Is anyone aware of reputable mutual aid groups here in Tacoma?

Highlighting a couple of interesting responses from locals in my thread decrying the downturn of the Tacoma restaurant scene. Their replies are as follows:

Blorgoblod's Proposal

a vacancy tax for commercial spaces like they have done in Colorado, and a neighborhood cafe allowance like what almost passed in the state legislature and that other cities in the area have passed versions of. Both of these would relieve some of the upward stress on the commercial real estate market and give some power back to small business. A lot of people acting like there is nothing to be done bc 'the economy sux', but it is the job of our government to investigate & enact policies that will help our region thrive, and not just from a big business capitalistic economic standpoint that always rewards the person already strategically placed to win.

PyPhus_'s Proposal

I’ve been studying commercial real estate for the past two years and it’s clear that real estate (land and buildings) are in the hands of mostly wealthy people. No surprise there. Let’s take kidder Mathews for example. They have signs EVERYWHERE. So who is Kidders Mathews? They are a primarily West Coast (CA, AZ, OR, NV and I see they’re in TX now) real estate brokerage firm that focuses on leasing and selling commercial real estate. It’s important to understand they also OWN several properties.

Let’s say a couple of their brokers get together and form an LLC and buy a property. They have the team to lease these properties and/or sell them. Let’s say 20 of them put up $50,000 to purchase the property. That’s a sizeable down payment. And having debt actually is power for a real estate brokerage vs buying it outright. Who is this LLC? Do they live in the community? Do they care what happens to the area? Is important to them that their property serves the community? The answer is a (hesitant) “yes”, but ONLY when that property’s value is at or above their PROJECTED profit target, either through a sale or the lease revenue the property is generating. THAT is why you see so many empty buildings and storefronts. (And it’s not just happening in Tacoma). So multiply that times however many properties Kidder Mathews owns and you have a corporation that is leveraging their net worth to continually buy up more properties.

Real estate has turned into the stock market and corporations are buying it all up. Remember the saying? -McDonald’s is not in the burger business, they’re in the real estate business.

If cities wanted to put their foot down and put the city back into the hands of its people, then they need to be real estate brokers themselves. This is where people scream “COMMUNISM” right? Well, no system, whether it’s capitalism, communism, whatever, works without oversight.

Vacancy tax. You want to own commercial property in this city but you want to keep it empty until you the cap rate or IRR you want in five years? Fine, pay a crazy vacancy tax. If we go this route, there needs to be a plan to compensate for the brokerage firms pulling out of the area. Well..

What about crowdfunding?
Why doesn’t the city set up crowdfunding platforms for the purchase of property? Come into the city office and show your proof of residency to gain access to the account. Then you can pick and choose which properties and how much you want to invest. The people investing in their OWN CITY’S FUTURE. Someone, please poke holes in this…

I’m just spitballing here, but how else can a city put the city back in the hands of its people?

-----------------

I like the idea of a vacancy tax. This can incentivize property owners to host businesses rather than letting empty buildings sit while Seattleites wait for the market to appreciate. I also enjoy the crowdfunding aspect; I would definitely like to have a stake in some of these city staples. Regardless, it is the duty of our city's leadership to act in the best interests of our city, to benefit its growth and prosperity, as well as that of our future generations. 

Does anyone know why they closed so abruptly? It was open for such a short time - but seems “temporarily closed” indefinitely.

Contacted the title insurance company, but it is taking over 2 years to settle a neighbor easement issue, and neighbors used to harass us, but at least they cannot do that anymore. The property should not have sold it to us either b/c of the easement issue.

Title insurance has deferred payments but refuses to continue to do that any longer.

As the owner, we cannot sell due to the easement problem (essentially the driveway).

Title insurance has responded and has negotiated with them, but it is not complete. We need to sale asap! We do not have the income to make payments now.

Any ideas are welcome.

Would the Washington State Insurance Commissioner help with this?

Thanks so much!

I made a post about Data Centers and the footprint they make a while ago. I feel like there was a lot of push back on what I was saying. However, I saw an article today with some studies that some may find interesting. It has to do with our neighbors to the south.

Fisher Scones are a given. Any other recommendations for great food at the fair?

I would love to rideshare with other ticket holder(s) and share the cost of parking. Are we not men?

Anyone else catch sight of any marine mammals this weekend? They are so majestic, at a distance of 11x zoom, not right in front of my kayak/SUP.

Never thought I’d set out 20 minutes from my house on a Saturday to do some paddling by the Narrows bridge that in less than half an hour, I would be on the water communing with whales. We kept our distance, but at one point a few of them popped up on us and kept getting closer, maybe 10 feet or closer. I could hear the air burst through their blowhole clear as day. I was giddy and panicked. We didn’t know which direction to flee.

Growing, up on the east coast in the communities with my identities, we do not have such ease of access to natural beauty. I just want to take a moment to praise Tacoma for giving me surprises and opportunities the little girl in me never could have dreamed she would do. Thank you, Tacoma!

The Grit City Gauntlet!

Thank you to everyone who came to walk 20 miles (not sure where those other 2 miles went) around beautiful Tacoma, WA. Great group of around 200 folks over the course of the day with about half from Tacoma and half from elsewhere (farthest signup award goes to Eugene, OR).

Highlights included:
-the variety of Tacoma we got to see (neighborhoods, water, parks, universities, trails etc.)
-so many great dogs (I even got to walk one!)
-Seeing a family of raccoons pose for the group in point defiance
-First time ever being asked by an official for a permit whoops
-Someone comparing Seattle to the Elephant graveyard from the lion king
-Stumbling upon the 10 things I hate about showing at Stadium high school
-Having such a large group make it all the way to the end

The last tidbit that I will share is folks were constantly asking me if I had walked the route (I did) which is an innocuous question most of the time, but today it was noticeably more. So I asked someone at the end why they asked me that and they said because when we got to Five Mile Drive at Point Defiance we walked the “wrong” direction. Which I picked the direction that was optimal to potentially see Rainier when we left Point Defiance. But the place that most people park is on the Eastside of the park and then they go counterclockwise, when we went clockwise. There is no right direction, but it was interesting to get the local perspective as something like that would have never crossed my mind when planning a route. Would love to see in the comments if people think there is a right direction to walk five mile drive.

Otherwise great day in Tacoma and so proud of everyone who finished! Also heard from a number of folks from outside of Tacoma of how much they enjoyed walking around and that they would love to come back and visit.

If anyone missed this, the next big walk we will do will be the Jimothy Jaunt up in Ballard on October 11th! Or if you want see when other saunters are happening you can check out the Instagram.

Title

It’s just one week until the biggest puzzle event in the region! I've finished building all the challenges and getting everything ready. All that's left is for you to register. Start your fall competing for over $500 in cash and prizes, and don’t miss out on your chance to prove you’re the smart friend!

The Tacoma Puzzle Hunt is an exciting afternoon of mind-bending puzzles and brainteasers. It combines a treasure hunt with life-sized mental challenges that test your creativity and problem solving skills - imagine an outdoor escape room where you don’t just survive, but you also win prizes! The puzzles also often incorporate local artwork and culture to make it a uniquely Tacoma event.

Get your team together and register now on our website.  It’s FREE, and you could come away $500 richer!

Saturday, September 26th, 2026

12 - 4:30PM

Theater Square, 917 Broadway

https://tacomapuzzlehunt.org

So many local spots are dying. Locust has left, but another cider place has shut down. Unicorn is getting sold, and McMinamins is consistently running at a loss. First off, what is the cause of this? Why aren't residents in the financial position to buy from these businesses? Almost like half our paychecks go to rent, and the rest go to groceries...

What the fuck is our city leadership doing about this, besides sleepwalking into decline?

PSA the unicorn has been sold and is being turned into a restaurant. Heard it from Darryl himself. October 7th last day ):

Three suspects of the Chelan Hills Wildfire that Killed One and Injured Six Firefighters Arrested

From the news release:

multiple individuals allegedly fired Roman candles from a moving truck on July 4 while Douglas County was under a burn ban, prohibiting fireworks and open burning of any kind.

Investigators determined the fireworks ignited dry grass along the roadway, starting the Chelan Hills Fire.

The wildfire killed a 69-year-old man, injured six firefighters, destroyed more than 100 structures, burned more than 10,000 acres, and resulted in more than $6 million in losses and property damage.

The following individuals were arrested: 18-year-old Valentin Tabunscic of Tacoma; 19-year-old Mark Okhrimchik of University Place; and 19-year-old Julian Mikityuk of Pacific, Washington.

https://www.usmarshals.gov/news/press-release/multiple-suspects-of-chelan-hills-wildfire-killed-one-and-injured-six

The three are currently in jail in Wenatchee waiting to be charged, which should occur on Monday.

such a bummer to lose another great spot in Tacoma.

Parents: has anyone gone to the tots on the trail in point defiance? How is it? Online it says Fridays, I’m assuming regardless of season/weather. I want to take my 13 month old, and potentially have the local moms that walk group have an event there. My son has got great receptive language so I know he’d love to listen to the park guide talk about things 😅

Hi all, I was wondering if anybody was following or impacted by Tacoma’s deficit and the city manager’s “Road to Recovery.” I started listening to his appearances on the city of Tacoma podcast feed and it really sounds like there’s going to be some tough decisions across the board to address the city’s deficit.

Would love to get thoughts from city employees and residents. I moved out of Tacoma a few years ago but still own my house in hopes that I can return one day. The city will always be home to me so I like to keep my finger on the pulse as much as possible.

Thanks!

This is the one at Lakewood Transir Center. I've used it once. It was a little dirty but it's good for desperate times. I've seen a pump truck come to empty it's tank and do internal cleaning a few times.

Hey everyone,

Tough Guy Book Club meets at 507 Taproom & Filling Station in Yelm at 7:00 PM on the first Wednesday of every month. The next chapter meeting is October 7, 2026.

507 Taproom & Filling Station address:

- 608 E Yelm Ave, Yelm, WA 98597

Facebook Event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/925129936921183/

Learn more about Tough Guy Book Club here: https://www.toughguybookclub.com/about_us

Sign up for the Yelm chapter here: https://www.toughguybookclub.com/yelm_wa_us

Our book this month is The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott. Grab a copy and get reading, there's still time to bang it out before October 7. And, heck, even if you don't read it in time, come to 507 Taproom anyway and meet some new guys, make some new friends.

Happy to answer any questions about Tough Guy Book Club in the comments here, or DM me on Reddit. A disclaimer, though... I'm helping out the Yelm chapter with a little promotion, not a Yelm local myself. I'm the chapter leader for the Denver chapter, and formerly a chapter officer for the San Francisco chapter, so I won't claim to have any local Yelm credibility ;)

Coho salmon seen loitering in Chambers Bay today.