SEATTLE --On a tree-lined street in the city's Madison Park neighborhood filled with fancy cars and million-dollar homes, Jeff Soule stands out.

"I used to live here," he said.

Soule is no longer a neighborhood resident, but he returned to his old neck of the woods in search of work. And he came prepared to really put himself out there.

The out-of-work architect put aside his ego and put on his sandwich sign.

"It's not easy but if it gets me work, I'll do it," he said. "I think it just takes some guts."

To stay afloat in these tough times, Soule held a garage sale. He sold artwork, silver, his antique car. Now, he's looking for work.

Soule says he has worked on homes and businesses in Madison Park.

"I've designed some restaurants here, like Sostanza," he said.

But times have changed since.

"It's pretty tough right now. Just finished a project, but when you finish a project the fees stop," he said.

Soule says advertising his services on the Web hasn't worked. Even standing outside Lowe's didn't land him any leads.

"About 70 calls, and nobody's hiring right now," he said.

But in a neighborhood where there's only one road in and one road out, he figures he'll get more jobs on this sidewalk than he did on the phone.

Before packing up his sign for the day, Soule made three job contacts. For this architect, it appears pounding the pavement paid off.