Move to Tacoma Podcast

Lindquist Dental Clinic for Children has been a Tacoma institution since 1936. Even so- Move to Tacoma Podast host Marguerite Martin admits on-mic she didn’t fully understand what they do until she sat down with Executive Director Carolyn McDougal-Weyrick at dinner this winter. Turns out a lot of Tacoma doesn’t know either. Lindquist sees kids from birth to their 21st birthday, takes e...

Director of Brand & Marketing at Tacoma-based SiteCrafting Jen Rittenhouse joins Move to Tacoma Podcast Host and Tacoma real estate agent Marguerite Martin to talk about the work happening behind the scenes at SiteCrafting, a Tacoma tech company that’s been building and supporting websites since 1998. While they started with web development, Jen explains how SiteCrafting now offers a much broa...

In this episode of the Move to Tacoma Podcast Marguerite Martin talks with Nicholas Carr, a Housing Policy Strategic Advisor for Washington State. They talk about why housing in Washington State is so expensive, why homelessness keeps rising in Tacoma and beyond, and why small fixes do not seem to be having the impact everyone wants. Nick explains that housing isn’t just about buildings. It’s an e...

What Is Palmer Scholars? In this episode of Move to Tacoma , Marguerite talks with Malachi Cabrera from Palmer Scholars, a nonprofit started in Tacoma in 1983. The organization helps young people in Pierce County who are underrepresented or face barriers to education and careers. Palmer Scholars works with students while they are still in high school and continues supporting them into adulthood. P...

Francis Faye Oak and Devin Rydel Kelly came on the podcast to talk about tenant rights, tenant organizing, and the growing tenant union movement in Tacoma. The conversation centers on the origins and goals of Tacoma for All, a housing justice organization that emerged in response to rising rents, displacement, and deteriorating living conditions, and on the recent fight to defend Tacoma’s voter-ap...

In this episode the Move to Tacoma Podcast- host Marguerite Martin sits down with Mayor-Elect Anders Ibsen for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about how Tacoma is governed. They discuss what meaningful accountability can actually look like in a city with a city-manager system. Ibsen reflects on growing up in Tacoma, his early years on City Council, and the door-to-door conversations that shape...

Hailey Hernandez knows what it takes to survive and thrive in Tacoma’s restaurant scene. Born and raised in Washington, she worked for years in the restaurant industry before burning out on low wages, toxic environments, and exploitation. In 2022, with only $300 and a $2,400 payday loan, she and her husband Dante launched Sidepiece Kitchen out of a shared commissary space in South Tacoma. What sta...

Tamiko Nimura’s book, “A Place for What We Lose: A Daughter’s Return to Tule Lake” centers on her father’s unpublished memoir about his family’s incarceration during WWII. The book contains a history she revisited during a difficult period in her life. Growing up in California, Nimura moved to Tacoma in 2004 and later learned about the city’s lost Japanese American community, which was...

Silong Chhun moved to Tacoma as a two-year-old Cambodian refugee. In this interview on the Move to Tacoma Podcast Silong recounts his upbringing on the Eastside. Tacoma’s Eastside is a place of deep community and cultural richness. He shares memories of growing up in low-income housing, where families relied on each other for support, and highlights the role of places like Tacoma Community H...

How to Open a Coffee Shop in Tacoma, Washington Kevin Lee, the founder of Third Space Coffee in Downtown Tacoma , joins the Tacoma real estate agent Marguerite Martin on the Move to Tacoma Podcast to share the story of how his new café came to be — and what it really takes to open a small business on Pacific Avenue. Kevin moved to the Tacoma area with his immigrant parents from New York City in th...

In this episode of the Move to Tacoma Podcast, host Marguerite Martin speaks with Catherine Feeney, a local artist and founder of South Sound Plein Air. Catherine shares her journey from growing up in Tacoma to rediscovering her passion for painting later in life. She explains what plein air painting is. En Plein Air is painting outdoors to capture natural light and atmosphere, and how the practic...

Marguerite hosts Sean Leacy from Tacoma Dads , a supportive group aimed at fostering connections among fathers in Tacoma. Sean talks about how the group evolved from its beginnings as a small, private Facebook group in 2016 to its current form with hundreds of members. The group organizes regular events like adventure days, game nights, and cold water plunges, providing dads with opportunities to...

When it comes to private schools in Tacoma, what are your options? On the Move to Tacoma podcast Marguerite Martin interviewed Cheryl Schenk, an expert on Tacoma’s private schools. This interview digs into what makes these the different private schools in Tacoma unique and how parents can find the best fit for their children. Cheryl talks about the types of private schools available in Tacom...

The latest episode of the Move to Tacoma Podcast features an interview with Anzhane Slaughter of YBH (Young Black Homeowners). Anzhane shares about moving to Tacoma from Seattle to buy her first house in South Tacoma and what owning a home has meant to her. Since 1990 Black Homeownership has been declining in Tacoma. In partnership with the City of Tacoma Anzhane and YBH will be bringing culturall...

Does Tacoma have good schools? This podcast interview from “Move to Tacoma,” hosted by Tacoma Real Estate Agent Marguerite Martin , features Tanisha Jumper, the Chief Communications Officer for Tacoma Public Schools . The conversation delves into the nuances of public school funding, the vibrancy and diversity of Tacoma Public Schools, and a focus on the transformative work being under...

Tacoma is a union town. Stephen Rue and Carrie Morton from Tacoma Art Museum Workers United share about forming a union at the Tacoma Art Museum. They share about the conditions at the museum that led them to decide to form a union, their long journey to being recognized, and what’s involved as they go to the bargaining table to negotiate their first contract. Tacoma Art Museum Workers Unite...

Pretty Gritty Tours is not JUST the most popular tour company in Tacoma, Washington. Pretty Gritty Tours (and its creator Chris Staudinger) are one of the most entertaining accounts about Tacoma on social media. From Tiktok, to YouTube, to Instagram and Facebook- Chris finds stories from Tacoma’s past and shares them with us in a way that is entertaining and enlightening. What is Pretty Grit...

Chris Miller from The Red Hot joins us to share about 17 years of running one of Tacoma’s most popular bars. He talks about starting bar in Tacoma, all the lessons he’s learned along the way, and advice he has for other people with a dream of opening a bar in Tacoma. He shares about working all over the Puget Sound as a Union Carpenter before deciding to get in the bar business. How Th...

What is Tacoma Pro Bono? Tacoma Pro Bono Community Lawyers is a legal aid organization in Tacoma, Washington. In this episode of the Move to Tacoma Podcast Marguerite interviews Laurie Davenport and Ash Meer. We cover the formation and the growth of Tacoma Pro Bono. How it expanded from a small team to 42 staff members, including 22 attorneys. The focus of Tacoma Pro Bono is on providing free lega...

Moving to Tacoma and finding Lawn Bowling Tacoma Lawn Bowling Club members Laura Moscatello and Mike Catsi moved to Tacoma from Alaska and now they’re the president and treasurer of the Tacoma Lawn Bowling Club . In this episode of the Move to Tacoma Podcast we dig into what lawn bowling is, why it’s so fun, and how to get involved. If you’ve ever walked past the lawn bowling gre...

Originally located in Downtown Tacoma on Commerce, Mad Hat Tea is now at its new location in Tacoma’s Dome District (where Downtown Tacoma meets the Eastside ).  His shop serves tea in a laid back setting for locals, even crafting custom teas for people at their request. In addition, Mad Hat runs a thriving online business where customers order tea from across the country. Tobin shares the s...

Turn of the Centuries Kirsten Sparenborg Kirsten Sparenborg is a Tacoma artist who creates Architectural Map Drawings . When Kirsten’s husband PCSed to JBLM they found themselves in Tacoma’s Stadium District . After a brief move to New York Kirsten has returned to live and make art here in Tacoma. We talk about how she became a full time artist, creating and selling your art online, an...

Marguerite interviews Paul Kunitsa from the Waterfront Market at Point Ruston . The Kunitsa Family immigrated to the US and to Tacoma when he was a child, first settling on the Eastside then to University Place. Paul now lives on Tacoma’s West Slope. Paul shares his story of running a construction company and through “a series of events ” ended up owning the 35,000 square foot bu...

In this episode of the Move to Tacoma Podcast we interviewed Matthew Wilson and Quincy Tyson. Matthew is the Executive Director of the Oasis Youth Center. Oasis is Pierce County’s only LGBTQ+ youth center. Founded in 1985, Oasis is a drop-in, resource, and support center. Oasis is a safe space for Queer youth to learn, connect, and thrive. Oasis envisions a world where Queer youth are valued...

Check out this interview where Nerd Farmer Host Nate Bowling interviews Zev Cook and David Galazin from Tacoma4All. They’re working to improve tenant protections for tenants in Tacoma by introducing a Tenants Bill of Rights. Tacoma is one of the most challenging places in the country to rent a home, and it’s getting tougher. Their first step is organizing tenants for a ballot initiativ...