Bellevue Downtown Association

Thanks for jammin' with us this summer for the Bellevue Beats & Bites Music series! We are grateful to everyone who came out to support free live music in the #HeartofBellevue, see you all in 2025. Once again we would like to extend a huge thank you to our supporting partners Amazon, City of Bellevue, Washington, 4Culture, media partners, 425 Magazine, Warm106.9, and venue partners Kilroy Realty Corporation, The Bellevue Collection, The Spring District. We look forward to seeing you next year!

When eighteen-year-old Casidee was working her shift at a tanning business in Downtown Bellevue, she was not planning on falling in love. It wasn't until she met her future husband working at his dad's burger join across the street. A few under-the-table free sodas, a wedding and years later, she now owns that very same Burger spot where she met her partner - Broiler Bay Hamburgers. Broiler Bay first opened in 1989 and has kept that old-fashioned feel that is a unique find in Downtown Bellevue. With an old Pac-Man machine in the back, vintage red, white, and yellow decor and a friendly staff, eating at this quality shop will bring you back to a simpler time. They're committed to maintaining an affordable price while matching their timeless menu and taste. With all the comfort you love like delicious burgers, crispy onion rings, and perfectly-made milkshakes, Broiler Bay has it all. Hear more about how they've continued to maintain their business for over 30 years, and why their customers keep coming back for more: https://lnkd.in/dwiWy55c

Avenue Bellevue and the InterContinental Bellevue at the Avenue have officially shed its "under construction" status. Now open on the corner of NE 8th Street and Bellevue Way, the luxurious residential tower and hotel brings 365 residential units, 208 hotel rooms, and 12,000 square feet of gala space. If you're not looking to buy a home or go on a staycation, the 80,000+ square feet of retail, restaurant, and retail space built into Avenue Bellevue and InterContinental Hotel may peak your interest — Here's a complete list of businesses that are now open or plans to open in one of Downtown Bellevue's newest development: https://lnkd.in/g_XraSd8

The first Amazon Go is now open in Downtown Bellevue! Positioned inside the Amazon Grace building (320 108th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA) and conveniently located in the central business district of Downtown, it's a great place to stop for all your needs -- ready-to-go meals, delicious sushi, morning donuts, hot sandwiches, package drop-off, slushie, ice cream, and more. Plus beer, wine and alcoholic beverages for happy hour gatherings. We're grateful to see so many key partners in the community gather for opening day, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue!

The 2024 Bellevue Downtown Arts Market wrapped up this past Sunday night, and we are grateful to everyone who made it a success. Thank you to all the talented artists, musicians, food trucks, and attendees who joined us in celebrating local arts. We can't wait to see you next year! A special thanks to our amazing sponsors Amazon, City of Bellevue, Washington, 4Culture, and Talking Rain Beverage Co®, makers of Sparkling Ice for making this event possible. A big shoutout to our wonderful media sponsors Warm106.9 and 425 Magazine for helping us spread the word! And a highlight to Pacific Northwest Art Laboratory for putting together yet another fun interactive art activity for the community, we're so thankful for you and the work you've done to highlight arts and culture in the Heart of Bellevue. 

Usually, when Todd and Stephanie Glass came to Downtown Bellevue, it was to take their son to buy baseball cards at the locally loved Collector’s Corner. Little did they know that Downtown Bellevue’s vitality would inspire them to start their own business just minutes away on Main Street - and there started the journey of Story in a Bottle Wines. Story in a Bottle Wines carefully curates their shop to sell bottles from family-owned wineries. About half the store is wines from Italy and France from small production runs that have rarely, if ever, been offered outside their own country. Now, they are imported directly to Washington by Owners Todd and Stephanie Glass. To familiarize people with their wines, the store offers free samples of one of their wines during the week and on Saturdays hosts tastings of five or six wines, built around a theme, for a small fee. Recent tastings included a flight of their Barolo wines while another featured their favorite white wines from different countries. Read our latest  article, where Todd discussed the affordability of their wines and how they’ve continued to curate a selection that is worth all the effort: https://lnkd.in/gCBAGW9X

Emil King is no stranger to the Bellevue community - in fact, he has worked for the City of Bellevue, Washington for over 20 years now and has contributed his time, creativity and commitment to Bellevue since his first day in 2000. This year, he has taken on a new role as the City's Department Director of Community Development. Hear more about his upcoming plans for his new position, what makes Bellevue so special and the challenges he foresees in achieving the goals set for the future of Bellevue in this month's #PersonBehindThePlace spotlight: https://lnkd.in/d3ZMQJgF

Meet our two marketing & communications content writer interns for the summer at the BDA! Soumya Sahay (left) and Rachel Pfalzer (right) continues to tell local stories through our Heart of Bellevue campaign, support our many community events taking place in the summer, create and develop more ways to engage the community, and be a strong ambassador for Downtown Bellevue. ABOUT RACHEL: Rachel is a recent graduate of the University of Washington with a BA in English and a minor in Environmental Studies. Since she started internship at the BDA, she has enjoyed The balance of creative writing, local engagement and real-world experience. One of the many things she loves about Downtown Bellevue is the community’s dedication to creating opportunities for people to support small businesses, mingle, and become an active part of the landscape they inhabit. Her favorite spot in Downtown Bellevue is Coffeeholic House! Her career goal aspiration includes any modality of storytelling. Right now, she’s interested in pursuing community-centered journalism – trying to connect with and help people in her very own backyard. She’d like to continue engaging with local issues and play a role in exploring complex solutions to complex problems. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT SOUMYA: Soumya is a rising senior at American University in Washington, DC double majoring in Journalism and International Studies. She eventually wants to pursue a career in investigative reporting and hopes to spark positive change with the stories she covers. What she loves about interning at the BDA is the connections she’s already made with the Bellevue community through stories she has written, as well as through some of her own exploring. She enjoys working in an area full of people who love to give back (and the bonus of delicious coffee shops and restaurants on every corner) – Her favorite spot to go to is T’Latte. Her ultimate career goals aspiration is eventually to pursue a path in investigative reporting, focusing on foreign policy. She has worked in newsrooms since the age of 14 and cannot wait to continue that path professionally. She wants her work to highlight good and call out bad, and she plans to work hard to spark as much positive change as possible as a working journalist soon.

Fireworks at Bellevue Downtown Park is always a great way to end the night! Thank you for celebrating the 4th of July with us - while the fireworks were a showstopper, the community and beyond are the true star of the show. 🎆 A huge thank you to the City of Bellevue, Washington for being our co-producers for another amazing year, see you all in 2025! Thank you to Presenting sponsor: The Bellevue Collection Supporting sponsors: Amazon, Microsoft, PACCAR, Puget Sound Energy Media partners: Warm 106.9 and The Seattle Times Friends of the 4th: Alaska Airlines, The Cascade Water Alliance and Wallace Properties

4th of July is next week and that means the Bellevue Family 4th presented by The Bellevue Collection is back at Bellevue Downtown Park for another dazzling Independence Day Celebration. Here's what you can look forward to at Eastside's largest fireworks event: - Live music performances from local musicians - Over 20 different food vendors - All-ages activities including yard games, roaming entertainers, merchandise vendors and more - National Anthem by Bellevue Chamber Chorus - Extravagant fireworks display synchronized to a performance from the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/gNt3WYkw First image taken by Jason Goldfarb Photography