Coffee Bar: The Rusty Goat
Commercial Tenant Improvement (TI)
The former life of this downtown commercial space, near the heart of Tacoma's entertainment district, entailed an elegant suite of salon services whose clientele had grown so large that new spaces beckoned. The visionaries behind The Rusty Goat originally wanted a wine/beer/coffee tasting bar, but a pandemic intervened; prolonging permitting and the eventual TI build-out. It also changed consumer behavior. Prolonged free time with strangers indoors no longer fit the ideal pattern.
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Luckily, the clients decided on a reduced offering of coffee with a planned expansion into craft beers and amuse bouche. The project included the typical TI permit set with additions appropriate for restaurant/bar code requirements. Challenges included its pre-set ceiling heights and small size (made even smaller by an existing easement in the rear of the space). The proposed interior redesign proved a bit more minimalist than the owner's envisioned, but The Rusty Goat (as approved by municipal permit) is open for business.
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Additional DPU small commercial experience includes: Restaurant, Theater and retail Tenant Improvement and permit submissions.
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