THE GOLDFISH TAVERN TO CLOSE ITS DOORS >>>

The Goldfish Tavern will close its doors Wednesday, Oct. 31 at the bar’s location for nearly 80 years at 5310 N. Pearl St. Tacoma. Past-due rent and fewer patrons contributed to the decision to close.

The tavern lived a full and interesting life, serving hundreds of patrons, kicking out handfuls of hooligans and providing an atmosphere of a “home away from home.”

“We’ve been able to stay open this long because of the people who care,” says bartender, co-manager and patron Laura Collins. “We’re like a family.”

Collins tells stories of customers coming together in time of need and always being there for one another. Like when the bar needed firewood for the year to keep their fireplace cozy and inviting, regulars got together and rented a wood splitter, chopping and stacking to keep the supply full.

Collins tells other stories of back in the day, about 45 years ago, when all the tables were goldfish tanks and bikers and college kids would make bets until someone ended up having to eat a goldfish, and at the end of the night, there would be goldfish puked out in the parking lot.

Or another time, when Collins was going through a family loss, and the bar got together to bring her food and comfort.

"It really is a cool dive bar, one of the last in Tacoma," says Collins.

So come out sometime before Nov. 1, order a beer from their 36 varieties and pay homage to a bar that will be greatly missed.

“We want to show gratitude to the people who have been coming here for years,” says Collins. “There are a lot of good memories.”

What are your memories of The Goldfish Tavern?