The name drew me in! And so glad it did. I was on 6th Avenue for lunch, so decided to walk around…read moreand check out all the nearby businesses, which is when I spotted a huge, colorful sign with a narwhal wearing sunglasses. It was The Nearsighted Narwhal! Of course I had to check it out. The shop is small, but has a ton of fun and witty gifts and items, from local zines to buttons to prints. I spent a good amount of time, checking out all the different and detailed items. Specifically, I really liked the magnets they sell here, as they have clever sayings with a colorful background. In fact, when I was checking out, I asked the owner if there were any more and she mentioned that she was making more magnets and to stop by again for different sayings. One that I bought says, "Not today motherfucker." Now who wouldn't want that hanging at their office? The Nearsighted Narwhal is a great store to browse and shop local. If in the area, definitely pay this shop a visit and support the local artists that sell their work here here. Plus, ya gotta love the Tacoma pride found, as they sell many items from tees to magnets, expressing Tacoma is cool and Seattle drools. Hah!

Cute shop! We popped in twice while in town to have lunch at nearby Shakabrah. The owner arrived as…read morewe were admiring the cute vinyl decals through the window. She let us in and was very pleasant and helpful as we shopped for t-shirts, lotions and decals. The jewelry was amazing-very bold and wearable. Loved that the t-shirts were high-quality, soft, amazing colors, and in all sizes, not just small and mediums. We each bought a t-shirt and I got a pepper lotion to use on sore muscles- whoa, its very potent! But I think I like it. The book and zine section was cool. I wish I had more time to browse that section.

This gallery is a co-op and one of the stops on the Gig Harbor Artwalk. A really fun experience…read morewhere you visit different galleries and studios along the waterfront. With the typical weather patterns in the Northwest, indoors is good. Art is so personal, I am always conflicted about assigning stars. One person's masterpiece is another person's candidate for the junk pile. So don't read too much into this rating. Of the seven galleries/studios we visited, nothing here 'spoke to me.' I ended up making purchases at two other galleries on the tour. It was the largest gallery of those we visited and the artists were welcoming and had snacks for visitors. My rating is based purely on my personal impression of the collection. Again, the largest, but nothing that knocked my socks off. However, collections change, so I would give it another try the next time I'm in town.

Kindergarten craft table, but for adults!... and kids.... But ADULTS!…read moreLike a an organized junk drawer... Which itself is a contradiction in terms. Like your grandparents craft room, and your parents retirement box. Best description... Tacoma's DIY Archie McPhee.

Genuinely bless this place. Walking into Tinkertopia legitimately brings me back to a different…read moretime. I love how everything is reused, and feels so intentional. Everything there has history. Idc if that sounds dramatic. I also love the maker space area at the back. It's such a wonderful third space. Thank you so much this wonderful gem of a place.

Such a great first experience at the Tacoma Glassblowing Studio! My husband had been wanting to…read moreexperience this for a while so I planned a Saturday for us to give glass art a try. I had reserved a 12:00 PM time slot and arrived at 11:30 AM. The extra time allows you to complete the paperwork, choose your design, and your colors. Plus you can admire the shop while you wait - they have tons of finished pieces for purchase. We chose tier 1 options; round paperweight and heart paperweight. The representative at the front desk is so nice and helpful! She walked us through the entire process and what to expect before we entered the workshop area. We had Donovan as our glassblowing expert. He is so knowledgeable and very communicative throughout the whole process so we felt comfortable every step of the way. He truly made our experience memorable! The experience was so fun and unique, we are definitely looking forward to coming back again. For two of us, we paid a little over $200 without tip. It's a great value for a fun, hands on experience that you have an art piece to take home (after a few days). They also offer different workshops throughout the year, have an annual collectible glass piece, and even Memorial Glass pieces. I would give Tacoma Glassblowing Studio a 10/10 if I could!

I made my first ever blown glass vase, with the assistance of an excellent teacher here by the name…read moreof Ben. What a great and unique experience glass blowing is. I highly recommend this place for when you are looking for a great date night experience, a solo experience, or just about anytime you feel like doing something unique and creative. The best part about it is, that after you have created your vase, or pumpkin, or paperweight, or whatever it is that you have made, you get to keep it. It will need to "cure" at their facility for a couple of days, and then you can come back and pick it up. I can't wait to do it again! :)

Small but impressive cooperative art gallery located right on the center spot of gorgeous Gig…read moreHarbor. There's a lot of work jammed into the space, but understandable and as many of you know, I'm a fan of salon style hanging whenever the situation calls for it! Cooperative membership galleries are the front line heroes of the art world, and this gallery boasts an impressive array of artists! Cooperative galleries, which are usually owned by a group of artists who share the expenses (and sometimes duties) of running the gallery are great places to always see work by a lot of artists at once. They also have to sell artwork in order to pay bills. Artists usually pay a monthly fee or a small commission on sales and keep the bulk of their sales. I particularly liked the work of visiting artist Jeanne Anderson, especially a gorgeous watercolor of a waterfall. Also liked the fine art woodwork of Dale McDaniels, whose intelligent pieces once again showcase why just because it's wood it doesn't have to be relegated or labeled "craft." If you're in Gig Harbor, this is a must visit place!

My Brother / Best Friend Ryan and I visited this lovely small art gallery when we were in Gig…read moreHarbor earlier this month. I didn't get the name of the artist who helped us, but he was just a sweetheart. He was an elderly gentleman who had a peaceful, laid-back vibe. I purchased a greeting card and a small ceramic bird on a metal stick. I'm very happy with my purchases. Prices ran the gamut, there was something there for almost every budget. We weren't in there for a very long time, but I'm happy we visited and felt that it was well worth the stop.

Amazing place for paint classes and studio space. Antonio is a wonderful instructor willing to…read moreshare valuable knowledge while allowing you to practice, create, and explore. You can learn various techniques you might not get at a Paint & Sip all while getting a chance to make your own art piece.

This is a gorgeous and intriguing museum that I highly recommend - although be advised that right…read morenow they are renovating. They will re-open their main galleries in the fall of 2026. To help soften the blow, they have lowered admission price in the interim. The hot shop is also still open and you can watch live glass making there. There are a few exhibit cases on view. There are lots of fun works that kids' designed that are also on view on the main lobby and down the hall. We went for a glass making class, which was tons of fun. I'm sure attendance varies widely - ours was not crowded. The person monitoring the class, Audrey, was friendly; she explains everything and then you have at it. She is there to help, which includes cutting glass pieces to suit whatever design you are making (this probably depends on the style of glass you are making). FYI the gift shop is really nice and is available even if you don't go into the museum. You can purchase works by glass artists who have been at the museum - so it's more than your average gift shop.

This is a cool museum. Unfortunately most of it as closed but gave us a discount. We came an hour…read morebefore closure and saw everything. The glass making studio was cool to watch. The bridge in the back was quite a walk over so had to be picked up baby history museum.

My friends and I have been here multiple times. We always have a great time. Cora is a terrific…read moreinstructor. She's very patient and encouraging. You leave class with a finished product. You will be a successful crafter in one of Cora's classes. I've taken a macrame rainbow wall hanging class, a needle felting class and a coiled bowl class. All were excellent and I highly recommend any of her classes.

I've been to Craftopia a couple different times now, but the girls and myself went to her new…read morelocation for the first time the other day for her candle making class. It was great. The place is really big, easy to find with a nice big sign right on the building and parking right in front. Has a lot of different rooms and a lot of art displayed in each. I loved walking around everywhere and looking at it, it was definitely encouraging us to want to come back and partake in even more classes she has to offer! Cora was even nice enough to give us one of the pieces that she had done that the three of us liked the best. Definitely recommend this place and we'll be back soon! Thanks Cora!