Growing Up in Tacoma — Why I Never Left

Episode 2 — Growing Up in Tacoma: Mellie’s Perspective on the City She Never LeftI’ve lived in Tacoma for almost 40 years. I grew up in a manufactured home in Parkland Spanaway, spent my teenage years driving to Ruston Way just to sit by the water, and told myself I would never go into real estate like my parents. Now I’m eleven years into selling homes in the city I almost left — and I have no plans to go anywhere.In this episode, Kierstyn and I talk about what Tacoma was actually like growing up in the 90s, the places that are gone now that shaped me, and why this city is nearly impossible to leave once it has you.We talk about: • Growing up in Parkland Spanaway and feeling pulled toward North Tacoma’s older homes • Never Never Land at Point Defiance — Tacoma’s forgotten immersive wonderland that I thought I made up as a kid • The Black Pearl, teenage depression, and why Ruston Way was my safe place • Why I swore I’d never do real estate — and what changed • What Tacoma has that I haven’t been able to find anywhere elseThis one is personal. It’s also a love letter to a city most people underestimate.Follow the show for a new episode every week.Wonder Luxe Real Estate | Tacoma, WA | wonderluxerealestate.com