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Toys "R" Us in Tacoma, WA - Rebuilt from Flood?

Posted: 28 Jul 2012 16:48
by StoreLiker2006
Is there any proof that the Toys "R" Us in Tacoma, WA, just outside the Tacoma Mall, was rebuilt in the early 1990s after some sort of flood that occurred in this area back then?

Why do I ask? The store originally opened in 1983, according to this vintage ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRSP-ro-950

~Ben

Re: Toys "R" Us in Tacoma, WA - Rebuilt from Flood?

Posted: 29 Jul 2012 13:24
by tkaye
The exterior was remodeled in 1995 to fit in with the newly constructed Boulevard Center big-box development adjacent to the store. I doubt a flood was involved, unless a sprinkler head burst or something.

One thing that stood out to me about the ad is the reference to South Ferry Street -- that section was renamed Tacoma Mall Boulevard in 1987. (For that matter, I don't understand why it doesn't have a South Steele Street address, since that's the main way you access the property. The Tacoma Mall itself has a Steele address.)

By the way, the first TRU stores in the Seattle area opened in 1980 at Tukwila and Lynnwood.

Re: Toys "R" Us in Tacoma, WA - Rebuilt from Flood?

Posted: 29 Jul 2012 14:02
by StoreLiker2006
tkaye wrote:The exterior was remodeled in 1995 to fit in with the newly constructed Boulevard Center big-box development adjacent to the store. I doubt a flood was involved, unless a sprinkler head burst or something.

One thing that stood out to me about the ad is the reference to South Ferry Street -- that section was renamed Tacoma Mall Boulevard in 1987. (For that matter, I don't understand why it doesn't have a South Steele Street address, since that's the main way you access the property. The Tacoma Mall itself has a Steele address.)

By the way, the first TRU stores in the Seattle area opened in 1980 at Tukwila and Lynnwood.
Thank you for the heads up!

1980 was also the year TRU first appeared in the Portland area -- the stores at Jantzen Beach (west of the actual Jantzen Beach Center mall), Clackamas (on SE 82nd Ave. and Harmony Rd.) and Tigard (SW Cascade Ave., west of Washington Square mall) all opened that year.

EDIT (7-29-2012): The Lynnwood and Tukwila stores you mention had all been rebuilt around the same time as the Tacoma store (in the 1990-97 period).

~Ben