Victoria-style eatery to close ahead of Sound Transit Light Rail expansion in Tacoma

A Victorian-style tearoom in Tacoma, the Olive Branch Café and Tea Room, permanently shuttered its doors on Friday ahead of plans to demolish the Freighthouse Square for a new Link Light Rail station.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that Olive Branch Café & Tea Room will be closing its doors,” The Olive Branch Café and Tea Room stated on its website. “This space has been far more than a café. It has been a gathering place, a refuge, a meeting spot for friends, neighbors, and strangers who quickly became family.”

Tacoma tea room latest to leave Freighthouse Square

The Olive Branch Café and Tea Room has been housed inside Tacoma’s Freighhouse Square for more than a decade since it opened in 2015.

Founder Terry Waller said she opened the tea room to bring high-end tea culture to Pierce County, which had nothing like it at the time.

In 2021, the Olive Branch Café and Tea Room was sold to Christina Hernandez and Natural Allah, who had previously owned several endeavors in Pierce County.

“We are deeply grateful for your support, kindness, and loyalty over the years. Every visit, every smile, and every shared moment meant more to us than we can fully express,” the company stated. “You trusted us with your time, your conversations, and your community, and that has been an honor. Thank you for being part of our story. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for allowing us to be part of yours.”

Tacoma Link Light Rail expansion plans

In July, the Sound Transit Board unanimously approved its plan to build a new Tacoma Dome Link light rail extension that will connect Tacoma and Seattle.

The new light rail station would demolish the local Freighthouse Square, an indoor market for more than 100 years, and is expected to displace 43 local businesses.

Allah previously noted that the lack of communication from the Sound Transit Board was concerning.

“The ambiguity is the problem,” Allah said, according to The Tacoma News Tribune. “Many of the businesses here, it’s their livelihood, and you’re basically saying, ‘Well, we’re gonna give you something, you know, but we’re not gonna tell you what it is. You’re going to have to move, but we’re not gonna say exactly when.’ How does that play out, you know, in the scheme of things?”

The Sound Transit Board contemplated three alternative routes, which would displace significantly fewer businesses, although it would be more expensive.

Sound Transit officials have thought of various ways to support local businesses, which would include a new food hall that could be housed in the bottom level of the new station. The planning process for the new station began in 2017 and is expected to end in 2027. The design process is expected to last from 2027 to 2029, and construction would be underway between 2029 and 2035.

Sound Transit says demolition is ‘not a given’

However, Sound Transit Public Information Officer David Jackson sent a statement to MyNorthwest that the demolition “is not a given.”

“We are in the middle of two years of environmental review for the Tacoma Dome Link Extension that will determine what the project to be built looks like. In the interim, Sound Transit has met with the businesses of Freighthouse Square to address questions and concerns and establish open lines of communication,” Jackson wrote.

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