TACOMA, Wash. — There's a live band playing, t-shirts for sale and people gathering for a party, all celebrating something only Tacoma could produce: a new issue of a machine-stitched, full-color magazine called Grit City.
“Print is not an easy game in this day and age and they are doing something special,” says Steve Naccarato.
"They"-- for the most part—are just two people, Sara Kay and Sierra Hartman. The duo say they work between 60 and 80 hours a week to publish four issues a year as well as numerous articles on their website and Facebook page.
“The basic idea is that Tacoma has a lot of good stories to tell and we found a lot of them are going untold,” says Hartman.
Since launching in 2017, Grit City Magazine has published stories about open water swimmers braving the cold; Tacomans who display their hometown pride on their skin, and comedy night at Bob's Java Jive.
Not so long ago editorial meetings used to take place in dive bars.
“I guess that informed our aesthetic,” says Hartman. “The people we met and the environment we worked in.”
Hartman's specialty is photography. He writes as well. Sara Kay also writes. She specializes in getting things done.
Neither makes a whole lot of money.
“But,” adds Kay, “Some of the things we've gotten to experience I don't think you can buy.”
“Old City Hall is a good example,” says Hartman. “We met some people who gave us access to the building and so we spent an afternoon just climbing around in all different parts, taking photos and then getting a lot of research about how it got to be in the current state that it is.”
Back at the block party, Kay's surprised how many readers want to chat.
“It's astonishing how many people have been welcoming to us and gone out of their way to help us,” she says.
Grit City is a new magazine for a city entering a new age.
“It's gritty,” says reader Erin Randall. “Just like the city.”
“People are very curious about their town and their history and there are also a lot of feelings going on,” says Kay. “People have warranted concerns and feelings about how things are changing and what direction things are going to go. It's a really interesting time to be here.”
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