Griot's Garage Moving into S. 38th Street Coca Cola Building
Given all the attention this week on companies leaving Tacoma, we were excited to hear that our favorite local mail order car care business has decided to move its corporate office and anchor itself in the middle of Tacoma.
After 15 years on the fringe of Tacoma, in what some may call the greater Fife metro area, Griot’s Garage is moving to the surplused Coca-Cola Bottling plant on South 38th and Union/Warner. The building was originally built as the City’s Contagious Hospital in 1912. It became the local headquarters of the W.P.A. in 1940. Coca-Cola moved into the space in 1948 and, the last time we drove by, the iconic letters are still hanging on the exterior bricks.
Griot’s Garage, now a favorite among high end car care aficionados, was founded by Richard Griot in Vista, California in 1990. The company shipped its first catalog in 1991 and moved to Tacoma in 1994. Griot’s is leasing the building and plans to move in the Spring of 2010.
One last note – The fine folks at Griot’s would like you to know that, while the artist rendering may appear to be turning South 38th street into a golf course, there are no plans to turn South 38th Street into a golf course.
Griot’s can be found online at GriotsGarage.com. Updates to this project and general automobile geekery can be found on their blog at www.InMyGarage.com.
Filed under: General, General
21 comments
T Todd Miller September 11, 2009
Congratulations to Richard! I cut my teeth in database marketing there at the Fife office — I owe him, as well as current Pres Mark Greene, a debt of gratitude for giving a holey-jeaned kid a chance. One question, though: where’s the go-cart track?
J Joeski September 11, 2009
RAD. Griot’s Leather care is THE best. I sit on 43 year old leather every day in my car and Griot’s is the reason why.
K Kate September 11, 2009
Are they planning to tear down the front structure — the house-looking structure that currently has the Coca-Cola lettering on it?
J jamie from thriceallamerican September 11, 2009
I had the same question as Kate. Also, are they painting the brick, or covering over?
Excited for a good reuse of the building regardless!
M Morgan September 11, 2009
Wait a minute. They’re moving into a beautiful old brick building but making it look like an ugly strip mall building? I don’t get it.
T TheGulag September 12, 2009
If they tear down the front building, that would be a shame. Is that not the original structure; the hospital and W.P.A. building? From what I see by the records, the brick warehouse only came into existence after Coca-Cola took over the property in 1948.
C Courtney September 12, 2009
Oh good, now I don’t have to go so far for a $40 wash bucket.
C crenshaw sepulveda September 12, 2009
I feel so stupid, I’ve been using a bucket from the dollar store that only costs a dollar. How did I ever live without a 40 buck wash bucket I’ll never know. I guess that is what you call high end car care. I can see that I’ve been doing it all wrong.
S Steve September 12, 2009
So I guess you guys would rather see this building sit empty, then? As some kind of crumbling homage to a bygone era of “contagious” hospitals? I, for one, am excited to see a growing and vibrant business make the decision to STAY in Tacoma and improve the city.
T Tacoma Taxpayer September 12, 2009
I hope the picture below is not what the building will look like when Griots takes over. Griots…look at old Osborne/McCann Cadillac building on S Tacoma Way and see how beautful it is now after all the paint, etc was removed and the brick was restored.
THAT would be a PLUS to S. 38th Street.
Hope the Griot company and owner of the building willl reconsider…
C crenshaw sepulveda September 12, 2009
I am happy Griot’s Garage is here, no question. I just want a list of the people that are willing to pay 40 bucks for a bucket to wash their car with. I have some very special 80 dollar car wash buckets I’d like to sell them.
T Tacoma Taxpayer September 12, 2009
I hope the picture below is not what the building will look like when Griots takes over. Griots…look at old Osborne/McCann Cadillac building on S Tacoma Way and see how beautful it is now after all the paint, etc was removed and the brick was restored.
Oh yes, Can I have the Coca Cola logos from the house and brick building? Would go great in my collection of Coca Cola stuff
THAT would be a PLUS to S. 38th Street.
Hope the Griot company and owner of the building willl reconsider…
T Thorax O'Tool September 12, 2009
Not bad at all… looks more useful than the mini-storage place going up across Union.
C crenshaw sepulveda September 13, 2009
Mini storage today, low income housing tomorrow.
I Ian September 15, 2009
List of verbs related to what “Car guys” do “…In your garage (sm)”
cutting, welding, grinding, degreasing, sanding, painting, bolting, unbolting, sealing, oiling, greasing, hammering, threading, tapping, heating, tightening, lifting, compressing, measuring, swearing, breaking, fixing… stuff done with tools you can’t find (or afford if you can) at Griot’s.
Especially in Tacoma, a company that celebrates wiping down your expensive car with a cotton diaper moistened with products distilled from the tears of virgins just seems wrong.
P P September 15, 2009
Consider for a moment that this is primarily a mail order company. And this company seems to have grown during the best and worst economic times for a specialty retail company. This means that they know how to sell those buckets, rags, and “products distilled form the tears of virgins” and bring that money back into their pockets and our economy. They aren’t selling to us – or at least most of us. They’re selling to those car guys (that many of you would despise anyway) up in Seattle, Redmond, San Fran, Dallas, Atlanta, or anywhere else.
As long as they’re hiring our locally produced free range organic virgins, I’m okay with celebrating a local company and its gold lined buckets.
A Altered Chords September 15, 2009
Ian: is your point that because they cater to high end customer (like Russell) they should move to Seattle?
I am neither an economist or a sociologist but it has been my observation since childhood that those economies that do the best are those that engage in trade with other regions. If you are suggesting that Tacome be self contained and only supply goods and services for locals then you doom us to eternal poverty.
In that event I would move Altered Chords headquarters to Seattle or Chigago.
I Ian September 17, 2009
All I’m saying is that I find what they sell and how they sell it somewhat unbelievable. I clearly don’t get it.
Trade with other regions is good, but it implies production to me. There is no production there. I suspect none of their products are locally manufactured.
J joeski September 17, 2009
The products they sell appeal to a niche group of people and they have made quite a name for themselves in the Classic Car communtiy. It’s not just geared toward Mercedes and Jaguar owners… Would you be interested in griots If you’re driving a 1991 Toyota Tercel with a cracked windshield that smells like stale cigarettes? Probably Not…but the guy down the street with a restored 1960 Cadillac Fleetwood or custom 51 Mercury is probably into it.
A Altered Chords September 17, 2009
I see many “pimped out” classic cars out there. Huge shiny wheels and odd looking tires, hydraulic suspension, 1,000 watt stereos bumpin’ the bass.
I’ll be they all buy goods from Griot’s.
M Mofo from the Hood September 18, 2009
With this revitalization of the Coke building and the forthcoming LeMay Car Museum, I’m thinkin’ that the revitalization of South Tacoma Way as “Car Dealer Central” might have a chance.