Old Bellevue's Main Street Starts the Holidays With One Block's Shops Already Scattered

In about 14 months, four businesses on one corner of Old Bellevue have either left or set a last day. La Ree Boutique closed in September 2025. Glassybaby moved across town on October 1. Veritables closed on October 15. Matcha Magic scheduled its last day for November 1. All four sat on the block at Main Street and 103rd Avenue NE that Vander Hoek Corporation plans to replace with North of Main, an eight-story building with 176 apartments and about 10,363 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

Bellevue adopted interim rules this year to protect the scale and older facades of Main Street. North of Main had already vested under the earlier zoning, so those rules do not apply to it. The rules also say nothing about who rents the storefronts. This holiday season, the street's familiar shops are spread across several addresses, and the season's biggest draws are close by.

One Block, Four Departures

The departures started in 2025 and picked up speed this fall. Downtown Bellevue Network has tracked each one. Here is where each business stands.

Glassybaby is the only one with a new address so far. It moved to Design Market, the shopping center on 116th Avenue NE across from Overlake Hospital that also houses All the Best Pet Care and Relax the Back. The new store is larger than the Main Street shop. Glassybaby's hand-blown votives, candleholders and drinkers have been an Eastside holiday gift since the Bellevue store opened in mid-October 2009. This is the first December they will sell from 116th Avenue NE instead of Main Street.

Veritables, a home furnishings and gift shop, held a closing sale from September 14 with the whole store marked down 50 percent or more. According to Downtown Bellevue Network, owner Marie Harris said the building's ownership decided to redevelop. She wrote that she plans to go on buying trips for pop-ups and look for a new location: "This is not the last chapter." No location or pop-up dates have been announced. The shop was also a regular stop on the Old Bellevue wine walk, most recently in May.

Matcha Magic opened on Main Street in May 2022 in the former Jujubeet space, and the brand started there. It has since opened cafes in Redmond, Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, New Orleans and Tempe, Arizona. Its operator, the Bellevue-based Conscious Hospitality Group, told Downtown Bellevue Network that Matcha Magic is looking for a new Bellevue location. No new address or reopening date has been announced.

In its July report on Glassybaby's move, Downtown Bellevue Network also listed Araya's Place and Lavender Spa among the businesses in the project's path.

The Rules Came After This Block Was Already Vested

North of Main is part of the reason the city acted. On February 10, the Bellevue City Council voted 4-3 to adopt an interim official control for Main Street between 100th Avenue NE and Bellevue Way. In July the council extended it unanimously through February 2027. Downtown Bellevue Network's report on the extension describes three main points:

• New buildings in that stretch must be compatible with their neighbors and reflect the area's established design character.
• An owner can remove a facade more than 50 years old only by showing it has no historic or cultural value.
• The July changes spell out the design standards more clearly and add incentives for developers who keep existing facades.

None of these points covers the North of Main block. The project was vested under the earlier zoning, so it moves forward unaffected, and the interim control applies only to Main Street properties that had not yet entered permitting. In July, the same outlet reported that construction had been expected to possibly begin in early 2026.

The rules also do not protect tenants on any part of the street. The report states that the city does not have the authority to require property owners to keep specific commercial tenants through a redevelopment. Any permanent standards could shape building size, scale or architectural design, but keeping tenants would stay outside the city's reach. The council has not set permanent standards yet, and the interim control stays in place while it decides.

So the rules can help an old facade on Main Street survive. They cannot keep the shop inside it. This summary is general information, not legal advice. Property owners and developers on the corridor should confirm how the rules apply to a specific parcel with a land-use attorney or the City of Bellevue.

Who Is Still on Main Street

Several longtime shops remain. In its September story on Veritables, Downtown Bellevue Network noted that Gin & The Banker is still open on Main Street. It is the fine designer jewelry store from Rachael Nov, who also founded La Ree Boutique. That makes it one of the few direct links between the closed block and the street as it is now.

In a March 2026 profile of women-owned businesses on Main Street, Visit Bellevue featured Gin & The Banker and Whisk Cooks, along with Fran's Chocolates. Fran's has the longest Bellevue history of the three. Its Bellevue store first opened in 1996 and moved to its current Main Street location in 2004.

The Old Bellevue Merchants Association's most recent dated event was Little Monsters on Main Street on Saturday, October 31, from 1 to 3 p.m. Its site promotes a Fall Wine Walk but lists no date. To check on November or December events, look at the association's site directly.

The Holiday Calendar Opens Nearby

The big holiday events are all a short trip from Old Bellevue. The ice rink is in Bellevue Downtown Park, and Snowflake Lane runs up Bellevue Way from NE 4th Street. Garden d'Lights is at 12001 Main St., on the same street farther east. The dates, in order:

1. Saturday, Nov. 7, Diwali at Bellevue Square. The Bellevue Collection's Diwali displays run November 2 through 8. Cultural performances are in Center Court from noon to 5 p.m., and free henna runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
2. Friday, Nov. 13, the Bellevue Downtown Ice Rink opens in Downtown Park. The Bellevue Downtown Association runs the rink, now in its 29th year. It is open daily through January 18, 2027, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. The covered venue has more than 9,000 square feet of real ice and hosts more than 45,000 skaters a season. Walk-up admission is limited, so buy tickets in advance.
3. Friday, Nov. 27, Snowflake Lane begins. The free parade runs nightly at 7 p.m. through December 24 on Bellevue Way between NE 4th and NE 8th streets. Parking in The Bellevue Collection's garages is free. The 30-foot tree at Bellevue Place Wintergarden is lit the same night, after the parade.
4. Saturday, Nov. 28, Garden d'Lights opens at Bellevue Botanical Garden. It runs through January 3, 2027. Tickets are sold online for a specific date and time.

Ice rink prices change with the calendar. Here are the 2026-27 rates, each including skate rental:

Garden d'Lights costs $10 for ages 11 and up, and children 10 and under get in free. On November 30 through December 3 and December 7 through 10, tickets are $5. Those nights fall in the same weeks as the $12 Monday skate sessions, so early December is the cheapest time to do both.

For holiday gifts this year, Glassybaby is on 116th Avenue NE, while Fran's, Whisk Cooks and Gin & The Banker are still on Main Street. The North of Main block will stay quiet until construction begins, and no start date has been announced.

At Foundation First Group, we track Old Bellevue parcel by parcel. That includes which projects are vested, which fall under the interim rules, and how the permanent standards could change what gets built along Main Street. If you own property on or near the corridor and want to know where it fits, schedule a strategy session with a principal.