Tacoma-based streetwear brand eTc Tacoma has been a staple of the city for the past five years. The team recently announced on Twitter and Instagram that eTc Tacoma will be closing it’s Pacific Avenue storefront’s doors. This surprising announcement has been made just after their annual Club 907 day.
The Future of eTc
The news took many by surprise, and left many begging the question—why? The brand seemed to have a bombshell of a year throughout 2019, so what would lead to the shut down of their store? What does this mean for the future of eTceTera and the community
These announcements were made alongside the announcement of a final release date for the historic 807 Pacific Avenue location. Titled “End of an Era”, the release features some pieces that were the “most coveted for their release date” as per @eTcTacoma. This release will be a definite hit, so make sure you’re ready to go SATURDAY, Oct 19th 11am PST.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3YU5COHqDt/
Not everything has been made clear, however, Many are still questioning whether the RareWear brand will still operate outside of their space, what’s going down in the location’s final days, and overall the future of eTc.
Through discussions held with eTc Paris it’s come to light that the eTc team has known that their lease would not be renewed since September of 2019.
As a group, they wanted to find the perfect way to make the announcement and in a way that it’s on their own terms. However, with this realization, there is still a degree of uncertainty about the future.
eTc Tacoma Co-Founder Umi Interview
I was lucky enough to have a conversation with eTc co-founder Umi who was able to give more insight into what’s going on with Club 907.
Kade: Is there any news on relocation?
eTc Umi: There are prospects for new locations but nothing solid. The hope is to stay downtown of course but moving to other areas in or outside the T are all possibilities.
Kade: How did you pick the 19th for the release day?
eTc Umi: Production capabilities steer drop dates for us but the top of November is when we needed to moved out regardless, so it was enough time to drop and get our affairs in order.
Kade: What can we expect from the last day of eTc Tacoma?
eTc Umi: Just a fire drop day. Throwing a shindig isn’t the energy right now. It’s about business and keeping the business going we got heat and we want to keep giving it and preferably in a retail setting. We are going to make that happen somehow.
Through discussion with the eTceTra team, it has become apparent that the dream of the brand is not dead. They have not lost their focus, ambition, or drive. Although this may be a bump in the road, eTc is hopefully far from over.
