A Tacoma council member has vowed not to support the local business that is being raised.

KTTH comment

Updated: February 28, 2023 at 6:51 pm

Brown Flowers (Photo courtesy of The Jason Rantz Show)

As Tacoma business owners grapple with rampant violence and homelessness, add local officials to the list of obstacles. A councilor had words for an election florist who vowed never to patronize the business.

Theresa Woland, owner of Brown Flowers – a South Tacoma staple for more than 90 years – has announced that she is leaving Tacoma for Fircrest after reaching a breaking point with the city.

Woland sent this email, obtained by the Jason Rantz Show, to members of the South Tacoma Business District Association (STDBA) and members of the Tacoma City Council:

It was with great sadness and joy that he informed me that we had decided to move Brown Flowers “after 90 and 90 years.” As of March 1, 2023, we will be located at 620 Regents Blvd, Fircrest, WA. All our phone numbers, emails and websites will remain the same.

“As the area is shrinking, there’s no foot traffic here. We need that walking business to stay afloat. We have several customers who say they won’t come in because of the neighborhood. Honestly, I don’t blame them. Just this month, a new bullet hole through the glass doors, a fire in the partner’s behind the store, not to mention the new neighbors on Washington whose aggressive dogs make it difficult for customers to visit us. For the safety of my family, my employees and my sanity, this action must happen.

I hope to see you in Fircrest after our move is over.

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She got a surprising response from Tacoma City Councilwoman Sarah Rambaugh (D-2).

“Good luck in Fircrest. I think your neighborhood has changed a lot in the last 10 years,” Rumbaugh replied. “I’m not sure the homeless issue is the only thing affecting that neighborhood. Thank you for what you did for Tacoma.”

Woland responded by defending her treatment of homeless people in the area. She cited the machete-wielding man as one of the various crime problems she and other local businesses are relentlessly dealing with.

“I’m a little upset with your response to my email. Nowhere in my email do I blame the homeless, that’s what you read,” Woland replied. “Oh.Again I have and never say never!! The lack of support and the problem I have are the criminals,” he said.

Rumbaugh then fired back with a surprising response, vowing not to support the business.

“I’m sorry for what you read in my letter. That was not my intention. You obviously believe your business would do better in Fircrest. Good luck,” Rumbaugh wrote back in an email obtained by The Jason Rantz Show. “I only buy flowers here in District 2. You don’t see me supporting your business and I find it very frustrating when you think crime is only in Tacoma. best wishes.”

Woland said he chose to leave the exchange at that. Rumbaugh was never among the 18,000 customers she served in the South Tacoma area over the years, she said.

“I’m very disappointed that a city official would speak to me this way,” Woland said during an appearance on the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “It doesn’t matter how long my business has been here, they don’t care.”

Fircrest will be a great change for the business. The new location already has an owner who “smells the roses.”

“The environment is different,” Woland said. “You don’t see homeless neighborhoods. Canceled RVs will not be displayed. I have yet to see a drug deal done in front of my store.

More Tacoma businesses have followed suit by closing their doors. STBDA has lost many members and the trend is likely to continue if the local authorities continue to take them for granted.

STBDA has hired a private security guard to help patrol the area and protect businesses. But six months later, the security company says threats of violence and racism are too many.

“We’ve been begging for help for two years and we’ve had no response,” Michael Johnson, sales manager for Polly Bag LLC, told the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. Unfortunately, if you complain about the drug-fueled crime and violence that plagues our community today, you are simply labeled anti-homeless and your concerns are ignored.

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Tacoma is coming off a year with an all-time high homicide mark. However, Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore said everything is safe.

“Crime is out of control in this city,” Moore said in a speech to the city council in mid-February. “I study crime in this city every day, every day. I am proud to say that we have made a discount.”

Falling crime rates still leave these businesses broke and unheard of. Not to mention that the city’s business licensing fees have nearly tripled in recent years. And why?

The city officials have a serious problem on their hands and they don’t realize it. Tacoma’s business district will soon be a ghost town. Many owners find that the Tacoma simply isn’t worth all the trouble.