Shop local Tacoma artists at newly opened ‘Grit City Made’ in Old Town
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- Grit City Made just opened in Old Town Tacoma as a retail hub for local artists.
- Artists receive 65% of sales, offering more sustainable income than markets.
- The shop plans to offer workshops, sensory-friendly hours and event space.
Tucked away a block from the Ruston Way waterfront in Old Town is a new business selling Tacoma artwork, from ceramic baby-head bolo ties to stickers, jewelry, magnets, glass planters and whimsical paintings.
Grit City Made had its grand opening earlier this month at 2209 N. 30th St. The owners (who are Tacoma artists) describe the retail space as “a treasure trove of eclectic creations” and each item “an enchanting reflection of our community’s uniqueness.”
On Thursday, owners Krystal Jimenez, Mary Patton and Natalie Haywood told The News Tribune they were lucky to find a brick-and-mortar shop that checked their boxes. All owners still sell their work at local markets (find them at next week’s Art on the Ave festival), but they wanted to have a permanent space where artists could sell their wares with less volatility.
Jimenez, who uses they/them and she/her pronouns, said the choice to open the shop was an opportunity to “reinvest into ourselves and our community.” Market sales can vary depending on the day, crowd or placement of an artist’s booth, and sometimes artists make no sales despite investing time and money to sell at a market, they said.
At Grit City Made, artists receive 65% of the sales from their work, with the remaining 35% going to support the business, Haywood said.
“Typically it would be a 50/50, and we know that that can be really difficult to survive on,” she said. “We really just want to create a space where artists can thrive.”
Patton said some shoppers have anxiety that prevents them from attending big markets, which can also have limited parking and hours. Grit City Made is accessible, intends to offer sensory-friendly and mask-wearing hours in the future, and will be open four days a week, she said.
In the future Grit City Made hopes to offer classes and private events, possibly moving to a larger space with a studio, Patton said. Currently in the works is a “Labubu and Me” workshop for people to create charm necklaces for themselves and their viral keychain plushie. Follow Grit City Made’s Instagram or check out its website for a calendar of events.
On the shelves are the owners’ own creations. Jimenez (of Yo Its Cake) specializes in ceramics and is known colloquially as the “baby head lady,” they said. Patton (of Patton Glass) makes hand-blown glass work, and Haywood (of Nat Haywood Vibes) is a multi-disciplinary artist who makes resin sculptures and paintings “that border between mysticism and reality and how the natural world plays with us in that realm,” she said.
Other artists featured now include Outer Rim Art, Jess Drew That, Lovesome Dove, Plastino Arts, Sketchboard Joy, Maxwell Woodworking, Change Face and Mythic Wick. Jimenez said all the artists made at least one sale the first day the shop was open.
Haywood said as a single mom she wants to show her daughter she, too, can follow her dreams.
“No one, quite frankly, ever told me I could be an artist. No one told me I could be a small business owner. In fact, it’s just been met with criticism and worries and projections,” she said. “And I just want her to know, like, if something is your passion, you can make a living off of it. You can, you really can. And it helps doing it with your friends.”
Although “it’s just really hard to exist right now,” Patton said, they’re using the shop as “an anchor or a stronghold for us.”
“We’ve kind of described this as, like, our soft rebellion,” Patton said. “We’re here, supporting our community, putting money back into it. A lot of our artists are disabled or BIPOC. A lot of them are full-time artists. Some of them do other jobs, like teach or work in the schools. So it’s just really important to uplift our community directly.”
If you go
▪ Grit City Made is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
▪ Any artists interested in selling their wares at the shop can contact hello@gritcitymade.com.
This story was originally published July 11, 2025 at 12:00 PM.
