By Quinn Propst | Ward Media Staff Reporter
Their journey together began in high school, where they shared a love for storytelling through film and theater. Years later, the two reconnected and were able to combine their backgrounds—Kevin in performing arts and film, and Bittina in journalism and communications—to create opportunities that bring people together through books, film, and community engagement.
Away With Words features books by local authors, artisan goods, and handmade bath and body products. But it is more than just a book and bath shop, it’s a space that celebrates creativity and storytelling.
The Poulsbo Film Festival, which they launched in 2022, has quickly become a key event in the local arts scene. Showcasing independent films from around the world, the festival transforms Poulsbo businesses into screening venues, supporting the local economy while celebrating storytelling. As they prepare for their fourth season in 2025 and transition the festival into a nonprofit, Kevin and Bittina remain dedicated to fostering creativity and community connections through both film and literature.
Please tell our readers a little bit about yourselves.
Hi! We are Bittina and Kevin Sheen. Husband and wife business duo. So – crazy story… in the year 2022, we founded/had the idea to create the Poulsbo Film Festival, got engaged, got married, produced our first festival, and then bought a bookstore. But, going back, like WAY back, we met in high school and went to senior prom together. We actually made movies with Kevin’s best friend way back then, and worked backstage on theater productions together. Our love for the arts started young and runs deep. We went our separate ways in 2004 and reconnected in 2020. During that time apart, Kevin got a degree in performing arts from The Evergreen State College, and Bittina got hers in Print Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. Kevin has worked a lot in film (acting and production) and Bittina worked in a wide variety of industries from bus sales to hospital administration and a lot of hospitality mixed in there as well. But, in all of these life adventures, nothing compares to the unique experience of being a “Poulsbo person.” There is really something to be said for being able to bump into multiple people you know at any establishment on any given day. On top of our businesses, we also both work as marketing consultants, and are members of Crossroads Rotary. We’ve got two kids, and have somehow fit volunteer coaching one season of soccer, little league, and basketball into our schedules. We consider ourselves very lucky that we love what we do and that we get to spend every day working on this dream together. Sometimes after we lock up the shop at the end of the day and walk down the street to grab dinner we look around, taking in the view, and say to each other “this is our town, where we own a freaking store, right on Front Street!”
Please tell our readers about Away With Words and the Poulsbo Film Festival.
At Away With Words we try to focus on small brands and artisans who make high-quality, sustainable goods. We love having a space to offer our customers some of our favorite things while celebrating storytelling and using the space to bring others up and create conversation around stories and pop culture! In our shop you’ll find a wide assortment of books written by local authors (also signed) as well as incredible smells from soaps, lotions, scrubs, bath bombs, and shower steamers. We tend to tell our customers to go right ahead and treat yo’ self!
The Poulsbo Film Festival was started in March of 2022 when both Kevin and Bittina had confidence that a film festival could not only survive but thrive in our community. Obviously when you start something like this there is no guarantee, given the amount of layers an event like this has, but we are incredibly passionate about film, stories, artists, and our community. Three years later we’ve now screened over 100 independent films from all over the world in Poulsbo and we’re looking forward to our 4th season which will take place October 10-12, 2025.
What inspired you to purchase Away With Words, and how has it evolved under your ownership?
Through the film festival and Bittina’s volunteer work in Poulsbo, we gained so many amazing connections in the downtown area and got to know a lot of the business owners. The co-founder of Away With Words, Elise, was a friend of ours, and actually, a bridesmaid in our wedding. Around the time of the first PFF, she started talking about wanting to sell the business. Originally, it was out of reach for us, and wasn’t totally on our radar, although we knew that whoever did buy it would be inheriting such a great shop (and location) – fast forward a few months and we found out that she was lowering the price. It was literally a few days before Christmas 2022 (and she was headed to Mexico a few days later) so we had to make a quick decision. We took a shot in the dark, not knowing anything about owning a bookstore – because of how deeply we believe in the business community of Downtown Poulsbo. We had great support (and still do) from both of our families, and honestly could not have made it this far without the support and love from our customers and business neighbors. We now have two solid years under our belts, and feel great about the evolution of the shop into what feels like more “our own” vibe. We are proud to carry ceramics made by Kevin’s parents – who have been selling at Pike Place Market since the 1970s, and have really shifted more into our own interests while keeping the main theme of the shop the same.
How do you curate the selection of books and goods you offer in the store?
We get this question a lot. Which totally makes sense and is one of the most fun parts of our jobs. A lot of it comes down to our own interests. Kevin tends to lurk in the dark corners with his interest in horror, the macabre, whodunnits, and general spookiness. While Bittina often keeps up with the light hearted romance and comedies, as well as contemporary dramas and the occasional non-fiction or celebrity memoir. We try to complement each other and offer a variety of titles that speak to the “something for everyone” methodology at the shop. We also pride ourselves on a fun and diverse kids section. Because we have two kids and often read to them at home, we are constantly searching for the next best kids books.
In terms of our sideline products, we lean heavily into bath and body products that often align with the book-centric tones of our shop. The edit apothecary line of lotions, bath bombs, soap, and scrubs have our book-themed names and it circles back to the treat yo’ self vibe we aim for. We also happen to make all of our sugar scrubs and body lotions in house, which customers love because they get to speak with the maker of the product and support local artisans!
Local authors are overwhelmingly popular at our shop! So we always try to keep our shelves stocked with names like Julie Farley, Rachel Linden, D.D. Black, Eve Casey, Gregg Olsen, Edna Cowell Martin, Steve Sieberson, Kendare Blake, Emily Rath, Kristin Hannah, and many more.
Other big sellers at the shop include stickers, rubber ducks, earrings, ceramics, hair clips, and pins!
What inspired you to create the Poulsbo Film Festival and how has it grown since its inception?
We saw what we thought to be a void in the Poulsbo arts scene, and wanted to bring something new and interesting to our town. Kevin ran a film festival in Shoreline for 6 years when he was working for the Shorelake Arts Council. It was such a great program of short films all made in Washington, and Bittina volunteered to help out for the last couple of years that he was doing that festival – including the pandemic year that brought a drive-in film festival which was a really unique workaround. After being out in Kitsap for a while and the Shoreline job shifting back to more in-person work, Kevin started looking for work in Poulsbo. His very last day working in Shoreline was actually the 2022 Short Short Film Festival. On the ferry back we were talking about how much we would miss doing a film festival because of all of the great memories. A couple days later, we were online filling out paperwork to start the Poulsbo Film Festival. The first year, we did everything ourselves and we were on a VERY small budget (thank you to those amazing sponsors who believed in our concept!) Since then, we have received grant money from the City of Poulsbo through lodging tax funds, which has helped tremendously. We have had a lot of sponsors come back year after year, happy with what their sponsorships help make possible.
What kind of impact do you hope the festival has on Poulsbo and the arts community?
One of our favorite parts of producing the festival in Poulsbo is being able to put money back into other local businesses. Not having a movie theater downtown, we create pop-up venues within other businesses – and we couldn’t be happier seeing the festival attendees eating and drinking and supporting our neighbors and friends. We coined the phrase “storytelling in all spaces” and have had screenings in a brewery, wine bar, art gallery, and aquarium. Organizers from the West Sound Film Festival in Bremerton and Bainbridge Island Film Festival have attended the festival (and we have gone to theirs as well) – and it is just such a fabulous community to be a part of. We have recently gotten more connected with the Olympic College Film Program, and look forward to more collaborations and opportunities there too.
Can you share a favorite moment or standout film from past festivals?
Being able to bring filmmakers who have never seen Poulsbo before- whether from New York, or California, or Connecticut, and seeing their genuine reaction to how charming our town is. Getting to share our favorite place with these folks, and see them watch their film alongside our community is priceless. We have had filmmakers say that their Poulsbo screening was their favorite to date… and these are folks who have traveled all over the US or Internationally with their films- that says a lot. 2024 was the biggest year of firsts for us. We were invited to North Bend for Austrian-American day and got to meet the filmmakers and both the Austrian and Seattle Mountain Rescue Teams that were featured in the film “The Volunteers – Mountain Rescue Brings Us Home.” We also got to promote the festival on a King 5 morning news segment (which included a 3:30 AM wake up time for us!) Sadly, we recently learned of the tragic death of Seattle filmmaker Della Chen, who directed the documentary “She Marches In Chinatown” about the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team. Della attended the 2024 festival and was so inspiring. We feel so fortunate to have had the chance to screen her film and have her attend our festival.
Both of your businesses play a vital role in enriching Poulsbo’s arts and culture scene. What drives your passion for fostering creativity and community through your work?
We hold the power of independent, diverse storytelling in the highest regard. Filmmaking is a form of expression that is often everlasting, something that will stick with you for a very long time. Especially if you’re given the immediate opportunity to speak or listen to the filmmakers. The nice thing too is that it teaches us a wide variety of ways to be empathetic through endless characters and stories. Which we feel is as important as ever. Not only is the festival a chance for the local community to experience this important form of art, but it gives us an opportunity to showcase our town to visitors and filmmakers from all over the country. We love how our bookshop is another avenue to celebrate storytelling – and also the opportunity that we have to sell the wares of other local artists and creatives. We pride ourselves in that 10/10 of our 2024 best selling books were written by local authors. The relationships we have created with these authors is probably one of our favorite parts of what we do. They are always so excited when we ask to order more books or host them for events- and that is really what we are about – celebrating and uplifting artists.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs looking to start or acquire a business in the arts and culture space?
One surprising thing that we have learned along this journey is that similar businesses are not necessarily your competition – they are a valuable resource and there are potential collaborations. We have made friends with other bookstore owners and film festival organizers and there has been nothing but great work that has come from these relationships. Also, be prepared that you will most certainly work crazy/odd hours, and you might need to keep a side gig or other job to pay the bills while you work on your passion. Meet your potential neighbors, and really plant your roots in the community you want to serve, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
What are the key lessons you’ve learned about running a business in a small town like Poulsbo?
Running a brick and mortar shop in Poulsbo is definitely heavily reliant on tourists. We love seeing locals and have wonderful regulars who stop in all the time. April to September (and beyond) it is amazing to see people from literally all over the world. We have definitely learned what random things people love to buy (funny hair clips, quirky earrings, and rubber ducks being near the top of that list) One of the biggest lessons we have learned is about surviving the slow season – or as we dubbed it this year “the hustle harder season” – where we have implemented pop-ups or events to help supplement or boost the slower sales.
What’s next for both Away With Words and the Poulsbo Film Festival?
For Away With Words, we are looking forward to Independent Bookstore Day on April 26th – this is a national “bookstore holiday” that is our busiest shopping day of the year and just an all around celebration of indie bookstores. We are going to be on the Seattle Indie Bookstore Day passport so we expect to see lots of folks from the other side of the water, and we will have a few authors in the shop signing books as well. We are also looking forward to some more collaborations with the amazing folks at BARN Bainbridge for some local author events they have coming up. Big news for Poulsbo Film Festival, we are almost done with the process of converting to a 501c3 non-profit – which will be the Poulsbo Film Festival Foundation (this has been a JOURNEY) and we are so excited for all that will open up for us for the potential of growth with more arts and culture grants, and being able to do more fundraising and offer greater support to student filmmakers and those just starting out. We are just wrapping up our inaugural 47.7 Hour Film Challenge project – which welcomed 9 teams of filmmakers to Poulsbo to create a short film in just 47.7 hours. It was amazing to see them all over town that weekend making their films, and we love how they all turned out.
If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice before starting this journey, what would it be?
(Through the good and hard times) Remember to have fun and enjoy the people you meet along the way, and don’t doubt yourself. Also, don’t wait 10 months before categorizing all of your transactions in quickbooks. It is MUCH easier to do it as you go.
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