By Morf Morford
Tacoma Daily Index
Not many cities have a thoroughfare like Tacoma’s 6th Avenue.
Once the main access to the Narrow Bridge, built as a major highway, yet not always busy – at least in parts of it.
As many aspects of the local and national economy have been in the doldrums, Tacoma’s 6th Avenue, in contrast, has been developing at record speed.
What was once a Chinese restaurant on 6th and Hawthorn is now an apartment complex – still largely under construction.
The long abandoned Kmart site (10 acres) is finally being razed with housing and retail planned for the site.
Current zoning allows 45-75 dwelling units per acre. Up to 400 units are being planned for within a three-story framework.
Anyone who knows Tacoma, knows that this site is ideal for this kind of development – 6th Avenue is already a mix of residential and commercial with a variety of heights and densities.
Housing, as we all know, is a burning issue all over the country, with particular intensity in price and demand here.
According to recent projections, 3,000 people each year will be relocating to the greater Tacoma/Pierce County area.
If we could build just one project on this scale each year, we would go a long way toward resolving our current housing/homeless crisis.
This Kmart property on 6th Avenue has been neglected for years, but not for much longer. (Photo by Morf Morford)
But that’s not all that’s happening on 6th Avenue
Just a few blocks west of the former Kmart lies the recently abandoned Safeway store at Highland Hill.
The area looks forlorn now, with an abandoned Safeway storefront (and a more recently shut down Dollar Tree next door) but a change is coming.
WinCo is coming.
Your first response might be, “Yes, so what if a new grocery store is coming to Tacoma?”
WinCo is no ordinary grocery store chain.
WinCo is one of those stores that does a lot of little things differently.
And those little differences add up to some major changes over time.
Here are just a few;
Because of the transaction fees, WinCo does not accept credit cards (they do accept debit cards that use a PIN).
They don’t spend money on weekly mailings, and customers bag their own groceries.
And they have a large bulk foods section in each store where customers can buy (at a set price) as much or as little of a product as they’d like.
No more figuring out the price per pound or buying a package that is larger than what you actually can use.
All this, and much more, leads to savings and lower prices for customers – and greater benefits for employees.
When it comes to working for WinCo, each employee, after they have worked 500 hours in the first six months of employment, is considered an owner.
Each employee, as partial owner, participates in WinCo’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). You can see the fine print on this program here – https://www.wincofoods.com/about/an-employee-owned-company/.
This has led to two results rare in the world of retail – extremely low turnover and an extraordinary level of millionaire grocery store workers.
Many business seminars and schools have studied the WinCo phenomenon.
You can see one such article here – https://verit.com/millionaire-grocery-clerks-the-amazing-winco-foods-story/.
WinCo has over 130 stores, primarily in the western states.
Our city is changing, our neighborhoods are changing and our livelihoods are changing.
6th Avenue is, in many ways, a barometer of Tacoma. As it develops, expands and as businesses emerge and move on, 6th Avenue is Tacoma’s front porch, where our closed buildings, our construction projects and our potential is on display for all to see.
Like every street perhaps, 6th Avenue has had its good times and not so good times.
If you have not been down 6th Avenue in a while, check it out. Some familiar sights will be there and some signs of life in unexpected corners will become visible.
Even just driving down the street, you can see the clusters and surges of growth and development.
Much has changed, and much more is changing.
Projects large and small, independent and national, temporary and permanent, local and regional, residential and commercial can be found or are on their way.
6th Avenue is something like a spinal column of Tacoma. It connects the city from east to west, is the defining boundary between the north and south addresses of the city and holds, and embodies, both history and change.
From one end to the other, 6th Avenue holds surprises and treasures few cities can offer.
From fresh produce at Tacoma Boys, to vinyl record heaven to the most interesting selection of dining options this side of anywhere, 6th Avenue is the place to be.
