Violence, degradation near Tacoma’s Wright Park prompt cider bar owners to move business
In a clash of forces underlying small business ownership, homelessness, crime and the city’s response, a Tacoma cider taproom and bottle shop has closed and will reopen in a new location, the owners announced last week.
Cider & Cedar will move from its original home at 612 Tacoma Ave. S. to 744 Market St., formerly An American Tavern. The latter closed earlier this year after having its liquor license suspended for repeated violation of COVID-19 regulations.
The reason for the move is complicated and heartbreaking, said Mia Paradiso in an emotional six-minute video posted to Instagram and Facebook on Friday. She and her husband opened the bar, anchored by a stunning old-growth cedar fixture, in the summer of 2020.
Though they love what they have built, both in the bar itself and in the community that has supported them through the pandemic, the location has become untenable and dangerous, explained Mia Paradiso in her video.
She described incidents ranging from finding bullet casings in the street to women rushing into the bar seeking shelter from a man pursuing them. On Thursday night, she said, her husband was punched after asking an “incredibly erratic and disruptive” man to leave. Police confirmed an assault reported at the bar on Dec. 2 around 8:30 p.m., which began when the man placed his beer on another patron’s table and then became “loud and verbally aggressive.”
“We couldn’t get him out of the bar, and the situation just escalated really quickly, and all I can think about is how much worse it could have been, and how grateful I am that it wasn’t,” she said.
She alluded to issues of homelessness, saying, “The situation with the community on our street is heartbreaking. We’ve witnessed physical, emotional, sexual violence in a way that we weren’t prepared for, and that reality confronts us every single day that we are down there.”
The area is not safe, she said, adding that they are scared every day they open for business.
“We’ve been threatened with violence, and we feel like we’re on our own, and we don’t feel like we have support from city leadership,” she continued, growing increasingly emotional.
BREAKING POINT
The couple told The News Tribune they have regularly called 311, as well as 911 on nights and weekends when the community-service side of emergency response is off-duty. Police have fielded calls from the bar at least five times since July, ranging from the Dec. 2 incident to an alleged drive-by shooting to reports of people banging on the windows, shouting and refusing to leave when requested.
In addition to regularly attending and watching the recordings of City Council meetings, the Paradisos said they have corresponded with their community liaison officer, Mikael Johnson, and the city’s homeless outreach coordinator Allyson Griffith, but ultimately inaction has left them feeling frustrated and powerless.
“They basically tell us that they understand how frustrated we are but can’t do anything because their hands are tied,” they said this week.
In a statement provided to The News Tribune, Deputy Mayor Keith Blocker, whose council district includes this area, referenced pandemic challenges for people and businesses, and said he was sorry to hear of Cider & Cedar’s closing.
“The city has invested intensive staff hours and resources to mitigate the impacts of homelessness on residents and business owners, but we know it is not enough given the depth and complexity of the issue,” Blocker said. “I wish the business owners much success in their new location and hope they will consider calling on the city to partner on solutions in the future.”
Building owner David Foster said the tent encampment on the corner of Tacoma Avenue and 7th Street, has been an issue since last year. (A nearby encampment on Yakima Avenue and 8th Street was cleared in September.) He described having to pick up human feces, needles, bullets and garbage, while managing vandalism to the building and “aggressive loitering or camping” around it.
“Residents should be able to move around the property and the sidewalk without fear, but this is impossible,” he told The News Tribune by email, adding that now he has lost both residential and commercial tenants.
He and other building residents have filed “countless complaints” with the police, the homelessness task force, elected officials and the community police team, “but nothing ever happens,” he said. “It’s exhausting and most of us have given up.”
In response to questions about the situation that has unfolded on this block, Megan Snow, community relations specialist for the City of Tacoma, said the city was aware of and “continues to provide outreach” to individuals at that particular encampment, but there is no ordinance that compels them to accept services, which includes shelter as well as mental health and substance use needs.
Regarding safety concerns from businesses or residents about encampments, she said the city encourages them to call 911 for emergencies.
“The city does evaluate calls for service as part of its review of encampment removals,” she added.
Like the Paradisos, Foster empathizes with the reality that dealing with homelessness holds no easy answers, but he hopes that, to start, the city and relevant agencies will “do its job to provide basic public safety.”
Addressing homelessness “requires community-wide participation to work towards solutions,” said Snow. “Homelessness impacts everyone, and, while those impacts are different, we all feel them acutely.”
Referring to Cider & Cedar’s decision to close, she continued, “The indication that a business is closing due to the presence of an encampment demonstrates the need for businesses, advocates, city staff and residents to come together to provide additional managed shelter locations to address the needs of individuals living outside. Only through addressing root causes of homelessness can we adequately address the issues presented by the presence of encampments both for individuals in the encampments and nearby residences and businesses.”
The Paradisos emphasized that they have tried to be empathetic and did not call police for “every little thing.” But, they told The News Tribune, “What we have slowly and insidiously grown to tolerate as another ‘little thing’ is shocking.”
In August, Sterling Paradiso, along with more than two dozen business owners and directors, signed a letter to Mayor Victoria Woodards and City Council. Organized by the Downtown Tacoma Partnership, it listed several violent crimes that occurred in July — including a murder in Wright Park and a fatal stabbing in the Theater District — and asked the city to work with downtown stakeholders on “a plan for decreasing downtown violence.”
“Both the increase in violent crimes and the lack of clarity on a plan to address public safety from City Hall have left the downtown community feeling unsafe, unsupported, and extremely disheartened,” they wrote, citing reductions in police staffing leading to fewer patrols. It also referenced the controversial use-of-force bill that passed the state Legislature in early 2021.
According to a report on policing and community safety shared with the City Council in late August, Tacoma had more violent crime per capita in 2020 than any of the 10 most populous cities in the state. From January to July 2021, the area from Division Street to South 19th, from Martin Luther King Jr. Way to Pacific Avenue, was one of the top five in the city for violent crimes.
In October, Tacoma police shared a plan to curb violent crime that includes a specialized team and increased patrols.
Technically, Cider & Cedar’s original location does not count as “downtown,” but the Paradisos have worked with DTP’s David Schroedel to further what they see as a collective effort.
NEXT STEPS FOR CIDER & CEDAR
The Paradisos, meanwhile, are “heartbroken” to leave behind what is a beautiful space, outfitted with custom cedar furniture and shelving built by Sterling Paradiso, who sourced all of the wood from land he owns on the Olympic Peninsula.
“We have poured so much of ourselves into this place, and you, our community, have made it clear how much you appreciate the space, and to leave this way feels really terrible,” said Mia Paradiso, between tears, in her video.
In a message to The News Tribune, they said they struggled with the roller coaster to this point: They are fortunate to have found another location at all, and to have the resources — financial and physical — to even consider the option.
“Do we invest more into the business and city despite our experiences? Or do we just walk away and be done?” they said. “Ultimately, we believe in Tacoma and its place as a wonderful community and home. Until Covid happened, and everything spiraled on the streets, we had no hesitations about living and starting a business here.”
Sterling Paradiso was born here, they added, and upon opening Cider & Cedar they were nothing short of excited to be part of Tacoma’s next chapter.
“We know that Tacoma has a bit of a tough history, but we also believe in this city,” they said. “We want to be part of continuing to make Tacoma a special place.”
The original location closed Dec. 3, though it will reopen for a final farewell Dec. 17-18.
Meanwhile, they have begun renovations on the American Tavern space, scraping the decal off the door and breaking down a wall.
Mia Paradiso acknowledged the tribulations of the former tenant, which for months riled neighbors of the residential apartments above and next door with reports of unruly patrons and disdain for pandemic safety rules.
“We’re really excited to have the opportunity to reclaim that space as a force for good in our community,” she said, “and we take that responsibility really seriously.”
Thanking their more than 1,700 followers, she said, “It’s because of you that we know Cider & Cedar has a bright future here in Tacoma, so thank you. We’ll see you soon.”
CIDER & CEDAR
▪ Final service Dec. 17-18 at 612 Tacoma Ave. S, Tacoma, 253-327-1404
▪ New bar will reopen at 744 Market St. in 2022
This story was originally published December 7, 2021 at 11:42 AM.