Tickled Pink stores closing in Gig Harbor and Ruston. Here is what will replace them

The pink doors are closing for good.

In Gig Harbor, Ruston and Poulsbo, you’ll notice signs posted at Tinkled Pink that say, “Store closing.”

Tickled Pink first opened 18 years ago in Port Townsend and is known for its bright aesthetic and miscellaneous gifts.

The Port Townsend location closed about five years ago, Karrie Polinsky, who run all the stores for the owner, told the Gateway Monday.

The owners announced in March via Instagram all three remaining stores — Gig Harbor, Ruston, and Poulsbo — will close soon and re-open as something entirely different.

“Like so many adventures, this one has come to an end,” Polinsky and owner Michele Jaegar wrote in a flier inside the Gig Harbor store. “And so, we say goodbye to Tickled Pink. Its journey is over and while we certainly have shed a few tears, we are excited for our new path, and we are ready for a new direction.”

May 29 will be the last day to walk through those pink doors and buy any last items.

Items are currently discounted as they try to sell what is left.

Polinsky said the reason behind their decision to close the remaining stores is due to changes in customer habits and post pandemic struggles.

“A lot of businesses survived the pandemic, but in the last 13 months or so have had a harder time gaining more customers in store shopping,” Polinksy said. “Not every customer is a fan of online shopping but quite a few are. So there are less customers that you get to help in person.”

Spending habits may also play into it, Polinsky said.

“With all of the various things happening in the world, people have made other choices on what items they would like to buy,” she said. “With the big box stores, they are able to still keep pricing lower than a small business due to the quantities of each item they purchase. In order for us to stay in business we need to adapt to the changes within customer shopping.”

The owner will keep all three stores and reopen as Direction Apparel, according to the flier. Direction Apparel is a locally created clothing company.

“We decided that it was time to focus on a product mix that is almost entirely created here in the Northwest,” Polinsky and Jaegar wrote in the flier. “High quality t-shirts, hoodies, outerwear, caps and more that share our love of our communities and the outdoors.”

In 2020 Jaegar bought an apparel division from Direction Apparel and has been growing the wholesale company over the past three years, Polinsky said.

“Why not have a store that can show all our creativity that includes a diverse selection of items,” Polinksy said. “We print everything in our warehouse down the street in addition to selling this product all across the country. Local customers as well as visitors have been asking for more styles and designs, but the way Tickled Pink was, we didn’t have more space to expand.”

Direction Apparel is expected to open this spring, according to the company’s Instagram post.

Polinsky added they hope for a quick turn around and to be closed for only two weeks before the reopening.

Editor’s note: An initial version of this article misstated where Tickled Pink first opened. The business opened 18 years ago in Port Townsend. The article has also been updated with comments from Karrie Polinsky, who runs the stores for the owner.