Vashon Pixel is Paul Wilkes's one-person digital shop, right here on the island. Building something ambitious? I can do that. Fighting with a device that won't cooperate? I can do that too. No job is too big, too small, or too strange to bring to me.
Most tech help comes in two flavors: a big agency that won't return your call for anything under five figures, or a help line that keeps you on hold for an hour. I'm neither. I'm the person you can text when the restaurant's mobile orders are backing up on a Friday night, and the same person who'll sit down with you and figure out how to actually build that idea you've been sketching out for your business (or your life) but don't know how to put into action.
I keep it simple: we work on it together, I explain things in plain English, and no question is a silly one. If it plugs in, logs in, or lives on a screen, it's fair game. And if I'm not the right fit for something, I'll tell you straight and point you toward who is.
Not sure if your thing is "a Vashon Pixel thing"? It almost certainly is. When in doubt, just ask.
Here's the range of what I help with. Think of these as starting points, not a menu. If what you need is somewhere in between, that's usually exactly where I do my best work.
The "give me a shout" stuff. No problem too small.
Good fit if you're thinking: "I just need someone who knows how to fix this."
Practical tech for the places that keep the island running.
Good fit if you're thinking: "Our setup works, but it's costing us time and customers."
For when you need something made, not just fixed.
Good fit if you're thinking: "There has to be a better system for this."
Sometimes you don't need it built, you need a second brain.
Good fit if you're thinking: "I just need someone who gets it to talk this through with me."
Who I've Helped
Some of the islanders and organizations I've worked with. Different problems, same approach: show up, listen, and make the tech get out of the way.
What they needed: A way to run a school supply drive where every kid in the community could be outfitted for fall from a single source. The old process had no easy way for parents to sign up, specify grades, or contribute money, and every step landed on volunteers.
What I built: A marketing site and checkout platform at supplies.vashonpto.com, running on Square (the PTO's existing POS) so it fit right into how they already operate. Parents pick how many kids they have, choose each child's grade, and donate toward supplies in one simple flow.
What it does: Gives a volunteer-run PTO a clean, self-serve donation and sign-up platform they can run themselves, year after year: no developer on retainer, no paper forms, no spreadsheet wrangling.
Visit supplies.vashonpto.com →What they needed: A cluster of problems under one roof: an aging sound system, a website that was a chore to keep current, and a way off Facebook for streaming Sunday services.
What I built: A new sound system first, then a reworked website that updates itself from Google Calendar, backed by a portal where the church secretary runs the newsletter, volunteer sign-ups, and Sunday streaming, no technical know-how required. Services now stream from the church's own site, with audio fed straight from the new sound board.
What it does: Gives the church one self-managed hub for sound, web, and streaming, and broadcasts services from a site they actually control.
Visit holyspiritvashon.org →What they needed: A single place to keep an eye on the water system: chlorine levels, tank levels, and historical data that were scattered and hard to track, plus a better way to keep customers in the loop about repairs and outages.
What I built: A dashboard that shows chlorine levels, tank levels, and history in one view, with a built-in communications module so the board can alert customers by email and text. A new website rounds it out: residents text a single number to report a problem, and the board gets pinged automatically.
What it does: Turns a volunteer-run water system into something that runs like a real utility: system health at a glance, every customer reachable in seconds, and one obvious place to report a problem.
Visit beulahparkws.org →
I'm Paul Wilkes. I grew up assembling and dismantling Intel 386s and everything that came after. Since then I've owned and worked in companies across branding, hospitality, and retail, so I know small business and personal tech needs from both sides of the counter. When I'm not fixing computers, I'm raising my family on a farm on the west side and restoring my old wooden boat in Quartermaster Harbor.
No project too small, no idea too big, and no such thing as a dumb tech question. Tell me what's going on and I'll tell you honestly how I can help.
Get in touch →