.
Some people wait.
Others ask a different question: What if I built this myself?
And so they did.
