My Ballard

1 week ago | myballard.com | Meghan Walker

A new retail collective is coming to Ballard later this month, with a variety of local small businesses all under one roof. Smål Market, located at 2206 NW Market Street, is set to open on June 28 and will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The market brings together seven businesses in a shared space that will feature handmade goods, boutique finds, and curated retail items from a range of local makers and merchants.

1 week ago | myballard.com | Meghan Walker

A new Goodwill donation site is coming to Ballard, offering some relief to neighbors who have long been frustrated by the donation traffic at the current Ballard Goodwill store, located at 6400 8th Ave NW. A representative from Evergreen Goodwill told My Ballard that they’re planning a soft launch of the new donation-only location just a few blocks from the existing store, with an anticipated opening date of July 1.

1 week ago | myballard.com | Meghan Walker

Schooner Street Pub—the new bar taking over the former Pour Decisions location at 8000 15th Ave NW—is opening on June 18. Liz Nielsen, the former owner of the now-closed Stepping Stone, is the creator behind Schooner Street Pub. Schooner Street, which will open to the public on Wednesday at 11 a.m., will feature a full bar, as well as beer and wine menus. The food menu will include soups, salads, and sandwiches, Katie Schuller from Schooner Street told My Ballard.

1 week ago | myballard.com | Meghan Walker

A new home goods and baby gear store is coming to Ballard this summer: Aldea Home & Baby is opening at 5304 Ballard Ave NW. Aldea is taking over the former COUCH location, which moved its showroom to Capitol Hill. Founder Johanna Bialkin opened the first Aldea—which means “small village” in Spanish—in the Mission District of San Francisco in 2005. This will be the third Aldea location—there’s also one in Culver City, CA.

2 weeks ago | myballard.com | Meghan Walker

A seasonal spectacle is once again playing out at Shilshole Bay Marina, where dozens of sea lions have taken up temporary residence on the public guest docks—prompting caution from staff and curiosity from onlookers. Sylvia Kantor, an editor and designer with the UW Puget Sound Institute, recently did a deep dive to learn about why they’re hanging around Ballard again. By mid-May, the marina counted nearly 120 sea lions sprawled across five docks, with the first arrivals showing up in late April.