The Tacoma Police Substation at Wapato, 1501 South 72nd Street, has a delightful sculpture piece titled Significant Figures in the Development of Polymers. It features slightly abstract figures and was created by Justin Hahn. It was his first public art commission.
When I think of grocery stores in Tacoma, sometimes TOP Foods at 3130 South 23rd Street (Tacoma Central Shopping Center) slips my mind because its not on my daily route. TOP Foods is a small chain of 10 supermarkets, all of which are located in Western Washington. The Tacoma location has a Starbucks, pharmacy, US Bank, Chef Express, bakery (including gluten free) and DVD rentals. Haggen operates both TOP Foods and Haggan Food & Pharmacy and including the Haggan stores there are over 30 locations, making it the largest independent grocery chain in the Pacific Northwest. Haggen is based out of Bellingham, WA and began operations in 1933. In 1989, Haggen became the first grocery store chain to have an onsite Starbucks.
I picked up a huge, locally grown tomato plant for less than $3!
Update: 8/8/13 I went past Top Food today and noticed that they were closing 🙁