Category Archives: Unique Shopping (stores with some personality)

Olympia Olive Oil Company

11897946696_4cfb7da4ac_bI like stores that do one thing well and that is the case with Olympia Olive Oil Company at 321 4th Avenue East in Olympia. Crafted extra virgin olive oils (on the left) and flavored balsamic vinegars (on the right) and a small collection of salts and seasonings are what the store features. The vinegars and the oils maybe tasted in little disposable cups, which was a wonderful opportunity. Once you make your selection, the owner pours the oil/vinegar into the bottle, puts on a label and corks it. I left with two olive oils (blood orange and garlic) and a lemon balsamic vinegar. They have a second location in the South Hill Mall in Puyallup. It’s possible to order online at their website.

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Vinotique in University Place

 

Wine & CheeseVinotique at 7304 Lakewood Drive West in Lakewood, is in the same center as Tacoma Boys. Per the owner, they are in their 25th year of operations! They have a wonderful wine selection and plenty of cheeses, but what I didn’t expect is that they serve deli meals. On Friday nights they serve tapas. Their website is here and their Facebook page is here.

Update: Toward the end of 2014, Vinotique’s owners retired and the store closed.

Snowman at Noel’s House of Bricks

11413153073_1e7da25d2d_hNoel’s House of Bricks at Freighthouse Square has a darling snowman in their window. The space is at 2501 E D st Tacoma Wa #46 and they recently opened for business. I was there just before the center closed and House of Bricks wasn’t open, as they clearly stated on their Facebook Page. This is their second location with the first being in Olympia.

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Hobby Town for Small Business Saturday

11141870474_2e8dd4458c_b(1)There is Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Shop Small (Small Business) Saturday. I had a list of Small Business places to go, but it was dear husband’s birthday and our lunch at 208 Garfield took longer than we expected. After lunch we explored Garfield Books, then walked down the street to Hobby Town at 402 Garfield. We closed the outing at Pacific Coffee Co.

This is the third year for Small Business Saturday and I believe that it is an important reminder to support our local business that so often give back to the community. I plan to do more local shopping.

I loved all of the model planes hanging from the ceiling of Hobby Town and the people working there were so nice.

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Tinkertopia, Tacoma’s Creative Reuse Center

IMG_5272The Tacoma Studio Tours happened on a rainy, windy weekend but I was determined to go to at least some of them. Tinkertopia at 1914 Pacific Avenue is really delightful and it would be easy to spend a great deal of time here, but not a great deal of money since everything is so reasonably priced. To get a sense of the place, check out the photos below and the website which has plenty of links to articles and a free mini poster! Tinkertopia is a Spaceworks Project and when their Spaceworks funding expires they will be able to continue with the generous support of University of Washington, Tacoma.

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Bleach has great t-shirts

download7I met a dear friend at the Hub for dinner and while waiting for her I stopped into Bleach at 1934 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma in the University of Washington Tacoma area. They really had some nice, original t-shirts and I’m hoping to go back and pick up a few. They have a bunch of other great clothes too. Their website is here. They also have a nice selection of skateboards.

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Stadium Thriftway Friday’s Grill

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A quick stop on the way home tonight to pick up grilled meat from Stadium Thriftway’s outdoor Fridays grill. It’s a great take home option.

 

Tai-Li Market Fine Ethnic Foods & Deli (closed)

9793476914_3b6529ae49_hI’ve been meaning to visit Tai-Li Market Fiine Ethnic Foods & Deli at 7046 South Park for a while and now I guess its too late because they are closed and the store is mostly empty. The building was constructed in 1927 as the Kubick Grocery and in 1980 it was the Phil-Mars Television & Appliance. We’ll see what it becomes next.

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Burdic Feed

9752865354_15c5f24fce_oBurdic Feed at 7710 Waller Road has been vacant for as long as I can remember. Though a quick internet search shows that it was Anna’s Party Rental for a time. Public record shows that the store was constructed in 1944.

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The Wedding Bell on my anniversary

9571001337_734420a8e3_o(1)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.

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