3 Tacoma bars closed in recent weeks. At least one will resurface soon with new owners
In a wave of late-spring changes, the future of two neighborhood bars in Tacoma is up for grabs, while a third has new owners.
THE CAMP BAR
Patrick Haight and Nuri Aydinel have sold The Camp Bar, their outdoor-themed haunt near downtown. Opened in 2017, the modern dive was known in part for s’mores at the table and lively karaoke nights.
Two brothers, Mike and Matt Murray, and their friend, Dean Smith-Richard, have taken the reins. The bar is currently closed as they put their mark on the space, though they plan to retain the overall theme.
“Camp Bar isn’t going away. It’s just paused and will begin as it should,” wrote Haight and Aydinel on May 31.
In a message, Haight said they wanted to improve their work-life balance, which became even more tenuous since 2022, when they opened Camp West, a similarly themed bar and restaurant in the longtime home of West 5 in Seattle. Aydinel is also a co-founder of Kizuki Ramen and Izakaya, which operates more than a dozen locations in several states including one at Tacoma Mall.
“Working in Tacoma was really a positive experience for me,” said Haight, a veteran of the local hospitality industry. “The locals were hesitant about a boy coming from his Seattle roots, but eventually I was accepted and had a great loyal following.”
He noted the many parties and fundraisers hosted at the bar over the years, as well as the challenge of operating in an area that was absent of a distinct personality.
“Now there is a movement with all the development in our area to call it ‘Midtown’ which I hope catches on in the coming years,” he added in reference to several new apartment buildings.
Stay tuned for more details on what the Murrays and Smith-Richard have planned for 1310 Tacoma Avenue South.
EDISON CITY
While the north side has great beer bars like The Parkway and Peaks and Pints, Edison City was a rare haven for “Tacoma’s freshest draft” south of Interstate 5. The only beer bar and bottle shop in South Tacoma closed after service last Saturday, June 15.
Owners Michael Gruber and Sausha Lynn announced the decision on Instagram last month, alluding that the property had been sold and the new landlord’s lease offer “was not something we could, in good conscience and leveled thinking, enter into.”
Gruber operated a local draft-cleaning business before buying Edison City Alehouse, its original name, in 2022 from founders Andrew Babcock and Robert Bessey. It opened in 2015 at 5602 South Lawrence Street, a few blocks east of the South Tacoma Way neighborhood around 56th Street that looks much different today than it did almost a decade ago.
“We love Edison and had no plans nor a desire to not be here,” Gruber and Lynn wrote May 24. “This was a passion project from the start and we have enjoyed all the toil and all the creativity. We are proud of the progress we have made over the last years.”
In recent months, they had expanded the bar top to offer more seating, added liquor and cocktails, and welcomed a resident restaurant in Sandwich Starr.
In the last two weeks, regulars returned to clear out the discounted coolers. On Saturday, they gathered one last time for the last of the kegs — high-alcohol, barrel-aged treats among them — and limited-edition bottles. What’s next for the space is as yet unannounced, but state business records for this address show a recent filing for ECA Hospitality, connected to Amenpreet Khela and Ishwinder Singh of SeaTac.
THE BLUE ROSE
The Blue Rose replaced Stink/El Tufo last summer at 628 St. Helens Ave. Owner Danny Puskarcik had bought the combination wine bar and sandwich shop from Jenny Smith and Steve Ramsay, who had managed it since 2018. It closed in late April.
Puskarcik had revamped the aesthetic, bringing in Moroccan-style pendant lighting, deepening the walls with a teal tint and highlighting local artists. While the focus on sandwiches remained, he hoped to turn it into more of an everyday neighborhood bar with wine, cocktails, beer and later hours.
He first shared the closing announcement on Instagram. “I wanted more than anything to create a space that I would love to go to. A place that reflects who I am. I feel that was done, and I’m really proud of what the team here and I built,” he wrote. It was particularly challenging, he added, because he did not have a business partner and has two young kids.
“I’m heartbroken to close the doors of The Blue Rose, but I must do what’s best for my family and my own mental health and well-being.”
In a message, he said a sale was in the works and he hoped to have more to share after the deal closed. Unfortunately it fell through, so the future of this space remains up in the air.
The space has two distinct rooms, each with its own entrance: one was a 21-and-up bar while the other was all ages with a deli-style kitchen. It does not have a hood, which limits the breadth of food that can be prepared without major upgrades. The two units are also interconnected with others on either side of this 1920s-era brick building.