Steph Farber: The Best of Times and the Worst of Times on Broadway
Release Date: 01/15/2016
Podcast: Talking Alma Mater Tacoma with Rachel Ervin and Aaron Spiro
movetotacoma's podcast
Rachel Ervin moved to Tacoma in 2007. She resided in Seattle before that for 3.5 years but moved to Tacoma because she had a baby and couldn’t handle living on First Hill. She currently lives with her husband and children in a split level in the West End, which attracted her due to the late 60’s architecture and suburban vibe. If Aaron Spiro uses the term,“the other day” it could mean yesterday or years ago, due to his self-proclaimed, “no sense of time.” That said, He was born and raised in Seattle and moved to Tacoma about 13 years ago. Though they had driven through many a...
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Washington State Historical Society with Mary Mikel Stump
movetotacoma's podcast
While history hounds are in the know, many may wonder what’s the difference between the Tacoma Historical Society and the Washington State Historical Society. Mary Mikel Stump clarifies that the WSHS is a parent agency and was founded in the late 1800’s. She reveals that the epic looking brick building in the Stadium District that plays as home base is not a secret spy agency as Marguerite has often suspected. (haha!) As Director of Audience Engagement, Stump says, “As a non-profit and a state agency we look to see how the history of the state of Washington...
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Episode 70: Dean Burke: Tacoma and the Sea
movetotacoma's podcast
Dean Burke comes on the podcast to talk about how all Tacoma's can have a closer connection to the sea. Dean is the Executive Director of the Tacoma South Sound Sports Commission. He left the Texas Gulf Coast for Tacoma’s North End 23 years ago. Marguerite spent some time on the water with Burke for and sings it’s praises as a transformative experience. Burke’s dialogue about the Pacific Northwest landscape is both informative and poetic. They talk about the connectivity to the sea and the increase in the community’s increased desire to strengthen that relationship by renting or...
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Episode 069: Forest Beutel & The Tacoma Music Scene
movetotacoma's podcast
Punk Rock, Punches & Puget Sound: Before moving to Tacoma 10 years ago, Forest was a drummer for various punk rock bands and was deep into the rock n roll scene in Rhode Island. Somewhere in there he spent some time as a competitive boxer, which as he put it, “was the first step in improving his life.” After applying to universities in the Pacific Northwest, he made it to the University of Puget Sound where he earned a Bachelor’s degree, as a Psychology major. Banjo and Bluegrass: A 1991 Toyota Camry was the sweet chariot of transportation that delivered Forest to Tacoma and since...
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2018: What's Next for Move to Tacoma?
movetotacoma's podcast
Marguerite changed her last name in 2017! It's a new, much easier to spell last name, too! Marguerite Martin! One major goal of Marguerite's in 2017 was to be more engaged with local politics. The two touch on this wildly successful attempt in the Adult Civics Happy Hour series. Insightful discussions led by Nate Bowling on political topics that Marguerite likes to call, “What you should have learned in social studies,” have served as a new way to connect and be civically engaged. ACHH will continue in 2018, keep an eye on the MoveToTacoma.com page to be notified when tickets come...
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Najahmoniq Todd and Del Brown of Mirrorgloss
movetotacoma's podcast
Najah moved from the country in Florida to the City of Tacoma in high school in the mid-nineties. She's lived in the North End (and went to Wilson High School!) and Downtown. Del moved to Tacoma from San Diego in 2003 and they're now roommates on the Hilltop. "I figured if I moved to a different environment then maybe a different outcome would transpire," says Del. "I met [Najah], so that changed my life." Mirrorgloss After meeting on MySpace (they connected over a shared love of Jeff Buckley) Del and Najah became fast friends and collaborators. They tried several different "band things"...
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*Bonus Episode* Nerd Farmer Nate Bowling Interviews Derek M Young
movetotacoma's podcast
MoveToTacoma.com is proud to sponsor Nerd Farmer Podcast! We're pushing out a few episode's of MovetoTacoma.com guest host Nate Bowling's new podcast, Nerd Farmer. This week he is interviewing Pierce County Councilman Derek M. Young. Check it out then subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher.
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Announcing Nate Bowling's New Podcast: Nerd Farmer
movetotacoma's podcast
If you like the Move To Tacoma Podcast, you're going to love Lincoln High School teacher Nate Bowling has been one of our most popular guests. Recently he did a takeover of the Move to Tacoma Podcast and now he's launching a podcast of his own! Billed as "A podcast about education, civics, economics, life, and shade in the South Sound" Nerd Farmer is a window into the issues facing our country and our world through the lens of our own community. In the first episode of the Nerd Farmer Podcast, an interview journalist Anika Anand. Anika is the creator of the Previously the...
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Tacoma's Growth and Economic Development with Ricardo Noguera from The City of Tacoma
movetotacoma's podcast
Ricardo says there are three main goals for an Economic Development Director: business retention, attraction, and expansion. "You're looking to grow the industry you have and grow jobs, and at the same time attract new industry and grow the economy... The goal is also to attract investment." Developing Tacoma "When I first came here that's what I looked at," says Ricardo. "I looked at who the key revenue generators are and the employers. So when I go into a community I identify whose generating the revenue and supporting the tax base, where the jobs are being created, and where are the...
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Tacoma's History Part 3 1940's-1950's with historian Michael Sullivan
movetotacoma's podcast
info_outlineThanks for tuning into our first podcast episode of 2016!
When LeRoy Jewelers moved to Downtown Tacoma in the late 1930's there were a dozen jewelry stores downtown. Now there is one. What happened?
If you've never met Steph Farber from LeRoy Jewelers in Downtown Tacoma, you're in for a treat. Steph's parents founded LeRoy Jewelers in Downtown Tacoma in the 1930's. He grew up riding his bike around a thriving Downtown Tacoma and grew up to see the businesses sucked out of downtown in the direction of the Tacoma Mall in the 1960's.
Before the mall opened, Downtown Tacoma was thriving. As Steph remembers it, "The store was kind of an anchor for me. It was in a very busy downtown, a traditional downtown. With one, two, three, four departments stores... one, two, three, four movie theaters." says Steph. "Everything was there."
"One thing that everybody knows is that 50 years ago the Tacoma Mall opened," says Steph. "The Bon Marche moved out followed by a lot of other small businesses... all these places that were anchors, serious destination spots in downtown believed their future belonged at the mall instead of downtown."
Steph tells us about what happened between the 1960's and the present day, as well as the victories to celebrate and challenges ahead for Downtown Tacoma today.
What does he see as the next step for Downtown Tacoma? "I'm firmly of the belief that a community needs a center," he says. "You need a place that when you think of that community you can see a place. Seattle had it with Westlake. Seattle Center is certainly that place, a gathering place for that community."
Steph has seen a lot! Join us as he shares his memories:
- How LeRoy Jewelers survived the Tacoma Mall in the 1960's & 1970's
- How a plan for a World Trade Center in Downtown Tacoma devastated downtown Tacoma's remaining businesses.
- Realizing every business that left downtown Tacoma for the Tacoma Mall in the 1960's has since closed.
- How 7 ladies with brooms turned the tide with a dream of restoring The Pantages Theater
- His belief that a community needs a center that they feel belongs to them in order to have a strong identity.
Show Notes:
Steve Cysewski "Wandering Tacoma in the 70's"