The neighborhood store at 721 S I St, Tacoma, WA 98405 is situated on the corner of South I Street and South 8th. It was constructed in 1949 as the Bay State Market.
Category Archives: Stores and other places that sell you things
Grocery Outlet Bargain Market
Grocery Outlet is a regional chain located in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Idaho and Nevada. The Tacoma Grocery Outlet is located at 6425 6th Avenue. It’s been a while since I’d been in and I was pleasantly surprised to see that they’ve expanded and that it was extra clean. The lady that checked me out was a peach too. They have a facebook page!
The Wedding Bell on my anniversary
It is my wedding anniversary, so I was thinking about weddings. And thought brought me to The Wedding Bell at 2914 6th Avenue, Tacoma. Every time I drive eastbound on 6th Avenue, I admire the lovely dresses in their windows. My photos don’t do them justice. To see many of the beautiful dresses, go here. I read in the local paper that The Wedding Bell will be relocating nearby in the near future.
Buy Your Fireworks Here
McLendon Hardware has a perfect house in it
Model homes invite folks to imagine a different, more orderly life and this one at McLendon’s Hardware, 1015 N Pearl St Tacoma, WA 98406, is no exception. I was pleased when McLendon’s decided to open its 7th location and their first new store in 13 years in Tacoma. They are well known for having unusual stock and a can do attitude! Although they didn’t have the specialty item I was seeking, they searched all over to find it for me. McLendon’s website is here.
The building was constructed as a Pay n Pak, then became a Ernst, then a Saar’s (groceries) and now McLendon’s.
Pip & Lola’s Everything Homemade
Pip and Lola’s Everything Homemade in Freighthouse Square, 430 East 25th Street, Suite 40 is full of quality handmade items — clothes, soaps, art, etc. I went to visit to pick up some of their great soap which they make right there. When I checked in with FourSquare, my phone chirped at me that I’d earned a bonus and I was pleased to receive a darling heart shaped rose scented soap 🙂 Their Facebook Page is here.
Boehm’s Candy
I was driving around Issaquah looking for something interesting and was pleasantly surprised at my choices — a root beer drive in, a restored vintage gas station, cute stores, etc. The day’s winner was Boehms Candy at 255 NE Gilman Blvd. Issaquah, WA 98027. The company began in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood in 1943 and in 1956 they moved to their current location. The store is located in the “Edelweiss Chalet”, the first Alpine chalet in the Northwest. In addition to the store and the candy manufacturing facility, there is a replica of a 12th century chapel near St. Moritz, a fountain, a statue of William Tell, a park area with a decorative fountain and an enthusiastic water fountain (water is life).
To order learn more about Boehms or to order candy, click here
It occurs to me that I know nothing about William Tell except he has a theme song. I learned he was a folk hero of Switzerland. Looking over Wikipedia, I remembered that he is know for shooting an apple off his son’s head. The statue shows Tell and his son, Altdorf and is (I assume) a replica of the original statue by Richard Kissling in 1895.
No dinosaurs today at Bell Square (The Bellevue Collection)
I don’t really much like malls. They just make me want to buy stuff I don’t need. But there I was up in Bellevue and Coldwater Creek was having a 50% off everything sale. I did need a pair of khakis. So, I stopped in. Out of all of the malls in the area, Bell Square, which I guess is now called the Bellevue Collection, at 575 Bellevue Square is one of my favorites.
When my daughter was little, about 4, we took her here on her birthday. The shopping center has a life size dinosaur collection as a temporary exhibit and dear daughter was going through her Little Foot phase. Little Foot is a series of kid’s dinosaur movies. We were on the second floor when we got to the two story atrium with a life size T-Rex with a moving head and tail. Dear husband was a little ahead of us and went over to have a better look. When the kid and I came around the bend and saw the huge dinosaur, her eyes went big and she ran to her father as fast as she could. Then she grabbed his hand and tried to drag him back to safety screaming Sharp Tooth! Run, Papa, run!
Movies to Go
Top Foods, Tacoma
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 🙁