Wallflowers: Lapis
If you’ve ever found yourself wandering around Proctor,
Eyeing the $18 poke bowls from Met Market and inhaling the beautifully rich smell of Olympia Coffee wafting from the corner of N 26th and Proctor, you’ve definitely seen Lapis; a little store connected to Olympia Coffee, beckoning customers with $8 oat milk lattes to come browse inside.
“That’s when I found my favorite brand, a scent I wear all the time. It smells sweet and musky, like coming home after a long summer night out, when you finally lay under your crisp sheets with sun-kissed skin.”
Wandering along the sidewalk, I was drawn inside by the gorgeous minimalist jewelry and colorful art deco glassware. I peeped around, glancing at the display boxes of handmade silver jewelry and testing some of the fancy perfumes that decorated the shelves. That’s when I found my favorite brand, a scent I wear all the time. It smells sweet and musky, like coming home after a long summer night out, when you finally lay under your crisp sheets with sun-kissed skin. I rolled the scent onto my skin and it blossomed with warm and spicy notes. I checked the bottom of the tiny roll-on bottle and saw it was marked with a $40 sticker.
At the time I was only working part-time at a Museum, and $40 felt insane for 0.2 oz of perfume…which let’s not lie, it kind of is. I placed the perfume back on the shelf and wandered along, checking out the other eclectic gift shops that dotted the Proctor District streets.
God, for weeks I could NOT stop thinking about that perfume. How could I justify spending practically a third of my paycheck (okay maybe that’s an exaggeration) on a 0.2 oz bottle of perfume? One Saturday morning, I drove myself back to the Proctor District to invest in this tiny bottle of perfume. I crossed the intersection passing Olympia Coffee and B-lined straight for Lapis, the one and only.
I went straight for the perfume shelf, swiping the little black box of beautifully scented perfume that I had been obsessed with. It was so tiny that it fit in the palm of my hand as I brought it up to the cashier. She was smiling and friendly the whole time as I guiltily swiped my card for the charge of $44.39.
“Lapis is a one-of-a-kind beautifully curated store, full of unique accessories, glassware, jewelry, clothing, and more, and they offer excellent customer service.”
I wear this perfume all the time now, it’s my favorite scent in the world and I get compliments all the time. I walk past Lapis knowing that I spent $40 on 0.2 oz of perfume, but I don’t regret it one bit. Lapis is a one-of-a-kind beautifully curated store, full of unique accessories, glassware, jewelry, clothing, and more, and they offer excellent customer service. I would buy any perfume there again in a heartbeat.
If you’re ever in the Proctor District, don’t forget to stop by Lapis, you might even find your next favorite perfume, or a unique set of cocktail glasses to take home with you! The accessories are beautiful and endless, keeping it a Tacoma Locals’ favorite shop.
