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Tacoma has been home for nearly 40 years. Grew up here, stayed here, and for the last eleven years have been selling the city’s most characterful homes — the old Craftsmans, the Victorians, the neighborhoods most people don’t know exist until someone shows them.
This podcast is an insider look at a city most people underestimate. Every week pulling back the curtain on the neighborhoods, the history, the homes, and the stories that never make it into a listing description.
This isn’t a real estate podcast. It’s a love letter to Tacoma — and an invitation to fall in love with it too.
Falling in Love with Tacoma
Episode 6 — Stadium District, Tacoma: A Neighborhood You Can't Help But Love
MELLIE: Hi guys, I'm Mellie with Wonder Luxe Real Estate, and you're on our podcast, Falling in Love with Tacoma — episode 6. I'm a Tacoma native, and I've been a realtor here since 2015. A lot of what I love about this work comes from the neighborhoods, the city itself, the people, the homes, and all the little details that make this place what it is. And I'm here with Kierstyn today — she's the behind-the-scenes at Wonder Luxe, and she's going to be the one asking the questions.
Today's episode is about the Stadium District, one of Tacoma's most iconic neighborhoods. The architecture, the views, the walkability, the high school — there's a reason people fall in love with it, and there's a lot more to it than what you see on a listing. So without further ado, I'm going to give the mic over to Kierstyn.
KIERSTYN: All righty, Mellie — what's special about Stadium to you?
MELLIE: Stadium is so special to me for multiple reasons. My kids go to high school there, and that's been great. Everyone always says, "Oh, is that where the movie's at?" And you're like, "Yes."
KIERSTYN: What movie, for anyone who doesn't know?
MELLIE: 10 Things I Hate About You. And it's just a beautiful school. Every time I get on my health kick, I like to do the stairs at Stadium, because they kick your booty — and the view is something I'll never get tired of. It still takes my breath away. It's absolutely gorgeous. The building itself is gorgeous.
Another really important thing — a lot of people won't know this. During a hard period in my life, when I was going through my divorce, I got to rent an attic apartment over on North C Street, right in Stadium. I was nestled in between all these multi-million-dollar homes, in a Victorian. And it was a nest. It was our cave. It was a place that — I have such a fond memory of it, and even my kids have a very fond memory when we talk about it — of that home and what it did for us.
I loved going for walks in the neighborhood. It's one of those neighborhoods where I always say, "One day I'm going to own a home there." I know I say that about a couple of neighborhoods, so we'll see which one I end up landing in. But yeah — it's a pretty special place. If you live there, you're pretty lucky. And we would love to sell your house.
KIERSTYN: When you were in the attic, did you have a view?
MELLIE: Yes. The little window by my bed looked out over the port. So I got to see the Port of Tacoma and the water, and I also got to see the most beautiful sunrises every morning. I'd wake up to birds singing — that's when I really realized how important birds are to me. They bring me so much happiness, the sound they make in the morning, that red sunrise light. And through the seasons, every time I looked out that window it was something — I got to see snow, I got to see rain, I got to see the sunshine. It was pretty phenomenal. I look back at pictures of it sometimes, and it was a great chapter of my life.
KIERSTYN: Tell me a little about the walks. How would you describe the neighborhood of Stadium?
MELLIE: Stadium is great for walks because you have hills — which are great for walking, so you get your heart rate up — and you get to see so many beautiful houses. There's a mixture of Victorians, mini-mansions. You're seeing the 1920s boom that happened in Tacoma. A lot of these homes are just jaw-dropping. The Rust Mansion is right around the corner. And there are even some modern, newer ones — and even those are very beautiful. We don't hate new houses. Yes, our niche is the historic homes, but we also love good architecture and good craftsmanship, and if we can see that in a new house, we love it. Stadium has so many different types of houses to choose from.
KIERSTYN: So who do you think the perfect Stadium District buyer is? Aka, who would be happiest living there?
MELLIE: Some of my favorite people in Stadium are a little eclectic. We're all a little artistic. I see a lot of engineers, architects — even my super-cool naturopathic doctor, who's engineer-minded, lives in the Stadium area. I'm not going to say who, but he knows who he is. I think Stadium is a great place for a very creative mind.
KIERSTYN: What should someone know when they're moving to Stadium? What are the pros and the cons?
MELLIE: I don't even want to say the cons, because there really aren't that many. But okay — cons. Your options for grocery stores are Stadium Thriftway, which I love. At the same time, sometimes I need more options, so you can go over to the Safeway in Proctor. I drive around Tacoma a lot, so I'm all over the place. But if you're the type who likes to be close to home, your options are Stadium Thriftway or the Hilltop Safeway. So it depends on your preference there.
And then — what are the other cons? I do tell some people, when they want to live in North Tacoma and they're really big on quiet neighborhoods, that Stadium can start to lean more urban. So there might be more busyness. On certain streets, closer to some of the main roads, there can be more car break-ins — so don't leave valuables in your car. It depends, again — it goes back to lifestyle. What's important to you, what chapter of life you're in. Stadium can either amplify it, or it might not be the right fit.
KIERSTYN: Is there a pro you want to add that you haven't touched on yet?
MELLIE: I mean, it's one of my favorite areas — because to me, you've got one foot in the North Tacoma area and another foot heading toward downtown Tacoma. So it's ideal for being part of the Tacoma community. And like we talked about on our Proctor episode, there's a Tacoma community there too — there are just slight differences in feel. We can drive around and get to know it, and I can show you different stores, restaurants, coffee shops. Even just going for a walk or a drive. Last time I said, "Why don't you guys walk to the elementary school?" — and they did, and they got to see, from both houses, which walk they liked more each morning. Because that's something they'll do for five or six years, right? So it fit their lifestyle. It just depends on each buyer.
KIERSTYN: Let's say someone just moved to Stadium. They don't know where to get coffee, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, where to shop, or which parks are best. What do you recommend?
MELLIE: Yes. Start with coffee. We all know my heart broke when Our House Café closed.
KIERSTYN: What did you love about it?
MELLIE: Our House Café was kind of where the Wonder brand was born. I'd meet Jake and Johan there and we'd do a lot of our branding meetings. It was a spot where I thought, "I could either pay monthly for an office, or I could go to Our House and work there" — and sometimes I got to work upstairs. It was the environment, the way it felt in there, the lighting — all of it came together to be really inspiring. Anyway — we're going to move on to what's open, we're not going down that rabbit hole.
KIERSTYN: So what's your new favorite coffee shop in Stadium?
MELLIE: Definitely check out Le Sel Bistro. It's such a vibe — they have coffee, and you can sit on the patio and have breakfast or dinner, Wednesday through Sunday. I also love Indo Asian Street Eatery — they have the best mango rice pudding and spring rolls. So there are options in Stadium. You can always go to Hob Nob, too, when you're leaning toward Sixth Avenue. Wright Park is right around the corner. And you can always use the Stadium stairs — you might have to climb the fence. I don't know if that's legal, so I don't know if I should be advertising it, but I'll let you and your conscience decide.
KIERSTYN: I feel like we did that at my high school — I think it would go around the stairs.
MELLIE: Yes. So — yes, you should. It's good for you. It's healthy.
KIERSTYN: How about breakfast, lunch, or dinner? I know you can eat at Le Sel and it's gorgeous — but what's your favorite breakfast, lunch, or dinner spot specifically?
MELLIE: For breakfast, I'd say Le Sel. Lunch would be Indo Asian Street Eatery. And dinner — I'm trying to figure out what counts as downtown versus Stadium, because the lines between these areas… the internet can be ruthless about what I think is Stadium. Other people are like, "That's not Stadium." And I'm like, "I know — I've only lived here since 1990, but I'm not sure where all the lines are." And that's okay.
Dinner — there aren't a lot of restaurants in Stadium. Just a lot of living. You could still do Le Sel and Indo Asian Street Eatery for dinner. There was also a ramen place — I'm not sure if it's still open — that was good. And there's Shake Shake Shake.
KIERSTYN: What can you get at Shake Shake Shake?
MELLIE: Burgers.
KIERSTYN: If someone's looking to move to Stadium — what's the one piece of advice you'd leave them with?
MELLIE: You should let me help you. The world is your oyster. And if you're going to live in Stadium, I'd say: know what street you want to live on, and what streets you don't. Whether you're okay being on a main road or not. Whether you want to be closer to the North Slope, or closer to downtown. That's something we can get to know together. If you're not from this area — and if you are from this area, you might know even more than me — let's have fun, scope out your dream historic home, and then you can tell me all about how amazing your life is there.
If you're starting to think about buying or selling in the Stadium District, I'm always here as a resource. And if you want to start a conversation, the client questionnaire is in our bio. We'll see you on the next one.