What’s the secret to 45 years of business in downtown Tacoma? “Perseverance” says Watermark Gifts’ owner Karen McGrath. Watermark is located at 1115 A Street in Downtown Tacoma. The store carries an extensive collection of greeting cards as well as body care items, books, music, jewelry and more. The product changes, but the theme remains the same. They want you to relax and enjoy a respite from the rest of your day.

In 1974 Karen opened her doors in the Court C Artist Mall, a collection of shops and studios on the alley between Broadway and Market, where many small businesses of the time got their start. Karen recalls that her first store was only a few hundred square feet.  From there, Karen went to the Perkins Building then the Merit Building, before buying a building and taking on 5,000 square feet in 1997 at the current location. We love seeing this level of entrepreneurship. It is our hope that more of our downtown businesses could see this type of success.

Karen didn’t expect to grow in the way she has, but 45 years later, here she is. She credits much of her growth to the community, which is her favorite part of downtown. Karen loves the tight-knit relationships she has with her customers and other community members. The community is our favorite part of downtown Tacoma as well.  We highly recommend you go pay Karen a visit and support downtown Tacoma’s oldest gift store.

Watermark Gifts

 1115 A Street Tacoma, WA 98402

253-383-2041 www.watermarkgifts.com

@watermark_gifts  Facebook.com/watermarkgifts

Tuesday- Friday: 9:30am – 5:30pm and Saturday 11:00am – 4:00pm