Find liquor, Middle Eastern goods, hyperlocal food at these new Pierce County stores
Several food and drink retailers opened their doors in the South Sound this fall, including the highly anticipated Met Market in Gig Harbor and Total Wine & More near the Tacoma Mall.
Tacoma also gained an independently owned shop focused on Middle Eastern and halal products. Meanwhile, in East Pierce County, a family opened a market where some 7 of 10 products hail from the Pacific Northwest.
There’s also a new boutique in McKinley, where this weekend you can support local artists and snag a loaf of sourdough bread or bagels from a new pop-up concept.
Here are six new places to shop this holiday season.
POOR DAVE’S MARKET
20616 Highway 410 E., Bonney Lake, 253-380-7590, poordavesmarket.com
Skip the Safeway and Fred Meyer across the street and get to know Poor Dave’s Market, which opened this fall in Bonney Lake. A majority of the goods are locally sourced, including produce, cheese, meats (cured and raw); dry goods like pasta, spices and sauces; and beer, wine and spirits. Owners Beverly and David Brown will walk you through the store and help you find just what you need — and probably a few bonuses. Open Monday-Wednesday 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
GROCERY OUTLET - MILTON
900 Meridian Ave. E., Milton, 253-281-4740, groceryoutlet.com/grand-opening/milton-wa
The grocery store franchise of “bargain bliss” has a new store in Milton, operated by Jason and Cindy San Nicolas. The couple worked for many years at the South Tacoma location before running the Enumclaw store, according to the parent company’s LinkedIn page. Follow Grocery Outlet Milton on Facebook for regular updates and promotions. Open daily 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
TOTAL WINE & MORE
4502 S. Steele St. (in between Krispy Kreme and JCPenney), 253-948-5602, totalwine.com
Total Wine & More has operated in Washington state since liquor sales went private in 2012, but the nearest to Tacoma was either in Puyallup or Federal Way. The Maryland-based company, still family-owned and operated, opened its 23,400-square-foot liquor store at Tacoma Mall this fall, shortly after the Nordstrom Rack and Ulta Beauty. If you haven’t yet been, grab one of the coupons that should be landing in your mailbox and stock up on wine for (safe) holiday gatherings. Open daily 9 a.m-10 p.m.
ZAMZAM HALAL INTERNATIONAL MARKET
5003 Tacoma Mall Blvd., Ste. 102, Tacoma, 253-245-4549, zamzamwa.com
Stocked with halal goods and essentials for Middle Eastern cooking, from harissa and tahini to rose water and date molasses, ZamZam International Market opened this this fall on Tacoma Mall Boulevard. The store entrance faces west — turn in between the Chuck E. Cheese and the Thai-Vietnamese restaurant Lele East & West, drive down the small hill to the back parking lot. Open daily 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
PARABLE TACOMA
3502 McKinley Ave., Tacoma, 253-220-7393, parabletacoma.com
Parable, a community focused boutique in McKinley, held its grand opening in early October. The shop identifies as a Black, LGBTQ and woman-owned business, with the goal of being not just a place to buy plants, books, clothing and more from local vendors but also a gathering space for children’s programs and workshops. This Saturday, Dec. 4, Parable will host a holiday edition of the Rain Or Shine Community Market (formerly known as The Community Market), featuring local artists and their pottery, art and jewelry, as well as two notable new food pop-ups: Yeastside Bakery, a collaboration between two cottage bakers with bagels and sourdough bread, and Coping Cookies, with over-the-top cookies stuffed — literally — with Oreos, caramel, marshmallows.
METROPOLITAN MARKET - GIG HARBOR
5010 Point Fosdick Dr., Gig Harbor, 253-858-4842, metropolitan-market.com
Met Market introduced its Gig Harbor store in October to “a crush of carts,” as The Gateway described opening day. The regional chain’s ninth store replaced Kroger’s Main & Vine, an experimental boutique grocery that operated 2016-2018. With an extensive cheese department, seafood and meat, plus plentiful organic produce, the newest Met Market also features a ramen bar, a “salad island,” and other grab-and-go items. Don’t forget The Cookie.
This story was originally published December 1, 2021 at 5:00 AM.