Many businesses are utilizing their space for multiple purposes. Known for natural foods, überfresh and organic salad bar, stellar deli and many other organic products, Marlene’s Market and Deli on 38th Street in Tacoma has devoted a section of the store to boutique-style retail. Self-help and healing books line shelves; exquisite jewelry, yoga clothes, mats, and bags occupy one area. A display of handmade baby clothes and accessories are in another.



Clothes for women are the most prevalent, and while it may seem odd to stop at a grocery store to go clothes shopping, we’re not talking bland sweatpants, white athletic socks, and cheesy lace-trimmed tank tops from the drugstore here.



Jayli Imports, a company out of California, specializes in handmade, hand-dyed apparel made of natural fiber from Thailand and Nepal. Flora and fauna pattern print and embroidery adorn clothing described as hippie, ethnic and bohemian. The clothing’s colors are vibrant, the styles current and comfortable, and the prices fair (ranging from $30 to $100). The result? Clothes that lie gracefully, wear beautifully and age softly due to the already slightly uneven dye appearance.



Another line of killer clothing sold is Marigold, an Olympia-based company that works directly with women of Mumbai, India, to bring lovely, super soft clothes to America. Marigold, an official member of the Fair Trade Federation, proudly supports the Mumbai women’s co-op in continuing the honored artisan tradition of vegetable-dyed, block-printed designs that incorporate current fashion trends with traditional Indian-style influences. All of the company’s products are made by hand and imported with money going directly back to the women who made them.



[Marlene’s Market and Deli, 2951 S. 38th St., Tacoma, 253.472.4080]