Last time I was in this space, I purchased fish. But now it is a Limeberry ready to provide frozen yogurt (froyo) to adoring masses. Limeberry is located at 7304 Lakewood Dr W, Lakewood, WA 98499 in the space that had been occupied by Johnny’s Seafood.
Update 7/2015 – Limeberry is gone and the space is again available for lease.
The Toynbee Floral Co. has been vacant for some time. I found a photo from 2012 in which it looked much the same as above. And I find no other mention of it during a quick web search. I love the painted storefront windows with my favorite detail being that the blinds on the window to the left are also paint!
The Lobster Shop at 6912 Soundview Dr NE, Tacoma, WA 98422 will be closing on March 15, 2014. It’s a little out of the way for my family, but still we dined there a few times and always enjoyed it. The site was originally native land and had been the Dash Point Grocery. In 1977 it became the Lobster Shop.
This once splendid trailer is the last man standing in an ex-trailer park north of Highway 512 and East of South Tacoma Way. I could still see the individual pads where the mobile homes once sit and my husband pointed out where each unit’s power was. And there are a couple of rundown buildings that I suspect were the park’s office and perhaps a laundry facility. I wonder why it was deserted and dear husband opined that maybe it was cleared away for redevelopment and then the market collapsed. Perhaps.
Vinotique 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.
The Pee Wee Tavern at 7052 Pacific Avenue is a freestanding building that was just over 1,000 square feet. It is available for either sale or lease. The building was constructed in 1947 and was originally known as the Log Tavern or The Log.
The Oyster House at 320 4th Avenue West, Olympia, burned down in July 2013. The 1924 structure was originally built to cull and ship oysters, but in 1925 a small oyster bar was added. By 1949 it had evolved into a sit down restaurant. In 1957 it burned down with the exception of some structural elements. It was rebuilt, but closed in 1995. The restaurant reopened under new ownership in 1996 and has operated as a high quality, destination seafood restaurant until the most recent fire. Their website says it is the oldest seafood restaurant in Washington State. The owners plan to rebuild. The second photo is mere steps away.
Darn it was cold today, so I had a very quick stop to photo the vacant lot on the southeast corner of Pacific Avenue and South 38th Street. I remember when there was a building on the large lot, office space I think. Somebody demolished the buildings and there were plans to building something, maybe a drugstore? Anyway, its been vacant for years now. Maybe now that the Northwest corner is being redeveloped, this lot too will see new life. One can hope.
I found this small retail space available the Tacoma Place Center and it made me think that I am seeing less retail vacancy. Let’s hope so!
Blockbuster Video at 3833 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98418-7897 is closing. It is the last Blockbuster Video in Tacoma and once gone, the closest store will be in Kent. I use to get my dvds there and found the parking lot to be difficult to maneuver. This month (November 2013) it was announced that the remaining stores will be closing.