Neighborhood grocer, meat counter that also supplies Tacoma restaurants is closing

One of Tacoma’s only butcher shops and one of just a few lingering neighborhood markets with fresh produce has closed, leaving the burger stand that shared the space in a lurch.

Dave’s Meat and Produce shut the doors on Monday night after an 18-year run at 1312 N I St. After determining remaining inventory, however, the market plans to reopen on Saturday at 9 a.m. It will continue with normal hours until everything — from meat in the case and the freezers, jars on the shelves and beer in the coolers — is sold.

Ooh La La Burgers, a walk-up restaurant known for its char-grilled patties, will continue operating through the end of the month. Owner Letitia Reed told The News Tribune on Friday that she was “blindsided” by the market’s sudden closure. She is unsure of her next steps but encouraged her fans to “just stay tuned.”

“We’re staying optimistic,” she said.

Several local restaurants, including Burger Seoul, Bar Rosa and Devil’s Reef, have also sourced their meat from Dave’s and will need to find a new supplier.

20 YEARS OF MEAT IN TACOMA

The tall white sign with red lettering has stood out at the curve where I Street becomes North 21st in the North End. Since 2006, the market served as a local pit stop for staples like onions, tomatoes and lettuce, as well as packaged goods including custom-made salsas, pickles and sauces. But it was perhaps most appreciated for its meat counter, where locals could source ground beef, steaks and chicken, including cuts already marinated and ready for the grill.

Lawrence Huffines, a Tacoma-based real estate agent and former teacher at Annie Wright Schools down the street, said he has frequented the shop from Day 1.

“When my kids were small, I’d pick up stuff to barbecue, and now my kids are all moved out!” he said in a phone call this week after posting despondently about the closure on social media. “It’s sad for the community. He didn’t just make a butcher shop — he made a community center.”

That “he” was Derek Kipapa, who started the business with a guy named Dave in November 2006. The original Dave dropped out, but Kipapa kept the name.

During a phone call on Thursday, Kipapa said things had been kind of hectic as news of the closure spread.

“The reaction has been unexpected,” he said, adding that regulars had been coming by the store to ask what had happened and why now. “The community was just disappointed and I understand why.”

Before opening Dave’s, Kipapa worked in wholesale meat distribution for big suppliers. He knew the industry, and he wanted to own a business. As a teenager growing up in Hawaii, he explained, he created a bucket list: serve his country, attend college, work for a small business and a corporation, travel the country, be an entrepreneur — in no firm order. At age 45, he had done all of those things except one.

“The last thing on my list was I wanted my own business, where we wanted to give back to the community, and that’s sure as heck what we did,” he told The News Tribune.

He took great pride in the uniqueness of his inventory, which differed from most other grocers — even independent competitors like Met Market or Tacoma Boys; he had some meaty connections.

“If you came in to buy a ribeye, I’d want to talk you out of it,” he said. In addition to hard-to-find cuts, he and his staff also developed recipes for case-favorites like lemongrass chicken, pork rolls and kalbi ribs.

His stepson worked alongside him, and Kipapa thought some day he would leave the market in his command. A chronic illness led to his stepson’s untimely death in 2014. Kipapa kept going for several years before deciding the long hours were too demanding as he aged. He sold the business in early 2020 to, incidentally, a different Dave.

Dave Clogston did not immediately return The News Tribune’s requests for comment. Kipapa, who continued to work at the shop part-time and assisted with meat purchasing, said the decision to close was somewhat sudden.

Sales were up during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Kipapa, as more families honed their home-cooking skills, but the past few years have been challenging. While pork and poultry have remained somewhat stable, prices for beef have in some cases almost doubled, which he attributes in large part to a rise in fuel costs. Suppliers and wholesalers pass that increase onto retailers.

“At what point, where you almost start to take a loss, or you try to get that extra markup, how much is the consumer gonna pay?” he asked. “We’re right at that breaking point.”

The number of butcher shops and specialty meat markets has also dwindled in recent decades. Despite an overall rise in meat consumption in the U.S., the numbers have dropped for beef but spiked for chicken. Other shifts in dietary habits have coincided with a major dip in the number of processing facilities. Smaller shops also have limited buying power, and volume is essential in the meat-buying business, noted Kipapa.

LOCAL RESTAURANT IMPACT

For local restaurants that sourced beef and pork from Dave’s, the loss stings. For Ooh La La, it means finding a new location, which Reed said she had not yet had time to consider.

Meghan Seale, co-owner of Bar Rosa, said they are not yet sure where they will turn for fresh meat for their Neapolitan-style pizzas and modern Italian fare. Young La, the owner of Burger Seoul, said he plans to begin grinding meat in-house for his custom blends, but he remains crushed by the void left in Dave’s absence — for more than the meat.

“Derek is the one who opened up the door,” said La, who has been ordering meat from Dave’s since he opened his food trailer on 19th Street in 2015. He now operates a brick-and-mortar on 6th and Sprague. Dave’s will supply his product through the end of February, said La.

“It’s not just the business closing down. It’s my best buddy, I have to say goodbye,” he said in a phone call on Thursday. Beyond his own sphere, he added, he hopes the closure underlines the importance of supporting local businesses — not just words of encouragement but real investment.

“We all go to Costco, but you can do something about it,” he said. “I’m talking to myself, too. You have to support what you’re doing and others too.”

When he was trying to get his now-beloved Korean-American burger concept off the ground, every place he asked to craft his signature chuck and short-rib patty said no. “Derek was like, ‘We can make it for you. What kind of patty do you want?’ That’s the one you wanna run with. Then he showed us loyalty all the way through the years and years, the obstacles. I was always a picky person, and they were always willing to listen.”

DAVE’S MEAT & PRODUCE

▪ 1312 N I St., Tacoma, 253-280-9999, facebook.com

▪ Market will reopen on Feb. 22 to begin selling through remaining inventory

▪ Hours: Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. until sold out

Reporter’s Note, 2/22/2025: This story has been updated with comment from Ooh La La Burgers.

This story was originally published February 21, 2025 at 8:00 AM.