Serving University Place
Helping University Place businesses grow
University Place runs on small, local businesses: medical and dental practices, shops, restaurants and service firms, with about one in seven Town Center businesses run from home. As a women’s business center for University Place, WCWB helps women start and grow them with free one-on-one advising, practical classes and a community of owners.
CountyPierce County
Population36,490
WCWB advisingFree, by phone or video
Our officeLacey, Washington
Where business happens
Business districts in University Place
- Town Center (Bridgeport Way West). The 248-acre civic and commercial core along Bridgeport Way West, including The Village at Chambers Bay (retail, apartments, a public plaza and the Civic Building with City Hall and the Pierce County Library branch) and Green Firs Towne Center; its 262 businesses lean toward health care, retail, food service and professional services (district plan adopted June 15, 2026).
- Northeast Business District. Bounded by S. 19th Street on the north, it employs about 1,215 people, mostly at firms with 50 or fewer workers: chain restaurants, nurse staffing agencies, small health clinics, real estate offices, social advocacy groups and small industrial businesses (plan adopted November 6, 2023).
- 27th Street Business District. Runs along 27th Street West from Elwood Drive W to Morrison Road W, a smaller-scale corridor of small offices, retail, restaurants and medical uses; the 2025 district plan aims to support neighborhood services, dining and retail.
Good to know in University Place
- University Place requires a city business license, including for home-based businesses, added through the state’s Business Licensing Service. There’s no fee for businesses with gross annual income of $12,000 or less.
- University Place does not have a city B&O tax.
- The City has a Business Outreach Liaison who helps new and existing businesses find resources.
- About 14% of Town Center businesses are home-based, and residents have asked for more independent restaurants, maker markets and professional services.
Not sure what applies to you? An advisor can walk you through it.
A city of small, local businesses
University Place, Pierce County’s fourth-largest city, has an economy built on local-serving businesses rather than big employers. The city had about 6,855 jobs in 2023 (up 18% since 2013), with services such as health care and professional services making up nearly half and retail and food services the second-largest sector. Most commercial activity sits along Bridgeport Way West in the Town Center, home to The Village at Chambers Bay and the Green Firs Towne Center, while the Chambers Bay golf course draws visitors and supports hospitality jobs.
Health care and social assistance
Health care is the largest group of businesses in the Town Center (72 of 262 establishments, 27%, in 2024), with dental and medical clinics spread throughout the district.
Retail and food services
Retail jobs grew 38% from 2013 to 2023 to about 1,180, the city’s second-largest sector; the Town Center holds about 540,000 sq ft of retail (45% of the city’s total), with anchors including Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Safeway.
Professional, personal and real estate services
Services account for nearly half of all jobs in the city (3,369 of 6,855 in 2023); in the Town Center, professional and technical services, other services, finance and insurance, and real estate together make up more than a third of establishments, and the district holds 71% of the city’s office space.
Golf, hospitality and visitor services
Chambers Bay, a public links course at 6320 Grandview Drive West, hosted the 2010 U.S. Amateur and the 2015 U.S. Open, the first U.S. Open in the Pacific Northwest, and runs the Chambers Bay Grill and event hosting; city planning documents note numerous accommodation and food service jobs at the course.
Your women’s business center for University Place
Residents have asked for more independent restaurants, maker markets and local services. If you’re thinking of filling that gap, we can help.
Test your idea
Intro to Business is a free self-paced online course that walks you through planning, legal requirements and funding.
Get one-on-one advice
Work through your plan, pricing or a Town Center lease with an advisor by phone or video, at no cost.
Get seen
Visibility is one of the biggest hurdles for new businesses here. Advisors can help you build a marketing plan, and INSPIRE connects you with women owners across the region.
More help in University Place
Alongside WCWB, these University Place organizations support local businesses. Each link opens their own website.
City of University Place Economic Development
The City’s Business Outreach Liaison helps business owners find resources, and the page links the Town Center, Northeast and 27th Street district plans.
Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber
The regional chamber serving University Place; it co-hosts Partner UP networking events for local business owners.
Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County (EDB)
The county’s economic development board offers site data, links to financing and technical assistance partners, and programs for startups and BIPOC- and veteran-owned businesses.
Pierce County Library System: Small Business Support (University Place Library)
With a library card you get free business databases (Gale Entrepreneurship, Business Insights: Global, Key Business Ratios); the University Place branch is in the Civic Building at 3609 Market Place W.
Washington State Department of Revenue: University Place city endorsement
The official page for adding the University Place business license to your state business license, with current fees and exemptions.
Questions from University Place business owners
I run a professional practice in University Place. Is WCWB for me?
Yes. We work with all kinds of businesses, including medical, dental and professional practices. An advisor can help with growth plans, hiring, marketing and the business side of running a practice.
Where can I meet other business owners in University Place?
The City’s Partner UP networking events, held with the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, bring local owners together each spring and fall. WCWB’s INSPIRE conference each May connects you with women business owners across the South Sound.
Does WCWB have an office in University Place?
No. We meet by phone and video, so we can work with you anywhere in Washington State. Our office is at 4220 6th Ave SE in Lacey.
Who can work with WCWB?
Anyone who is starting a business or growing a small to medium-sized one. We focus on women-identified business owners in Washington State, and our services are open to everyone.
Ready to grow in University Place?
Free advising by phone or video, built around your goals.