Coffee culture is continuing to grow in Tacoma and it continues to be exciting to have options. Tacoma hasn’t always been a place with variety as a priority; it’s more of an oldie but goodie place. The more of the market place independents take up the less need for chains like Starbucks and far less market potential for them to poach. I’m not saying we don’t need them but more us and less them should always be the goal. Although keeping in mind there may be some Tacomans who own franchises and those should be the ones most frequented. There is a lot of charm and tradition built into our businesses. But as of late (the last 5 years) we are starting to see the rumblings of progress. Slowly more independent coffee experiences are developing throughout Tacoma and that’s bringing Tacomans into neighborhoods they haven’t traditionally frequented. It’s great businesses that often create cross pollination within cities. An area may feel out of the way until you have a reason to go. And Old Town Tacoma hasn’t been injected with something new in a while. Space is a major part of the issue, there’s only room for about 4 businesses on the little strip of N 30th anyway, but it’s prime real estate and holds significant historical value. The space they occupy was once completely owned by the Spar, one side was the Spar cafe while the other catered to the Spar bar. During my early years of college living elsewhere and coming home to the Spar felt like the most authentic part of Tacoma, the Old Town history and proximity to downtown via Schuster Way offered a level of convenience to the Waterfront prior to its developments and my version of nightlife simultaneously.

The Church Cantina When you’re in a city full of bars, pubs and dives, setting yourself apart from being “just another bar” is about curating the crowd and achieving this feat is usually predicated on the atmosphere. It should be obvious that decor is a major part of marketing your business and grabbing your piece of the market through your target customer. Church Cantina has done an amazing job of this and it starts at the name. A church theme can attract those with gothic ideologies or personal style, especially in the evening. Traditionally, a Cantina serves drinks and meals and has decor specific to a crowd or less popular audience. I have to say they checked all the boxes. Their logo is a Gothic style cathedral with ‘The Church Cantina’ written underneath in the same gothic style font with a red and black color scheme used for their menu.

Red hot is such a regular on my radar that it almost was overlooked. Located on the corner of Junett and 6th Ave. I would say that it is in the heart of 6th Ave., District. I’m sure someone could argue otherwise. But its location feels central to all the action and over the years its neighboring businesses have changed in a way that feels even more conducive to their target audience. The Red Hot sits on the corner, kiddie corner from Subway, directly across from taco time, Mary Mart is to its right and a tattoo parlor to its left. But just up the street less than a 5 min walk you have E9 and Locust Cider. Both of those establishments work with The Red Hot and you can find their flavors on tap there fairly often. So it’s neighborhood friendly to say the least.