This Tacoma Family Business Is Nearly 80 Years Old—and You May Own Its Work

The Tacoma Company Behind Souvenirs Across America

The next time you pick up a vacation magnet, take a second look. There’s a chance the idea for it came from South Tacoma, where Smith-Western has spent nearly eight decades helping tourist destinations fill their gift shops. Debbie Cockrell recently profiled the family business for The News Tribune.

The story began in 1947, when Kyle Smith Sr. sold scenic black-and-white postcards from the trunk of his car. The company grew beyond postcards, operated in downtown Tacoma for years, and moved to its current South 80th Street location in 2001 when development of the Greater Tacoma Convention Center displaced its former site.

Today, Smith-Western designs and markets magnets, snow globes, hats, drinkware and other keepsakes for attractions across the country. Manufacturing is handled by overseas partners. Inside its Tacoma showroom, displays represent destinations ranging from national parks to well-known landmarks.

Kyle “Skip” Smith, the founder’s son, now leads a team of 17. Rather than compete in the enormous T-shirt market, the company has built its business around smaller souvenirs and products tailored to the places that sell them.

The pandemic hit the tourism industry hard. Smith-Western sold its building and leased it back in 2021, a move Smith said helped the company remain family-owned. His daughter, vice president Libby Smith, represents the third generation and wants to preserve that family-run approach as the business nears its 80th anniversary in 2027.

What actually sells best in a souvenir shop may surprise you. Read Cockrell’s full profile and see the unexpected products Smith-Western says travelers keep picking up here.