New vintage store with 11 vendors, in-store tattoo artist opens in Tacoma
A new vintage store has opened in downtown Tacoma, but it’s more like a bunch of stores in one.
Ropa, 2309 Tacoma Ave. S., sells goods from nearly a dozen vendors, plus store owner Mica Keyes’ own collection.
Of those vendors, five have in-store booths, where you can find goods like ceramics, upcycled clothing, household goods and prints. You can even get a tattoo (but more on that later).
While the store is new, Ropa as a brand isn’t. Keyes opened the first iteration of Ropa at 2303 Commerce St. last year, sharing a space with her brother’s mid-century modern furniture business.
As a kid, Keyes said she was always getting thrifted items, mostly because that was the only option available.
“I grew up, like, super poor. There’d be times where [there was] no food,” Keyes said. “I think when you grow up in extreme poverty like that, you don’t even know that you can buy stuff brand new …. The first time I bought new clothes, I think I was literally 16 or 17.”
After growing up on the Key Peninsula, Keyes went to Tacoma Community College and said she fell in love with the city.
She opened Ropa in January 2025 but said the situation wasn’t ideal. The store was only open three days a week, and Keyes said she and brother both needed more space. Keyes moved out earlier this year, and her brother stayed, rebranding the store to MCM Tacoma.
The space Keyes eventually found on Tacoma Avenue South was an old esthetician’s office, different rooms inside for different services.
She was planning to tear it all down but came up with a different idea — what about opening the space to other local vendors, like the ones she met at The Tacoma Flea?
Over 40 different vendors applied, and she whittled the list down to 11. Other vintage shops do occasionally sell goods from other vendors but usually not quite as many as Ropa.
It was important that the vendors had a very specific vision, one that was creative but also cohesive with the rest of the store.
Keyes describes Ropa as a boutique shopping experience with an antique-vintage feel.
“With the 11 vendors, you can get a little bit of everything,” Keyes said.
Throughout the store, there are items like handmade jewelry, funky sunglasses and sweatshirts made of different tapestries and blankets. Taking up one of the first booths is Komorebi, a vendor selling vintage clothing with a country-western vibe. Other booths contain framed art, handcrafted tableware and ceramics, plus more clothing and accessories.
Some items go for as little as $10, while others can be a couple hundred bucks.
Inside the booth at the back of the store, there are no vintage items for sale. Instead, there’s a mini tattoo parlor.
Tattoo artist Amy Kiuchi, who also owns Komorebi, will work out of the space.
“At my last shop, we would do flash tattoo events,” Keyes said. “So when she came up to me with the idea of doing tattoos [here] … I was like, why not?”
Tattoo appointments will open after Keyes works out some building logistics.
Ropa had its grand opening May 25 and is now open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Keyes said she wants customers to feel welcomed and appreciated, like how she felt when she came to Tacoma as a young adult.
“Tacoma was the first place I ever felt beautiful. Tacoma’s the first place I ever felt like I could be myself,” Keyes said. “This is my love letter to Tacoma, and I hope that people feel it when they walk in.”
