Taproom that brought cider to Tacoma’s 6th Ave to close. Other locations remain open

Locust Cider will close its Sixth Avenue taproom after service on Saturday, Oct. 26, the company announced earlier this month.

The Gig Harbor-based cider maker opened the Tacoma location in 2018. Jason and Rebecca Spears started the business in 2015, expanding their taproom footprint beyond Washington to Texas and Colorado, with several landing between 2018 and 2020. They also distribute to 11 states.

Their core ciders include a classic dry version as well as several flavors like honey-pear, blackberry and vanilla bean. Seasonals and limited-edition options add another dozen or so choices.

While the cider-making side of the business has grown steadily in the past few years, the taproom side suffered during the pandemic and has since been rocky, Jason Spears told The News Tribune in a phone call this week.

“We’ve tried really, really hard to build back and have a great experience, but we were spread so thin for so long,” he said.

On social media, the Locust Tacoma page shared the news Oct. 10, encouraging customers to visit them in nearby Gig Harbor.

Closing was a business decision.

“The taproom succeeded greatly in so many ways since it opened in 2018,” said Spears in an email. “It created its own small community, introduced us to some really cool people, introduced some really cool people to our ciders, helped raise a ton of money for our non-profit cause, and employed some amazing cider-tenders for 6 years.”

The business donates a portion of proceeds from sales of all canned cider (a quarter for every can) and its “Swarm Club” loyalty program to the Hydrocephalus Association, which supports people living with the incurable brain condition and their families. It’s an “important and personal cause” for the Spears and their daughter, Lucy, who was diagnosed with the disease as an infant in 2015. Locust has donated more than $10,000 every year since 2016, according to its website.

“It’s hard closing, for sure,” continued Spears, who built much of the space with the help of family and friends. “I’m sad to close. I love Sixth Ave and I love Tacoma, so it feels like crap to close down. But the economics are not very friendly anymore, so we have to get more and more focused.”

The other 14 Locust Cider taprooms remain open for now. That includes the headquarters and production facility at 3207 57th St. Ct., near the Gig Harbor Inn. Locust moved their cider making from Woodinville to that Pierce County locale, which previously was home to Heritage Distillery, in 2021. The beverage maker added an Olympia outpost in 2022 and also operates taprooms in Redmond, Woodinville, Vancouver, Walla Walla and four in Seattle.

Locust Tacoma, located at 2805 6th Ave. between the U-Pour bar The Redd Dog and the longstanding Jazzbones, will be open standard hours these last few days: 3-9 p.m. Thursday, noon-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The Gig Harbor taproom opens weekdays at 3 p.m. and Friday-Sunday at noon.