Businesses in Woodinville making a comeback after worst of the pandemic

After several years of grand closings due to COVID-19, cutting the ribbon for a grand opening is a welcome sight for people hoping to see businesses get back to business as usual.

Ethan Stowell’s Ballard Pizza Company is expanding in the Schoolhouse District in Woodinville as the city welcomes people dining and drinking out.

Stowell, who recently cooked for President Biden, is going to see the new location open as a major part of Woodinville’s efforts to create a mixed-use business district.

The new Ballard Pizza location is coming in alongside several other restaurant properties that are trying to build up and boost the area with major investment.

“We’re looking at some other sports, we’re definitely going to keep working on the Eastside,” Stowell said. “We’re talking and looking at some other spots in Woodinville. We have a spot we’re working and building out in Redmond, then we’ll see where things go from there.”

Wine is still king in Woodinville when it comes to visitors, but efforts like what we’re seeing in the Schoolhouse District are part of diversification.

According to its website, in 2017 developer Mainstreet Property Group assembled a group to work on the large civic project that the city of Woodinville wanted to see in the district.

Now, a mixed-use development is coming with hundreds of residential units in addition to the restaurant and retail spaces — work that could see even more development come online over the next 6 to 12 months.

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