Business & Tech
Downtown Puyallup Martial Arts Studio Shutters After Public Feud With Neighboring Gift Shop
Bad blood between Lee's Martial Arts Studio and Baskets and Things reached a boiling point, when the studio owners decided to close shop and leave Puyallup behind. What happened, exactly?
While it can take a lifetime to build the dream business, a nasty neighborhood feud in Puyallup proves that it doesn’t take long to destroy it.
What used to be Lee’s Martial Arts Studio on West Meeker Street in downtown Puyallup is now a vacant space, filled with lingering resentment and hard feelings. Behind the floor-to-ceiling windows, kids and adults used to learn martial arts on brightly colored mats. Now, passersby get a different view of the business—concrete floors littered with debris and a heated statement from the studio’s former owners copied and plastered across the windows.
“We are saddened by the closing, and feel you deserve to know the truths instead of the vile rumors being spread. We have over 170 families that will now be displaced as a result of this very difficult decision that we have been forced to make,” wrote Matthew and Lynell Ray, the former owners of Lee’s Martial Arts Studio. “… Two years ago, our quality of life and sense of security drastically changed when a transfer of ownership occurred with one of our neighboring businesses.”
That’s when Darcie Lynn took over Baskets and Things for her mother, after 32 years. She’s worked in the gift shop since she was 17 years old.
Since then, allegations of drug activity and threatening behavior from both sides have darkened the West Meeker corner. Between the walls of Baskets and Things and Lee's Martial Arts Studio are accusations of child molestation, sexual activity in alleyways, violence, theft and vandalism.
“This has been one of the most interesting things I’ve seen in my career,” said Puyallup Police Capt. Scott Engle. “Both sides are attempting to sway public opinion, but the unfortunate part is people don’t really know the whole story… we have attempted to sit down at the table and mediate for both sides and neither wanted to.”
The Rays say it all started when Lynn’s “clan” of 10-15 people and several cats moved into the residential space above Baskets and Things.
Lynn said it started when she moved in and invaded the Rays' privacy, when they weren't residing there legally.
Over the last two years, Puyallup Police have walked across the street to settle disputes between Baskets and Things and LMA on multiple occasions, with restraining orders and police reports to prove it. Although in the end it seemed to do little good, as no one has been charged with a crime.
Engle said that every time charges filed on either side were sent to the Pierce County Prosecutor, they were dismissed.
One thing the Rays and Lynn do agree on, however, is that this feud is the worst thing that has ever happened to them. It’s caused the Rays to walk away from a $200,000 investment and buy a home as far away from downtown Puyallup as they could manage.
“I’m broken. We can never come back here alone,” said Matthew Ray. “This is terrorism. The ‘bully’ isn’t usually the one who moves away and loses everything.”
When asked about the situation, Lynn is moved to tears.
“I’m just a good person. I decorate. I make things,” said Lynn. “How in the hell does a gift shop shut down a martial arts studio?”
The Rays claim their neighboring business is responsible for many illegal and aggressive acts of vandalism, including:
- 'Egging' and smearing spit across their cars, plus breaking car windows
- Stealing security cameras
- Smoking marijuana near the gym's back entrance while kids were coming in and out of the business
- Trespassing
- Harassment and threats - to both them and their patrons
Then, the charges against the Rays started rolling in. A complaint that the Rays were living in an unapproved residence above the studio prompted a city investigation and expensive renovations had to be made to bring their space up to code.
Their living situation was always 'don't ask, don't tell' with the city before, Lynell said.
Animal Control was called on the Rays for chicken coops on the roof and noise complaints from other neighboring businesses started filing in, after the morning boot camps were deemed to be too loud.
Then, Matthew was accused of being a child molester and 'peeping Tom' without any evidence of inappropriate action.
“It was like the Bermuda Triangle was closing in on us,” said Lynell. “It just escalated so much, that’s when we started to hermitize ourselves.”
Lynn maintains that Matthew Ray is a “bully” and has attacked her business. She says the young people she took under her wing are intimidated by Ray, who constantly tried to get them to “fight him.” Among other things, Lynn accused Lee's Martial Arts Studio of the following:
- Smearing animal feces across her business
- Picking fights without cause
- Bad-mouthing Baskets and Things to LMA students and families
- Threatening and insulting verbal attacks
- Slanderous accusations against Baskets and Things on Facebook and in print
The final decision to close for good came when one of LMA’s adult female students was threatened this April, said Matthew. One of Lynn’s tenants allegedly pointed a nerf gun at the woman in the street and said “die, b****, die.”
The gun looked real, the Rays said. That moment, which frightened the woman and her children, was the final straw.
“That was my last day in class,” said Matthew.
“Once parents were afraid for their child’s safety at our school, we started to get concerned,” Lynell added. “For someone to possibly get injured, or killed—it just isn’t worth it.”
Lynn said the woman, who was granted a restraining order against the young man by a Pierce County judge, is lying and has threatened her.
“The kids were sitting in the window, playing with the nerf gun,” said Lynn. “The next day, I was walking my dog and [Matthew] came up to me, yelling about my son and his friends. When I said I didn’t know what he was talking about, he said, 'you’ll know when I slam your face into the ground.'”
When it comes to her taste in tenants, Lynn maintains that “kids are kids,” and she is a good person with a soft spot for troubled youth. Growing up, her family welcomed anyone and everyone to their table.
“My son’s friend, who I didn’t know at all, came to me and said, ‘Darcie, I need a place to stay. I’m a fifth year senior and need to finish high school,” said Lynn. “He never paid me a dime in rent and never rented a room. He lived here for about 7 or 8 months, then he graduated. Another situation—this girl and her boyfriend—I found out he was beating her up and told her she didn’t deserve that. And to this day, that girl is living with her mom and is out of that relationship... They aren’t horrible people.”
Lynn said that she has a separate residence from her young friends and that their marijuana use is legal—they are over 21 years old and it’s not against the law anymore.
Engle said that many of the problems between the Rays, Lynn and other business owners in the area are strictly civil disputes and that police have become a “pawn” in their fight.
“Every time our response wasn’t what they wanted, they’d complain. And we’ve investigated the responding officers every time and have found no cause to their claims,” said Engle. “We’ve certainly been the target on both sides, when we are doing our jobs--to be fair and impartial.”
After walking away from his business and investment, Matthew Ray says he is done with Puyallup and will likely never own another martial arts studio again. Several black belts from the studio are looking to re-launch LMA in a different location, but he doesn’t want to be involved.
Lynn said she is trying to move forward and wants “peace” on her block. She’d like to see a restaurant move into the LMA space.
“I dare the next 300 people to come in to my store and say that I’m not nice,” Lynn said. “I would bet my life, my kids on it. What business owner, in their right mind, would run out into the street and yell ‘get the f*** off my sidewalk?”
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