Things we love about Tacoma, its surrounding communities and the world beyond the borders of the Great Pacific Northwest.
This business is a dream come true for me in Tacoma. Parable Tacoma is a women owned, black owned family business, it is both a boutique and a bookstore. The sisters and cousin behind the business were enjoying their neighborhood when they initially saw the empty space and began to dream. That is the best part - this is their neighborhood the historical McKinley Hill neighborhood.
Read MoreThis isn’t our first time speaking on the good name of the UpNUp Podcast cast and crew. They are part of the reason why I decided to double down on Black Owned as the focus of blog content this year. They just get it. They find the right faces, voices and there is always an engaging line of questioning from Robel and Erm. The episodes are always motivating enough to keep the audience intrigued and learning something new.
Read MoreTMT Sweets is a Black Owned custom desserts company. Owner Mikayla has been crushing the game for a bit now, her and her mother started the company in 2014, the same year we opened our doors. So we personally have been following her since their second year and have been able to see the business grow as outsiders.
Read MoreWith coffee being such a major a part of the day to day lifestyle in Western Washington it was alarming to us when we heard the statistics on black owned coffee roasters or cafe owners in the Pacific Northwest. It was through our good friends at Campfire Coffee that our eyes were opened to the disparities of black faces and ideas in the coffee realm.
Read MoreDarnel’s Barbells is a black owned business based in Tacoma that started Spring of 2021 officially. It had been in development and operating privately prior to opening for the public but taking on new clients became the proper pivot. Owner Darnel wasn’t trying to make a business out of DB, it happened naturally and over time. Darnel has worked out consistently on a daily basis for close to 8 years.
Read MoreOnly Oatmeal Cookies owner Karina Blasco sent us a nice size box of assorted Oat cookies with a thank you note attached. We crushed the whole box cookies in day or two and were left in a daze wondering how we had just learned about something so delicious and black owned. Since then we have seen Karina’s business grow and its been exciting to watch people become quick fans much like we did.
Read MoreDiamond Leah is black owned and started as a boutique (Satori) much like we did only she lasted far longer a multi-brand store 5+ years…Then she opened her sister store Little Sister which over the holiday season was one of the top ranked shops when Tacomans were asked where they are doing their shopping by Grit City Magazine. It was after the opening of Little Sister that Diamond revealed her eponymous line was underway and she was evolving the Satori space to house her new project Diamond Leah.
Read MoreGroovy Tapes is a Black owned, doing the work other podcast from our inner cities haven’t been able to accomplish. It’s important to note that while it is Black owned (Corey, the super tall one), Tavares is Sāmoan-American and Solana is Guatemalan. It’s done with genuine intentions and they have been transparent from their first episode.
Read MoreIt’s owner, J. Kinlow, is one of the Black business owners in Tacoma that understood how to grow his business portfolio. He started with the infamous Kinlow’s barbershop and through good business sense and a steady clientele he grew the business into a barber school and hair boutique inside of the Tacoma mall.
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