"There's three businesses all hyper located in that strip," Spaceworks program director Jennifer English told Tacoma Weekly about the triple grand opening she organized at South 11th Street and Fawcett Avenue. For the event, part of the street was closed off for a small creator market, and Tacoma Knife Sharpening and Mercantile, Civic Roasters and Hive Provisions and Refillery kept their doors open for visitors.
A short walk up the street, the Main Library's second-floor Community Hub houses the Tacoma Tool Library, Remakery Tacoma, Write253 and the Tacoma Tree Foundation. Put the storefronts and the Hub together and this corner of downtown runs one errand list that's hard to match anywhere else in the city. You can get a knife sharpened, refill a bottle of detergent, borrow a tool and bring a broken thing to a repair night. The catch is that each place keeps its own schedule.
Why three Spaceworks alumni ended up on one block
The three shops arrived one at a time. Tacoma Knife Sharpening and Mercantile came first, moving onto South 11th two years ago. Civic Roasters opened its first brick-and-mortar shop late last year. Hive Provisions and Refillery came this summer, relocating from South Tacoma Way.
All three went through Spaceworks, the small-business incubator run jointly by the City of Tacoma and the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber. English told Tacoma Weekly that alumni often end up as storefront neighbors. Part of the reason is that one alum can vouch for a decent landlord, and part is the built-in support, since "they know that they can call and count on their Spaceworks neighbor." It has happened before. Write253, Fab-5, the Tacoma Tool Library and The N. Dybevik Piano Company once shared a strip along MLK Way. Write253 and the Tool Library later moved to the Main Library, which puts them within walking distance of this newer cluster.
That neighbor network matters more than it might seem. English said 89 to 90 percent of Spaceworks businesses were still operating before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the figure is now 80 to 82 percent. The program's next Co-Hort starts October 27.
Three counters, one idea
Each shop serves a different need, but all three make it easier to keep using something you already own.
Tacoma Knife Sharpening and Mercantile, 502 S. 11th St. Chef Stephen Gangl and potter Sarah Woodson run the shop. Standard sharpening is $2 per inch with a $7 minimum. You drop knives off during business hours, and the shop says turnaround is usually a few days. On the retail side you'll find culinary knives, kitchen goods and Downing Pottery, plus a Little Free Cookbook Library that runs on take one, leave one. Its Knife Sharpening 101 class is a three-hour, $100 session for up to eight people. Both fall dates, September 20 and October 4, sold out, and no new date has been posted yet.
Hive Provisions and Refillery, 504-B S. 11th St. Owner Michele Jones runs what the shop calls a "modern general store." It carries goods from small and local makers alongside a refillery for low-waste household essentials. Refills are sold by the ounce. If you don't have a container, the Jar Library lends one. If you're donating jars, Hive asks that they be clean and dry and doesn't take pasta-sauce jars. A September 2026 profile from Zero Waste Washington lists the refill categories as laundry detergent, dish and surface cleaners, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant and toothpaste tablets. It adds that Hive also refills supplies for some small businesses.
Civic Roasters, 508B S. 11th St. Benita Ki's coffee shop and roastery serves single-origin coffee roasted by hand in small batches. A portion of proceeds goes to community organizations. Tacoma Weekly reported that Ki is working toward fully compostable packaging. For fall, the online shop lists a Spiced Fig & Brown Sugar Latte at $5 and Café de Olla at $7. Prices like these can change, so confirm at the counter.
Up the street, the repair half
Borrowing and fixing happen inside the library's Community Hub. Its partners pay below-market rent and in return offer free and low-cost classes, drop-in sessions and events. They also set their own hours, separate from the library's. You can reach the Hub by the central stairwell or elevator in the library's modern wing, or through its own entrance at the northwest corner of South 11th Street and Court F.
The Tacoma Tool Library uses the alley entrance at 1100 Court F. When the library is open, you can also walk up from the main floor. Its calendar shows tool lending on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 4:30 to 7:30 and Saturday mornings from 10 to 1. Repair and skills programs run in the Mixing Chamber inside the Main Library.
Write253 is in Suite 208 at 1102 Tacoma Ave. S. It doesn't post general drop-in hours, so check its event listings before you go.
The hours that don't line up
On paper, each stop keeps reasonable hours. Put them side by side and they barely overlap.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civic Roasters | Closed | 7:30–2 | 7:30–2 | 7:30–2 | 7:30–2 | 7:30–2 | Closed |
| Tacoma Knife | Closed | Closed | 11–5 | 11–5 | 11–5 | 10–4 | 10–4 |
| Hive | Closed | 10–5 | 10–5 | 10–5 | 10–5 | 10–5 | 10–5 |
| Main Library | Closed | 12–8 | 12–8 | 10–6 | 10–6 | 10–6 | Closed |
| Tool Library lending | 4:30–7:30 | None | 4:30–7:30 | None | None | 10–1 | None |
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. is the only time all five are open at once. That's when you can drop off knives, refill a jar, get coffee before Civic closes at 2 and check out a tool in a single trip. Monday is the opposite. Every storefront and the library are closed, and Tool Library lending in the evening is the only thing running. Sunday leaves just the knife shop and Hive.
The knife shop's turnaround adds one more wrinkle. Knives dropped off on a Saturday are usually ready in a few days. Because the shop is closed Monday and Tuesday, the earliest realistic pickup is Wednesday after 11, when Civic and Hive are open too.
This week, the corner's busiest stretch
The middle of October stacks the Hub's calendar.
- Tuesday, October 13, 6 to 7:30 p.m. The Tool Library's Make-It Sew class covers sewing machine basics in the Mixing Chamber at the Main Library. The same day, the library's Kaleidoscope Art Show opens. It stays up during regular library hours through December 2026.
- Thursday, October 15, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Fix-it Night, also in the Mixing Chamber.
- Saturday, October 17. International Repair Day is on the Tool Library's calendar all day, and Saturday tool lending also runs that day. Write253 holds a free drop-in Studio Tour with linocut classes from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Since it's a Saturday, the 10-to-1 window applies too, so the storefronts are open alongside the Hub.
- Saturday, October 24, 1 to 4 p.m. Write253 hosts Pumpkin Decoration Printing, also free and drop-in.
What's coming two blocks south on Fawcett
The block isn't finished changing. At 1322 Fawcett Ave., in the former ALMA building that started out as the Carpenters Union Hall, the Puyallup Tribe is planning Riverbend Social, a café, lounge and performance venue. The News Tribune reported that the Tribe is aiming to open the main floor and outdoor area in spring 2027. A second phase will follow on the second story and rooftop.
General manager Sheila Dillon told Puyallup Tribal News that the layout will stay the same and features like the open-mic stage in the main-floor café will remain, according to The News Tribune. Menus are expected to feature traditional foods, including organic teas, huckleberries and salmon. For now, the building is still under renovation. Until spring, the corner's regular rhythm stays the same. Get coffee by 2, catch the knife shop Wednesday through Sunday, and plan Saturday mornings around the Tool Library's 10-to-1 lending window.
If you live downtown and want to talk about how blocks like South 11th shape day-to-day life in the neighborhood, Sound to Summit Property Group is glad to hear from you. Schedule a consultation and bring your questions about what's opening near you.
