Retail in Downtown Tacoma - A Few Thoughts
Following yesterday’s online discussion about retail with Devona Wells at the TNT, and with the Coffee & Rhetoric tonight focusing on retail, several people asked if I would chime in with a few thoughts on retail in downtown.
I am often asked if I think a major retailer would be good for downtown Tacoma. Sure, I’d say. But, I’m not holding my breath.
Why would a Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Urban Outfitters, Crate & Barrel, or some other major retailer locate in downtown Tacoma? Or, why would Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods locate in downtown Tacoma?
Major retailers have communities all over the country coming to them looking for love and the next great store. Every retailer has different minimum location requirements. What are they looking for? A short list would include: Demographics. Density. Feet on the street. Sales per square foot in the immediate trade area. Arterial visibility. Freeway visibility. Parking and road access for customers. Truck access for replenishment shipments. And retail neighbors that attract a similar demographic.
On just about every measure, downtown Tacoma rates pretty poor right now.
The geography of our city, while beautiful, doesn’t help. The most basic analysis of a potential area includes rings from the site location. We often see 1 mile, 3 mile, 5 mile and 15 mile rings. What’s wrong with our geography? The port and Commencement Bay significantly decreases population density numbers. Lots of water and warehouses… no people. This matters when retailers list a minimum requirement of, let’s say, 90,000 people in a 3 mile radius from proposed site.
Then there’s the hill we have in downtown Tacoma. Consider for a moment that any major retailer would have one or more replenishment trucks – 18 wheelers – backing into a loading dock every week. Okay, how do those trucks get to a site half up the hill and in the middle of downtown on a narrow street? What’s the most efficient way to get a truck from I-5 to a theoretical new development in the brewery district? How about the Sharp Project at 7th and St. Helens? Is truck access going to kill development? No. However, it needs to be considered now and we need answers for those retailers that look to us for guidance.
Instead of looking toward national retail for downtown, we should focus our future on local businesses and the regional companies that can grow into our markets.
Look at our newest restaurants. Paddy Coynes had a Seattle location and came here. Matador was in Seattle, Portland, West Seattle, and came here. El Gaucho was in Seattle and Portland before landing on Pacific Ave. Look toward local retail businesses like Posh Home and Urban Gourmet on Sixth Avenue. Look for inspiration from the small footprint success of the Monsoon Room and Tempest Lounge.
Why locally? Because I think we’ll have more success working with regional companies and our Tacoma-born businesses than the national companies. We can appeal to the business owners directly without having to pass through a market analytics group or board of director approval. We can show them what we’re working on, how we’re improving, what the trends are. We can’t change the geography, but we can (and are) changing density and demographics will change over time. We can increase “feet on the street” and sales per square foot. We can also start to gather the data necessary to understand the true retail trade area of our downtown merchants.
So rather than focus on anchors, let’s focus on gathering clusters of retailers that attract a similar demographic. Let’s create situations where a customer can park and shop at several stores before returning to their car. Create blocks that are pleasant to walk. Think in terms of patterns and creating nodes where individual businesses have synergy with their neighbors.
No business should be an island. Every business should consider, what do I do for the guy next door and what do they do for me? If nothing, there’s a problem. It’s not about attracting one business. It’s about attracting three, six, ten, or more businesses at the same time in the same area.
At the same time, we should build to the requirements and standards of our dream retailers so we don’t preclude their entry into Tacoma at some point in the future. And maybe, just maybe, one of these new projects will attract the national retailer when it’s built… but our dreams shouldn’t hinge on it.
Then, once people are shopping and walking the streets, we can start to find the bigger name retailers that some of you desire.
Or, maybe, we’ll be happy with the direction we’ve gone without them.
But that’s just my opinion… – Derek
Filed under: Downtown Tacoma, Tacoma Business, Neighborhoods, Retail
27 comments
C Christy January 24, 2008
Really interesting and some excellent points. True that a semi pulling a 54’ trailer would have a hard time maneuvering and the view from I5 is limited.
I love Urban Gourmet and visit is about 1nce a month, but it’s always empty. I worry for them. This is why I think retailers that are a bit more “one size fits all” are our key to our future.
Honestly, when is the last time most of us bought anything from Grassi’s florist or the Learning Sprout? It’s a whole lot more than making a commitment to visit our local retailers! They have to be local retailers we will actually want to visit. I’ll feel bad if they close, but ugh, I’ll know why.
I guess I’m just banking on one biggy moving in. Seattle, San Francisco, Manhattan… big business with tight streets and no views from anywhere but right up next to their front door.
B Brent Hartinger January 24, 2008
Excellent post. I agree 100%.
R RR Anderson January 24, 2008
Wow. Clusters? Nodes?
We Tacomans are pioneers. Pioneers of things like the sidewalk escalator.
We need to reclaim our heritage. Our future is in the S-P-A-C-E ELEVATOR!
E Eric January 24, 2008
One of the main issues that keeps coming up is parking. There isnt enough downtown parking to even make any type of large retailer make this look feasable. I know that the business that I manage downtown has daily struggles trying to get the city to enforce the parking laws as the UWT students daily park in the 1 hour parking for six hours and leave no place for a potential customer to park. The city doesnt have the money or resources to even police or enforce the current parking rules. Take a look at some of the areas around the brewery district…kicked in warehouse windows…Grafitti so old its starting to fade…no one enforcing the grafitti clean up rules…Its one big mess.
D Daniel Blue January 25, 2008
derek, you make sassy and i look like jr high students who were forced to write in the hall for squabbling during “journal time”.
did you go to college?
M morgan January 25, 2008
One of the main issues that keeps coming up is parking. There isn’t enough downtown parking to even make any type of large retailer make this look feasable.
I’m not sure I agree with this. I’ve seen studies (and first hand) that there is an abundance of parking… it just isn’t managed efficiently.
Instead of looking toward national retail for downtown, we should focus our future on local businesses and the regional companies that can grow into our markets.
I totally agree with this (as much as I would love to see a Whole Foods open!).
Business owners: I would further this thought by asking: how involved are you with the community? Business is about creating and building relationships. Often, it’s a two way street. I know it’s hard to take time out of the day to go to a business district meetings, but it is in your best long-term interest to get involved and participate in the larger community. If you want more love, you need to give more out and show you care. I feel like Dr. Phil.
The port and Commencement Bay significantly decreases population density numbers.
I wonder if there’s a way that the Port can be spun off as a seperate city owned by Tacoma? Also, there are creative ways to change demographics… the next census update is coming. Not that I would encourage anyone to fib.
P Phil January 25, 2008
There are still some hidden gems tucked into downtown, such as the Senior Craft Store @ 754 Broadway. Been downtown since 1978 with the same manager, Myrtle, who’s 82. This place is amazing & everything it sells is MADE IN TACOMA AND PIERCE COUNTY!!
I did a bunch of my holiday shopping there & also bought the planet’s coolest squirrel feeder, which I’ll email over to 365 days.
My thought is we owe alot to anyone who has held on when the corporate big boys whimped out & moved to the mall, Gig Harbor or worse, South Hill.
Viva Myrtle!
C Crenshaw Sepulveda January 25, 2008
There was a time when downtown Tacoma was the place we dream of having today. It was not that long ago, probably right before the Tacoma Mall was built. There was a time when Tacoma’s downtown featured several department stores, movie theaters, clothing stores, places to eat and places to drink coffee all night long.
Amongst all the retail and business was also a great deal of residential, most likely people that worked downtown. They had places to buy groceries, have their shoes repaired, shined, or replaced. They had a choice of several places to get their prescriptions filled and they had news stands to get the latest copy of their favorite magazines.
Downtown had everything and it had it in duplicate. You could buy upscale jewelry or you could get dime store trinkets. What we didn’t have back then was monolithic parking structures, blocks of vacant lots, and apartments that the local workers couldn’t afford to live in.
B Brotha E January 25, 2008
Bring back the Block Party. Anyone else remember those. I think the last one was sometime in the early 80’s. Maybe it will at least appear that people are downtown. It’s all in the perception
S sassy mcbutterpants January 25, 2008
Geez Derek. You totally killed my buzz. Fine. No Fluevog store. whatevs.
C Crenshaw Sepulveda January 25, 2008
There is a Fluevog store in Seattle, to be sure. Fluevog also has just 5 other stores around the country. What gets me, though, is that you can actually buy Fluevog shoes in Bellingham, of all places. Now that is just wrong. Left Right Left carries Fluevog in Bellingham. Perhaps Tacoma could interest you in a nice pair of Birkenstocks and woolly socks?
M michael g. January 25, 2008
I totally agree with Derek’s post — Tacoma will continue to improve through locally and regionally developed businesses. If that goes well, we’ll have a new dilemma — national chains will want to join the scene that’s been created, and locals may well end up feeling like those businesses aren’t needed after all.
Seattle neighborhoods like West Seattle and Ballard have done perfectly well without getting a bunch of national retailers. But they do each have a Trader Joe’s (Ballard’s is under construction), and so should downtown Tacoma!
B Ben January 25, 2008
I want to preface this with: I’m no supply chain expert, but I do have some thoughts…
Derek, you make some great points about supply issues to downtown Tacoma. Sure, we have some geographic issues that can’t be ignored, nor can they be fixed. However, every city I’ve lived in or looked at has had it’s fair share of geographic issues (water, mountains, being an island). I don’t know much about specific requirements that stores use in finding their next location, but I agree that the current downtown(!)* population density is a problem. However, building mass transit between the 4-10 main living area’s in Tacoma (light rail/trolleys) and connecting these area’s will be a huge boon to any retailer looking to locate.
Now, I think the best point that Derek brought up is building locally. I try my best to spend my money in Tacoma, if there’s a reasonable solution. The Urban Gourmet store on 6th is GREAT. I’ve switched all of my kitchen needs from Market Spice (Seattle), Bed Bath Beyond, etc to there if I can. We have some great grocery stores, Stadium Thriftway (sure, it’s a chain, but it has a local owner I’m assuming), Metropolitan Market (again a small chain, but they’ve shown alot of interest in Tacoma), Tacoma Boys, Johnny’s Fish Market. Additionally, as Derek said, the restaurants in Tacoma are superb. Sure we don’t have any celebrity TV chef’s, but that’s not what anybody is shooting for right now anyways. Try every restaurant in Tacoma and it’ll probably take you over a year. There’s no need to go anywhere else.
However, there are stores which do (unfortunately) work best as a chain, due to financial reasons, supply issues and brand recognition. Grocery stores seem to need multiples to survive, so do convenience stores, as well as pharmacies. It’s not like there isn’t a Walgreen’s in Tacoma, it’s just that there isn’t one where Tacoma is trying to build up (downtown).
Therefore, it’s best in this situation to explore every path for expansion. Work with the local owners who have already developed profitable businesses in Stadium, 6th, etc to assist them in opening new places. However, turning our backs to outside corporations because “we want to support the little guy” is akin to shooting ourselves in the foot. Even the current business owners in the downtown area must agree with that. A Walgreens might compete for some of the business of a Coffee Shop (maybe whole beans), but on the whole, it’s overall added benefit for the small business owner due to increased foot traffic.
Christi hits on a good note that some of the current stores downtown just don’t warrant weekly shopping. As much as I want to support the local economy, I can’t buy trinkets or flowers ever week. As many kitchen supplies as I want, I really only go shopping for them once a month. However, I do brush my teeth a couple times a day and usually like to cook 10 times a week. That’s repeat business right there.
Finally, parking. Eric, I don’t work downtown, so I’m gone 9-5. However, I think there is an overabundance of parking available. Just like an empty restaurant, empty parking lots may discourage business just as much full parking (“Nobody’s there, must not be good”). It’s the enforcement of parking that is the problem. If those spots outside of your shop opened up every 90 minutes and the proceeds of it went to the beautification of your block or funding transit to your block, would that interest you? Street parking should be self sustaining, aka the fees pay for the enforcement. The parking plan proposed to the council encourages just this!
*Remember, we’re a city with 200,000+ people with a density of almost 4000/sq mile. Ever look at Seattle? 6900/sq mile. Austin – 4200/sq mile (and given credit for a GREAT downtown). Boston – 12,300/sq mile. In the big picture, we’re actually pretty dang close in population density to Seattle, compared to Boston/NYC/SF/etc.
R Republican (By Default) January 25, 2008
Excellent, well-reasoned, analytical post. Keep them coming.
One of the biggest problems that has to be overcome is Tacoma’s less than spectacular reputation. We keep making news for some pretty bad things, but not making news for the good things. Which isn’t surprising, since TV stations seem to want to move out of Tacoma. Maybe that’s partly the result of potential advertisers also moving out of the city.
Because of the difficulty of overcoming a bad reputation, it’s clear that the solution will only come from people who live in and love Tacoma. So, the city council, chamber and others who continually try to attract businesses from outside are wasting their time. We have to prove ourselves by cleaning up our collective act and grow our businesses districts by ourselves.
If Tacoma’s city council wants to attract businesses to downtown, maybe they should start by cleaning it up and keeping it clean, like enforcing existing parking and anti-graffiti regulations as mentioned above. Instead they want to build trolleys, museums, spires and Class A office space while they trample on existing businesses with the same projects.
One of the problems caused by the link light rail is that it only stops at a few places. If your business isn’t located within a stones-throw of that stop, you’ve lost foot traffic. Foot traffic that might have been there if the same stretch continued to be serviced by buses, which generally stop within a block and a half of any business on the route.
And a new, costly parking plan? Great idea. Make it more expensive to shop downtown by charging a fee to be there. Smart move.
Why would a retailer want to open a store where the local government is working against them?
B Ben January 25, 2008
14, Sorry to jump on this so quick. We have Eric saying they DO want parking enforcement. With no enforcement, there’s no supply as it’s constantly full. This isn’t working against the business owner at all, it’s helping turn over customers. Hardly the sarcastic “Smart Move”.
Downtown Tacoma is SUPER clean. I walk my dog downtown 6 nights a week, so I know. 21st St. to Stadium is a beautiful walk the whole way.
The light rail was an experiment. It’s gone so well that the hours are going to expand next month and South Lake Union copied it in Seattle. Progress takes time. Would you rather have more stops? They’re already pretty close as it is (4 stops for 1.6 miles). Building more (at a cheaper price) is only going to help.
Now, I agree that the city shouldn’t build class A office space, just promote it.
R Republican_by_Default January 25, 2008
Ben, you confused two issues. Parking enforcement of existing allocations and time limits is one thing. Creating a new plan with fee parking will hurt retail businesses. In addition it opens the door to higher prices for parking and the horrible, costly over-zealous city revenue generation that characterizes Seattle’s ‘Parking Nazi’ enforcement (not my term). In the end, Joe Diamond is the only one who wins.
On one occasion I have seen the light rail cars half-full. Most of the time there are between 2 and 6 people on the train. So we spent millions of taxpayer dollars, damaged numerous businesses during construction and in the loss of foot traffic just to replace the buses that were already running that route (and doing a more than adequate job.)
No way would I ever suggest putting more money into it by building more stops. I’m saying that repeating that mistake by building a trolley is a waste of money we can avoid. I would much rather see changes to the bus system to make it more attractive to riders and more useful to downtown businesses.
As for being clean? Sure, parts have improved. But “SUPER clean”? There’s still a long way to go.
B Ben January 25, 2008
Republican,
What other cities have you been to that’s cleaner than downtown Tacoma? I can think of Toronto (lived in Rochester, so I took 20+ trips there)… and that’s it (South of 21st can give me a bad vibe after dark). How much cleaner do you want it to be? What do you want to see? Go to NYC and look at the trash on the streets, graffiti on all of the buildings and gunk on the sidewalks. Then come back and call Tacoma dirty. Every visitor I’ve had has commented about how clean and safe it feels here.
I don’t think this is the appropriate thread to discuss the value of a trolley/light rail system vs. a bus system because it’s been proven time and time again, people are much more willing to ride rail transit than bus transit.
I’m really disappointed when people put down the Link. I’ve only read one other person categorize the link as a failure. I wasn’t around before the Link was installed so I can’t comment on businesses that it destroyed, but you know what, the Link (and Tacoma’s forward progress) was a huge factor in determining my location downtown (compared to many other cities). There was an article on the blogs a week or two ago about how much more valuable real estate is near rail transit locations. It’s because young (all) urbanities realize the benefit of having clean, reliable public transportation options.
It’s a lie saying the Link is always full, but it’s surpassed rider estimations (AFAIK). Do you expect it to be full? How many empty buses do you see driving downtown, on the highways, etc? I see tons. I rarely see the link 100% empty, there’s usually at least 5 people on there. Simply put, the Link was an experiment. Given the limited distance it travels and the few number of stops, of course it can’t be a full transit solution. However, it was an experiment that has exceeded expectations and has the opportunity to grow. If Tacoma wants to be a progressive city, it will (and is!) atleast consider expanding the link and letting it become more of a full transit solution. Boston’s subway system wasn’t built overnight, it took dozens of expansions.
I see your argument against the Link as saying, “the Link brings additional customers to certain area’s. Businesses that aren’t in these certain area’s don’t benefit from the additional customers (and might have potentially lost some due to others having a better convenience factor), so let’s level the playing field and make it difficult to access any area of the city”. I can’t think of a more regressive statement.
Now parking is something we both agree on. I see the meters as a way to enforce the current regulations, but in the end we both agree that the regulations have to be enforced. I don’t want to see surface lots any more than you do, I think it’s a waste of downtown space (edit: I’ll be honest, I see surface lots as predators sucking on cheap land with very low overhead collecting whatever money they can while contributing nothing to the community). If free parking works without meters, then great. There’s more to a parking plan than just installing metered parking, it also needs regulations for surface lots and needs to place parking requirements into the free market. Don’t make a developer build parking, let them build it if it’s profitable for them. Do you really expect to park for free? I live downtown and therefore, I pay a monthly fee to park my cars in a garage. I see it as a cost of living here. (Hint: You paid for your driveway one way or another, as a tax payer, you fund those free street spots)
Tacoma is attempting to become a walkable city. I see many of these views as counterproductive to this goal.
R Republican (By Default) January 25, 2008
So, Ben, you said this isn’t the right thread to discuss link light rail, then went on to discuss it for several paragraphs. Does that mean that you can say anything you’d like and I’m not supposed to respond?
If you haven’t noticed, people who blog here and on other sites in Tacoma are relatively homogenous. Arts, entertainment, mass transit and urbanization are favored topics. But that’s not all that Tacoma is, has been or will be.
However, in light of that, I guess I understand your getting a little worked up when you have to face a differing viewpoint. But thanks for making my points again.
T Tressie January 25, 2008
Dome District is set to encourage big regional bizinesses…lots of big space down here. We can park 35000!!
EZ egress/ingress at Exit 133, um. Great views & close to water. No condos please. Bring me a decent grocery store pleeeeez. I have to drive to Albertsons/Walgreens for stuff. Or Stay-Dumb Thriftway (where my oldest child worked!)
And I am So all about being nice to my neighbors, clusters of retail and Foot Traffic!
Oh, Downtown Tacoma…..too tight for a big grocery store but it sorely needs a medium size Market. I don’t see why the Foremost Bldg wouldn’t work —tho parking that many cars might be a hang-up. Downtown doesn’t “need” more restaurants…but it really does need more of the daily services so dwellers can shop the ‘hood. And men’s clothes (new I presume) is needed, I guess. Did you ever notice you can buy a car downtown????
J Jacob Rose January 25, 2008
Bring me a decent grocery store pleeeeez
With no condos? Ain’t going to happen.
B Ben January 25, 2008
Nope Republican, I said lets not debate the Bus vs. Link here, and I didn’t. I’m happy to move it into the forums though. (Don’t you hate typing in this little text box too?)
R Republican (By Default) January 25, 2008
So rather than focus on anchors, let’s focus on gathering clusters of retailers that attract a similar demographic. Let’s create situations where a customer can park and shop at several stores before returning to their car. Create blocks that are pleasant to walk. Think in terms of patterns and creating nodes where individual businesses have synergy with their neighbors.
Strip malls. That’s a great idea.
Just kidding.
T Tressie January 26, 2008
Strip malls.<——but the Mecca just closed.
A grocery store round these parts would attract folks from the d-town/hilltop/condos….‘specially if it was specialty-ish, while not just like a Trader Joes/Met Market. Not that there’s anything wrong with Safeway on 38th, Albertsons on 38th, Safeway in the Hilltop, or Stadium….and you have or will soon, eventually have enough d-town/condo dwellers to support a grocery that’s closer than Stadium/HilltopSafeway.
E Erik S January 26, 2008
Tressie said: Bring me a decent grocery store pleeeeez
Jacob Rose said: With no condos? Ain’t going to happen.
I say: Condos? With no grocery? Ain’t going to happen. Why live downtown if you have to drive to everything?
Granted, a few buildings have been built, and some even sold units when Home ATM Fever was burning strong, but the well-to-do buyers must have been unconcerned with having jobs or basic services available nearby. No idea why they bought downtown (other than the Fever) but they’re not making for bustling streets.
I think that it’s a shame for Tacoma that the residential RE boom hit when it did. I think this led to an overemphasis on residential construction in addition to pushing the price of the units out of the hands of most that might want to buy them. Yes, retail firms want to locate near customers. But most condo customers also want to live near retail services (and jobs). A florist, a mini-mart, and a camera shop won’t cut it.
Of course, we could chicken-and-egg this to death. Not much to be done about it now except to try to get renters into those buildings and then hope that more businesses will spring up to serve those residents. Fortunately, that seems to be what’s happening. Let’s hope this is the start of a positive feedback loop.
C Crenshaw Sepulveda January 27, 2008
I think we are dang lucky to have Trader Joe’s in University Place. Like it or not that is where it is. Spokane has been begging for a Trader Joe’s for years and the rumor mill is always filled with the grist of a potential Trader Joe’s cropping up one place or another in the Inland Empire.
The wishing for a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods Market to bail out downtown is just that, wishing. The fact the thinking is that the TJ’s or WFM will bail out downtown is enough to keep the likes of them away. Neither company is interested in bailing out any area, they are in business to make a buck. What are we going to say to the TJ’s people, look at all our vacant condos, if you build a store downtown they will be filled up with customers for you?
Was it a mistake for Trader Joe’s to put a store in University Place and not downtown Tacoma? Is anyone saying they refuse to shop at the University Place store because it is not downtown?
We’re pretty lucky here in Tacoma, we’ve got a Trader Joe’s in University Place, we’ve got Seattle if we really need something not available in Tacoma. We’ve got some nice places to have a meal or drink. We can see a good show from time to time or check out a good museum or two. We have some incredible parks. We have a waterfront that virtually surrounds our city without it actually being an island. Tacoma has a lot going for it. It can do better and it probably will do better.
If we will just forget that condos will be the salvation of our downtown we can move forward. I’m pretty sure the condo developers are giving up on Tacoma being the low rent version of Seattle. If people want Seattle they will pretty much find a way to buy in Seattle. Tacoma is no substitute for Seattle. Same with the Class A office space. Cheaper space in Tacoma will not keep people from Bellevue or even Federal Way.
The last thing I want to do is to come back to exit133 ten years from now and read that downtown would work if we just had a Trader Joe’s or a Pottery Barn, or some big company would just locate here.
T Tressie January 27, 2008
I’m not saying a TJ or whatever is needed to bail out downtown. I’m rather pretty selfish for my grocery wish. tho I do think it is a very good thing to install d-town. Nobody asked me but I knew condos weren’t gonna do the “trick”….and that the condo-mania didn’t do more (tho it seemed to do quite a bit..)is because, investors, rather than homeowners bought a lot of them.Investors aren’t invested the way a homeowner is…..and there is no one more Jazzed! about Home-Moaner-Ship than a First Time Buyer….or someone who has been shut-out of a home for a long time.
While I’m sure the thinking was: ‘Get some Big Spenders with Disposo-Cash to move d-town to support restaurants’…..it has always struck me as so fragile and not a great move in the long term.
Diversity is our strength.
R Republican (By Default) January 27, 2008
If we will just forget that condos will be the salvation of our downtown we can move forward.
I would say the same of Russell and the ‘financial center’ pipedream, as well as the high-tech dream (I say that as one who has spent decades in the computer industry.)
Tacoma’s solutions will only come from Tacoma and it’s immediate surroundings. Drawing small businesses from the East and South (Pierce and Thurston) and even the West is a much more likely scenario, as well as growing a few of our own. And if that works, we might see some business migration from South King. But attracting businesses from Seattle or outside the state isn’t likely, at least not until Seattle is finished shooting itself in the foot with their own urban planning.
My opinion: urban planners need to back off. All of them. Then find a more reasonable, smaller approach that brings all the interested parties to the table, including those second class citizens in the suburbs and small business owners from outlying areas.