Smith-Western Company, Who Knew?!
In researching the origin of these books, I came upon their publisher, Smith-Western, a family owned and operated Tacoma-based business that started in 1947 when Kyle Smith began selling his photographs as postcards to area gift shops. Once a downtown Tacoma staple on Broadway, the city helped relocate the company in order to build the convention center and now they’re located on 80th, in the south end.
No longer creating postcard photo-books, Smith-Western is still thriving as a souvenir maker producing interesting and clever takeaways for guests visiting places all over the United States; Statue of Liberty, National Parks, the Beatles, and the Vegas strip to name a few.
In the the spirit of Kyle Smith’s passion for making memories, let’s check out some vintage Washington State icons: