‘She walked the walk.’ Mattice Hoyt, Tacoma’s ‘unofficial mayor,’ has died
Mattice Hoyt, the owner of Mattice Beauty Supply and known as the “unofficial mayor of Tacoma,” died on Nov. 11, according to numerous social media posts.
Hoyt was a fixture in the city of Tacoma, a fierce advocate for its most vulnerable residents and a vocal proponent of civic engagement. Commenters online remembered her for her tenacity, her love for the people of Tacoma and her sense of humor.
Hoyt opened Mattice Beauty Supply in 2020, managing to keep it afloat through the height of the pandemic – though not without facing obstacles. She prided herself on running one of few Black-owned beauty supply stores in the region, a type of business whose customers are primarily Black.
The cause of her death has not been made public.
The news of her passing resulted in a massive outpouring of support on social media, commenters who ranged from close friends to people who only met her in passing to people from outside Tacoma who knew of her but had never met her. Members of Tacoma’s small-business community, unions and local leaders all spoke out expressing the magnitude of the loss.
“Mattice was always good to those in need of help,” a commenter wrote on Reddit. “I hope she is at peace. Love you Auntie.”
“She was the first person to really welcome me into [the] community,” another wrote. “She cared. She put people on. She was real. She spoke up and spoke out for all of us. I can’t believe she’s gone.”
Friends of Hoyt’s established a memorial for her outside the door of her store in Central Tacoma, lining it with bouquets, candles, posters and more.
Hoyt, who was 39 when she spoke to The News Tribune in September, survived cancer twice and juggled her business while undergoing cancer treatment during the pandemic. She lost both her legs to the disease, but she took the obstacles in stride, installing ramps in her store and getting back to business as quickly as she could.
Hoyt also was known for her citizen journalism – she told The News Tribune that when business at her store was slow, she got in the habit of watching city council meetings from behind the register. She would sit through the hours-long meetings and post about the highlights on her Instagram page, @mattice_beauty_supply. She’d explain how the city’s government works, would answer questions from her followers and would encourage Tacoma residents to vote. She was most recently disappointed about the turnout in this year’s November election, about 33% in Pierce County.
Zev Cook, a community organizer and friend of Hoyt’s, said Hoyt consistently “showed up” for people in Tacoma. Cook said she appreciated how Hoyt was vulnerable about her struggles as an amputee navigating the city’s sometimes inaccessible streets and sidewalks.
Hoyt told The News Tribune that she designated a section of her store to serve as a community room, offering classes on a sliding scale for people in the area to learn to cook, to craft, to hold letter-writing campaigns, even if it meant losing retail space.
“I think this community meant pretty much everything to her,” Cook told The News Tribune on Thursday. “She sacrificed a lot to play the role that she played in the community. As a business owner, she wasn’t very profit driven. She was more focused on how she could sustain what she was doing in a way that allowed her to continue to support the community.”
Hoyt previously contributed to Grit City Magazine and proudly sported her Grit City Magazine political correspondent media pass in photos posted online.
“She took no shit and feared no hater,” Grit City Magazine wrote of Hoyt on Instagram. “She walked the walk while other people talked and reminded us daily that you don’t need legs to kick ass.”
Her passion for civic engagement and community service earned her the title as the “unofficial mayor of Tacoma.” She also received accolades from the city for her work, named the Champion of Civic Engagement in June of this year. Just weeks before her passing, Hoyt posted online messages from followers who wrote her name in for mayor in this year’s mayoral election.
“When they first called her the unofficial mayor, I was happy for her to have the title because I think she represents what’s best about being a mayor, and that is loving the people and caring for the people who live in your community,” Victoria Woodards, Tacoma’s official mayor, told The News Tribune. “And that’s what Mattice did.”
The Black Panther Party of Washington called Hoyt “a voice for those society tries to silence” in a statement.
“Mattice gave true meaning to the word community,” the organization wrote to The News Tribune. “There was never a moment when it ever felt she was disconnected from the city she so passionately fought for.”
This is a developing story. If you’d like to share stories about Mattice Hoyt, contact reporter Isha Trivedi at itrivedi@thenewstribune.com.
This story was originally published November 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
