I don't believe it. Someone in Tacoma is selling art. A lot of it. And spray paint. A lot of it. Don't sleep on Gallery 38 Art Supply on 38th Avenue.

I hope someone has a fit. Because Gallery 38 is a graffiti joint. And they're selling art.

I don't believe it. Well, actually, I do.

Gallery 38 Art Supply co-owner Chris Williamson says he's sold out shows hosted at the location formerly known as Mrs. Frisbee's Bakery. Pieces selling for $300-$500 go fast, he tells me. I don't know about you, but I haven't heard of anyone around here moving art like this lately. Williamson says he's hosted four shows, and all of them have moved art - thousands of dollars worth. Sorry to keep going on about it, but graffiti has a mixed reputation in Tacoma. If Williamson and crew aren't careful, they could end up giving graffiti a good name.

The store is caked with wild-style - lots of reds and greys and black. The floor is hardwood, which the owners installed themselves. There's one display case, packed with cans of Montana (that's spray paint), and T-shirts that say things like "We're cool....Give us Money." The display case has a new top. Apparently a drunk from a nearby base crashed a late-night show and went through it. There's a lone Jeremy Gregory on the wall, and a vicious Bruce Lee stencil piece behind the counter. Nothing on the walls but mural. Williamson talks about his struggle to find ways to hang art without using the walls. So far, ceiling hooks and wire have met with varying degrees of success.

These are some industrious gallery owners. And they're smart. So smart, in fact, they managed to talk Franklin Pierce High School administrators into allowing them to paint a massive mural on a railroad bridge adjacent to the school - which sits on Franklin Pierce property. It's been an adventure, says Williamson. It's also been a chance to show Tacoma that there's more to street art than tags and shopping cart stickers.

"I just enjoy doing this," he says. "It's an art that's not really accepted in Tacoma yet. So people assume graffiti is all about that kind of graffiti (gang graffiti). Hopefully a lot of people appreciate it."

The Franklin Pierce Mural has had its ups and downs. A crew of 12 people, including names like Lolita G, Deal, Toes, Bezel, Nobel, Kayyo, Jekl, Ahoy, Exile, Woes and Neber struggled to complete the work, despite being sanctioned by school officials. School administrators joined in and had the school mascot and letterhead thrown up, only to have it bombed the very next day. The Gallery 38 crew's work got it too. That's the game, though. So is getting jocked by Tacoma PD.

"We got patted down by the police three times trying to paint that thing," says Williamson. "A lot of people thought it was illegal."

Thankfully, an explanation and some conversation with Tacoma PD's upper echelon smoothed things over. Williamson took to calling police dispatch every morning to let them know they'd be at the bridge. Then a random Tacoma Rail employee went on the assault, calling the police and Tacoma Rail administrators.

Then a strange thing happened. A resident that lived nearby came to their defense.

"Some guy came from across the street and said he had been looking at the same ugly bridge for 15 years," says Williamson, "and liked what he was seeing. "

The Tacoma Rail employee backed off after he learned the artists weren't playing on the train trestle. And it's been like Song of the South ever since.

"It's been good vibes from everybody," says Williamson. "We've got a lot of good feedback. Kids come out and draw. We've got a lot of mural job offers. People want to paint their businesses. Since we did this mural, we've got five job offers. People are stopping and giving me business cards."

Yeah. And it's graffiti.