The Bellevue Square Hallmark store has announced that it will close in June. The store is offering a sale from 20-75% off all the original prices (exclusions apply to greeting cards, Father’s Day & Graduation gifts).

Hallmark is located on the second leve of Bellevue Square within the Macy’s wing.

For those of you worried about being able to find greeting cards don’t fret, as there is still Papyrus & Moxie Paper Goods & Gifts.

Paula’s Hallmark Bellevue Square
260 Bellevue Square, Bellevue WA
(425) 451-4366

Kate Spade opened last Thursday at Bellevue Square.  The store is hard to miss, as it’s filled with bright colors and neon lights.  The women’s designer is best known for its luxury handbags, clothing, jewelry, shoes, and other accessories.

Even if you’re not interested in shopping at Kate Spade, the store is worth a visit, as its design is innovative and unique; even the gift boxes are tastefully stacked behind the cash register on the wall as if they were art.

In celebration of their grand opening the Bellevue Square store has a limited edition clear cosmetic case with “Bellevue” on the outside of it.

Located on the 1st floor across from the Microsoft Store, the store takes over what used to be the Movado store.  Since Movado left Bellevue Square, the space has been occupied by Oh Chocolate, an art gallery, and the Macy’s Holiday Store.

The Bellevue Square store is the 2nd Kate Spade in the greater Seattle area. Their other location opened in August at Pacific Place.

139 Bellevue Square
Bellevue, WA 98004
Phone: 425.453.6245

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The wait is over. The Bellevue Square Top Pot Café opened on Friday of last week.  The first thing you’ll notice is the space is much smaller than the location at Washington Square.  Also, the interior of the space is unique and integrates elements of an Airstream travel trailer into their main counter where customers checkout. The glass case where doughnuts are displayed is built into the side of the Airstream frame, which gives the space a distinctive character.

This marks Top Pot’s 2nd store in Downtown Bellevue. The grand opening on Friday was celebrated by an in-store appearance by Fredy Montero of the Seattle Sounders FC.

The three levels of Founding Membership include four years of: rebates on all future purchases; free home delivery within the market’s delivery zones; priority booking and free admission to 2 weekly cooking classes; free lunch or dinner each month from the barbecue or fresh foods department; and invitations to private town hall meetings with guest speakers and free wine, beer, and appetizers.

The Level 1 “Hand Basket” provides a 10 percent rebate for a $500 fee.
The Level 2 “Shopping Cart” offers a 15 percent rebate for a fee of $1,000.
The Level 3 “Family Cart” features a 20 percent rebate for a fee of $2,000.

The program will only be available for a very limited time. The membership can be purchased in-store or online.

Your Local Market is a locally owned and operated full-service grocer known for carrying local and organic products as well as mainstream brands.

Get ready, it’s Farmers Market season again.  The Bellevue Farmers Market starts up on Thursday, May 10th.  It’s the same days of the week and at the same locations as last year.

You can view a list of this year’s vendors on the Bellevue Farmers Market website.

- Locations -

Thursdays
3 – 7 PM
May 10 – October 11
First Presbyterian Church
1717 Bellevue Way NE
(The only pets allowed are service dogs at this location)

Saturdays
10 AM – 3 PM
June 2 – November 17
First Congregational Church
752 108th Ave NE
(This is a dog-friendly location)

I came across a post online that listed somebody’s wish list of the stores they wish were still around at Bellevue Square. This prompted me to create my own.  In no particular order, here is my list of the 10 stores that I wish would come back at Bellevue Square:

1. New Jake O’Shaughnessey’s – If you were looking to celebrate a special occasion in Bellevue, New Jake O’Shaughnessey’s was a popular choice.  The restaurant went out of business a long time ago and is now occupied by the Cheesecake Factory.
2. The Nintendo Store – Many long hours were spent playing Super Mario Brothers and several other games in the dimly lit store. It was located where Seven Salon currently occupies space.
3. Nordstrom Garden Terrace Restaurant – Nordstrom used to have a fine dining restaurant on the 3rd floor when they opened up their expanded store to the size it currently is today.
4. FAO Schwartz – It’s a small world after all…We’ll all miss the oversized stuffed animals. FAO Schwartz declared bankruptcy in 2009. The brand has since been purchased by Toys ‘R’ Us, which closed all stores expect for the flagship store in New York City.
5. Frederick & Nelson – It goes without saying that Frederick & Nelson is likely one of the most cherished department stores in the Seattle area that is no longer in businesses.  Luckily for Nordstrom, Freddy’s went out of business and Nordstrom now occupies enough space to make Bellevue the 2nd largest Nordstrom store in the country (the Flagship Seattle Store is 1st).
6. The Frankfurter – It’s hard to find a great hot dog in Bellevue without them.
7. Jungle Jim’s – Who could forget this burger joint that had the back of a pink Cadillac stuck into the front of it and a jungle theme inside?  Abercrombie has since replaced it.
8. K B Toys – Okay, maybe I don’t really care about this one coming back, but I just have great childhood memories buying Nerf toy guns from here.
9. Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream – The brand has seemed to successfully expand in international markets. I’m hopeful it will come back to Bellevue Square in the near future. The Baileys Irish Cream milkshakes were the best!
10. Schwartz Brothers Restaurant – This was one of the best (and quickest) restaurants at Bellevue Square, with a nice selection of high quality foods.  It was similar to how I now think of the Nordstrom Café that is the 3rd floor.

What are the stores you miss from Bellevue Square?

Goodwill is accepting donations in a temporary location in Downtown Bellevue at the old Cadillac dealership at NE 10th St & 106th Ave NE. The Goodwill truck will be collecting on Saturday’s & Sunday’s 9 AM – 5 PM. The truck is in the Diamond Parking lot east of Sherman Clay Pianos.

The drop off location will accept reusable clothing, household items and electronics.  The site is not able to accept larger items such as furniture or large appliances.

Previously there was a pickup location at the South Bellevue Park & Ride, but has been gone for the last couple years.

Downtown Bellevue Goodwill donation site:
10447 NE 10th St.
Bellevue, WA 98004

Giada De Laurentiis, the well known host of “Giada at Home” on the Food Network, will be participating in a book signing at the Williams-Sonoma at Bellevue Square store on Thursday, April 26th at 5:00 PM.  She will be signing copies of her newest cookbook, Weeknights with Giada: Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner.

The event is limited to the first 400 ticketed customers. To reserve a space for the event, call or visit the Williams-Sonoma Bellevue Square store (425-454-7007).

Just “Like” either The Bellevue Collection and/or Bellevue Square Facebook Page, click ‘enter’ on the sweepstakes page, and fill out the form.

The Bellevue Collection’s Facebook Giveaway>

Bellevue Square Facebook Giveaway>

The winning prizes include:

• $250 Gift Card from 7 For all Mankind
• $250 Gift Card from A|X Armani Exchange
• $250 Gift Card from Aerosoles
• $250 Gift Card from Aritzia
• $250 Gift Card from Billabong
• $250 Gift Card from Buckle
• $250 Gift Card from Eileen Fisher
• $250 Gift Card from Element
• $250 Gift Card from Everything But Water
• $250 Gift Card from Helly Hansen
• $250 Gift Card from Lacoste
• $250 Gift Card from Something Silver
• $250 Gift Card from Splendid
• $250 Gift Card from True Religion Brand Jeans
• $250 Gift Card from Vince
• $250 Gift Card from Zebra Club
• $250 Outfit from Escape Outdoors
• $250 Sunglasses from TUMI
• $250 elfa Space Makeover from The Container Store
• Michael Kors Watch from Macy’s
• Starwalker Metal & Rubber Pen from Montblanc
• Custom Tailored Shirt from Trillium Custom Tailoring & Design

Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. is not new to luxury properties. Some of their other investments include properties Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston, Union Station in Washington D.C., Barneys New York, 25 East Oak in Chicago’s “Miracle Mile,” Madison Avenue, and more.

According to the report, Schnitzer West’s Tom Woodworth said there were 91 potential buyers that had registered to receive information about the complex.

The Bravern is currently 87% leased, with about 13 retail spaces available. No changes for The Bravern have currently been reported.