Meet Heather Brown | Raising Tacoma

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heather Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, what do you attribute your success to?
Raising Tacoma has grown over the years and has become successful because of one thing: Families! Tacoma is a growing community, and new families are arriving daily. In fact, the city’s family-friendly nature is one reason we chose to live here.

Given the growth in families here, there is a big need for things to do with their children. Parents and caretakers always look for something fun to do with their kids.

As a mom, I need things to do with my kids, so sharing what I found with followers was easy. I found an effective way of sharing information with people through Instagram and my blog.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My career path started with my marketing degree from Santa Clara University. I worked initially at Google but then transitioned into the email marketing world. I was in account management, working on email and online marketing for companies such as Microsoft, Verizon, and Safeway.

However, my career took a huge curve ball when I had my first son. Rather than returning to the past-faced corporate marketing world, I opted to stay home with my son. As a new mom, I struggled with transitioning to being at home all day long with a baby. I started to look to the community and find ways to get involved and get out with my son. I began to meet other moms and caretakers in the same boat as me. I found myself being out of the house most days doing something with my son, and I started to be known by friends for always being out and about.

Getting out of the house was a big help in the transition, but I also wanted to engage my mind in ways others than mommy-ing. As I thought of how I could do this, I realized many people in my community are looking for the same things I was when I first transitioned to motherhood. We all are trying to get through the day with our children, have it be enjoyable, and maybe meet some friends along the way. I wanted to share all the cool things I heard about with everyone, which was the beginning of Raising Tacoma.

Raising Tacoma started as just a blog, but I quickly realized it was easier to share information through Instagram. I had a knack for finding activities, and Instagram picked up more and more followers. It also reached more people on Instagram than on the blog alone. I also found that many places shared events and activities on Instagram that I could share with my followers.

While Instagram is my focus, the blog still holds my heart. I started blogging personally back in 2008. I enjoy writing and developing a post. However, creating a post takes time, alone, without the kids in the background calling for more apple juice. Finding this time is the biggest challenge to keeping the blog going.

Another challenge, and probably the largest, is finding a way to make  Instagram and blogging into a profitable business. While my followers have increased, I still need to find a way to fund the platform for the blog and my explorations. I am excited about where Raising Tacoma can go next.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I hope this friend is bringing her kids along because that’s what Raising Tacoma is all about! Gosh, so many people underestimate the beauty and amount of activities to do here in Tacoma.

Our first day would start at Point Defiance Park. But breakfast first! We’d grab a hardy breakfast at Waffle Stop and head out. We would begin at the pond and rose garden, watch the ducks, and smell the flowers. Then we’d grab the kids’ bikes or scooters and cross over the Wilson Way Bridgewalk to slide down the “chutes and ladders.” We’d ride and walk down to the Dune Peninsula and stop at the slag pot (which looks like a bell) for some photos. Finally, we’d find our way to the Waterfront Market at Ruston for some lunch at Taco Street. If there is room in our bellies, we will grab some ice cream at Ice Social.

I’m guessing we’d need a break after such an eventful morning. But if we’re up for it, we could spend the afternoon at Owen Beach throwing rocks and climbing driftwood. We’d finish up the day with a delicious meal at Wooden City. It’s a nicer restaurant, but there is pizza so the kids will be happy.

The next day we’d fuel up at Curran Coffee and then either go to the Foss Waterway Museum or the LeMay Car Museum, but let’s say the latter. Both are great museums for kids and adults alike. We might have to have more pizza again at Camp Colvos, but if everyone is not up for more pizza, then we’d head over to Shake Shake Shake for some burgers and shakes. For the afternoon, we’d hit up Titlow Park to get some wiggles out and have more fun at PNW-style beaches (rocks), but there is the hidden beach with some sand. We would end the day with a delicious dinner at Indo Street Asian Eatery.

If there is one more day, we could make a larger excursion to Vashon Island. We’d catch the ferry by Point Defiance and take the short ferry ride over — and we bring the car on the ferry. We would wander around Point Robinson Lighthouse and find some candy at The Country Store & Farm. And lunch at the Hardware Store. We’d wrap up the day and the long weekend with an easy dinner at Brewer’s Row.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband, Josh, has always been my biggest fan; he is always there, pushing me to my biggest potential. He saw me as a new mom looking for an outlet to use another part of my mind and skills and help me find my identity. He helped me brainstorm ideas of what I should do and encouraged me. Once I came up with the idea for Raising Tacoma, he had my back the whole time and still is next to me as my cheerleader. Not to mention, he’s my own personal IT guy.

Website: https://www.raisingtacoma.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raising_tacoma/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherjoybrown/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raisingtacoma/