New event venue for live music, parties to open inside Tacoma restaurant
A new event venue is opening this weekend in Tacoma, and it happens to be at the back of a modern Italian restaurant.
The Poet will take up the back room of Manuscript in the Stadium District and be available to host live music, parties, workshops, mini markets and more. Food-and-drink packages from the restaurant are available.
Leah Browning, owner of The Poet, said she wants the venue to be a space for sound, story, movement and connection.
“There’s just fewer and fewer places to have gatherings, especially live music,” Browning said.
Inside The Poet is a small stage, a lounge off to the side, and big windows looking out toward Commencement Bay.
Browning, who previously ran her business Sage and Soul Photography in Ruston, said she has been planning events ever since she was a kid and always incorporated that idea into her studio, hosting photography classes along with small private events like baby showers.
As she looked to expand, she connected with the owner of Manuscript, Eda Johnson.
When the Stadium District bar and restaurant opened in 2024, Johnson ran both spaces as a dual-concept business: Manuscript was the restaurant, while Dialogue occupied the spacious back room, serving as a nightclub with rotating DJs and other live events.
Due to operational costs and personal bandwidth, Johnson sought an outside partner to take advantage of the venue area.
It briefly operated as a temporary studio for Tuladhara Yoga, which found a new home on Sixth Ave.
Ideally, Johnson wanted someone to more permanently manage the back room as its own entity. That’s where Browning came in.
Along with hosting events, The Poet is the new home of Browning’s photography studio, which can also be rented out by local photographers. Browning plans to continue running her monthly photography classes at the space as well.
Having four teenagers, Browning also made sure The Poet wouldn’t have a blanket 21+ or 18+ age restriction.
“Like we can have a punk show, a punk band, and the teenagers can come,” Browning said.
That being said, people renting out the space can enforce age restrictions for their events if they wish.
The Poet is available for both public and private events, and the venue can provide planning and full event service — with decorations, flowers, tables and chairs — or be completely hands-off. It’s whatever the customer wants, Browning said.
The venue has a capacity of 200 people, and it can fit 60 people with tables and chairs. The capacity jumps to 300 if people decide to rent out the restaurant as well. It costs between $75 and $200 per hour to rent the space, depending on the type of event.
The main entrance to The Poet is at 202 St. Helens Ave., right next to Sunrise Play Café. A more accessible entrance is available at 203 Tacoma Ave. S., aka the main Manuscript entrance.
While Manuscript is open Wednesday through Sunday, The Poet will be available to rent out every day from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (with some wiggle room).
If someone wanted to host something like a yoga class or a sound bath, Browning said Mondays and Tuesdays would be best, since the restaurant is closed and the space would be quiet.
Poetry, of course, will be incorporated into The Poet. Browning is asking people to submit poems for a poetry mural, and people can also write their own poems on cards hanging from the wall. Browning wants to use the space to showcase other local artists as well.
The Poet’s grand opening is this Sunday from 2-5 p.m. Expect drinks, snacks and vendors offering everything from temporary tattoos to tooth gems.
Booking is available through The Poet’s website.
