Update: I walked through the old industrial park in Tacoma yesterday and saw they turned the old paint booth building into a craft brewery.

It just made me think about how many shops like ours have moved out of those old city spaces over the last twenty years.

3 comments

3 Comments

alicea261mo ago

Better spots" is the part that gets me... it's not always a choice. The rent in those old buildings goes up so much that a regular shop just can't stay. Sure, a brewery is nice, but it changes the whole feel of a place. It ends up being a trade for the kind of businesses people actually need every day.

kevin_wells466d ago

Yeah, you're hitting the nail right on the head. @avery_foster31 I get what you're saying about buildings not sitting empty, but that "better spots" idea doesn't work when a family-run hardware store or a laundromat can't afford the new rent anywhere nearby. Not every business can just pack up and move to a shiny new strip mall. The brewery might bring foot traffic, but it's not gonna help the guy who needs to buy a shovel or get his work pants hemmed. It just feels like we're trading useful stuff for more expensive entertainment.

avery_foster311mo ago

I mean, it's just how cities change, right? Those old buildings were sitting empty and now they're getting used again. It's not like every single shop got pushed out, some just moved to better spots. A brewery moving in seems like a pretty good trade for a dusty old paint booth.