Spring is high time for renewal, whether it’s personal, physical, or business - as in the case of the Fremont and Wallingford Chambers’ Spring After Hours Networking Event on May 26, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Meet your neighbors in business. You never know what may lead to your next success!

Pizza from Tutta Bella next door will nourish you as you make your way around the room at Seattle Bank (1227 N. Allen Pl.). Door prizes and drinks will also be provided.

Register here.

We’ll no longer have to drive to the International District for some dim sum. According to our new sister site, My Wallingford, the former owner of House of Hong in the ID has decided to open his new Chinese restaurant, called Bamboo Village, at 4900 Stone Way.

Bamboo Village will serve dim sum all day everyday as well as Cantonese and Mandarin dishes. The new restaurant is slated to open in late May or early June. You can read more about the new restaurant here.

Another Fremont business is closing up shop after a dismal year for small businesses nationwide.  This time Urban Weeds (4302 Fremont Ave N) takes the hit after opening in Upper Fremont two and a half years ago. 

Owner Tim Halloran tells us a firm closing date has not been set and they have no plans to move to another location.  All inventory and equipment will be discounted until everything is gone.  At that point is when they’ll shut down.

We’re definitely sad to leave Upper Fremont. Our current lease is up in March, and we’re simply not profitable, so it just doesn’t make sense to renew.

In 2008, Seattle Magazine named Urban Weeds the “Best Shop for the Urban Gardener”.  The store is open Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. (but will be closed tomorrow for New Year’s Day).  Saturday and Sunday they’re open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  (Thanks to Faith for the tip!)

Last month, I wrote that Birth and Beyond was leaving Fremont and that they would be here until around December 19.  It looks like they left a little early.  As I was walking by the store yesterday I noticed this sign in the door: 

The store on Madison is still open and more information can be found on their website.  As the sign says, fixtures are still available by calling 206-324-4831.

After about a year and a half on the corner of N. 36th and Evanston (next to Kinko’s), Birth and Beyond Baby is leaving Fremont.  Owner Lyndsey Starkey plans to consolidate and focus on her growing main store on East Madison, which has recently expanded classes.

Word is that Birth and Beyond Baby will be gone by December 19 but that date could easily change.  In the meantime, all merchandise is currently 60% off.  That includes some items from the Madison store, as well as clothing from Spoiled By Nana.  Shelving, racks and fixtures will also be sold. 

Hours are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  You can also call 206-547-1993 for more information.

A new little eatery is about to open at Stone Way & 34th Ave N.

This is a shot from Google Maps of the building. The Speedy Reedy, shown here, has moved 75 yards from their old location. Mike emailed us to say that the new place called “Solsticio” will serve breakfast, lunch and smoothies. He spoke with the owner, who was busy getting the place ready to open and says, “She hopes to cater to the neighborhood lunch crowds in addition to the hungry and thirsty bicyclists and walkers on the trail.” (Thanks Mike for the tip!)

The sign in the window at 4258 Fremont Ave. N., near Persimmon Cafe, announces the coming arrival of a new daycare facility.

“Sprout and Grow” is for kids 2 to 6 with a focus on movement, theater, art and science. The sign says it plans to open in the fall.

Seattle Weekly has published their annual Best of Seattle issue, out on stands today, and Fremont businesses have a pretty decent showing this year.  Here’s a list of Fremont winners, and you can check out all of the winners here or on your nearest newsstand.

View Fremont Winners in Seattle Weekly’s Best of Seattle in a larger map

Readers Poll Winners:

Fremont Troll: Best Piece of Public Art
Via Tribunali: Best Pizza That isn’t Pagliacci

Editor’s Picks:

Homegrown: Best Eco-Friendly Lunch
Anita’s Crepes: Best Farmers Market Booth to put Down Stakes
Royal Grinders: Best Place to Feast in Lenin’s Shadow
Azzurri Vino Bar: Best Place to be a Rabid Soccer Fan in an Authentic Atmosphere
Ryan Henry Ward: Best Urban Muralist (while not strictly in Fremont, Ryan has certainly added plenty of color to the neighborhood and his paintings can be viewed at the currently closed and for sale Orange Splot Gallery)

What do you think?  Are there any places in Fremont that have been overlooked as the best in the city?

Bambu Organic Salon at 7406 Greenwood Avenue is moving to a bigger space in Fremont. Owner Stacy Yawman tells us that business is good and she needed a bigger space. Also, the building housing her salon, as well as Rising Stars children’s store and GreenWorks Realty, recently sold and she was worried that her month-to-month rent might go up.

Bambu will close on Wednesday and reopen in its new space at 3919 Stone Way N. in Fremont on Saturday, Aug. 1. The phone number remains the same - 206-781-6501 - and she’s now taking appointments for the new location.

Thanks to Andrea for the tip!

After 15 years of making beer as a hobby, Matt Lincecum has taken his passion to the professional level. The Fremont Brewing Company is officially open for business. “We delivered our first kegs last week,” Lincecum says with a proud smile. The former attorney says that it was tough making the jump from practicing law to making beer, but he says “it’s been a dream since i brewed my first keg.” And his wife has bought in on his dream, which isn’t always easy. “I don’t remember the exact wording of that first conversation,” he laughs.

The small brewery strives to reduce their carbon footprint by using local ingredients, pre-owned equipment and sending their spent grains next door to Blue Marble Energy for them to use. Coincidentally the by-product of Blue Marble’s production is electricity, which is sent back to the brewery.

The outside of their building is currently bright blue, but the walls will soon be covered by local art. One side of the door will become an artist’s canvas which will be painted every few months, and the other side will have a bulletin board for neighborhood and brewery happenings.

Once they’re fully up and running, they’ll brew two kinds of beers — the flagship Universale Pale Ale and the Interurban India Pale Ale. Right now it’s just the Universale, which is brewed 120 kegs at a time and served on tap at a dozen places around Seattle, including Fremont’s Pacific Inn Pub, Bottleworks, Sinners & Saints and The Fremont Dock… with more on the way.

The brewery, located at 3409 Woodland Park Ave. N., will have retail hours on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. where anyone can walk in and buy a growler ($15 for first fill-up), pint glasses (not filled) and t-shirts. (Check their blog for details on their retail opening date.) “We’re very excited,” Lincecum says, “We’ve done a lot of work to get the word out. It’s pretty overwhelming.”

A favorite neighborhood hangout, Mad Pizza in Fremont is closed.

The sign in the window says it all, “Our lease is up and we are officially closed.” According to the sign, you can still get your Mad fixes by ordering online or at the South Lake Union location. (Thanks Paul for the tip!)

That quirky little shop, Archie McPhee, is now open in Wallingford.

Today is the first day at their new location at 45th and Stone Way after just over ten years in Ballard. “You may remember we were on Stone Way in the ’80s and ’90s, so this completes the circle and brings us back to Stone Way in a new location,” explains McPhee’s website. Here’s a picture of Nate, from the McPhee photostream on Flickr, buying a string of chili pepper lights.

For 10 years, Ballard residents have been able to stroll down to Market Street and buy everything from a giant shrunken head for $250 to hundreds of tiny treasures for $19.95 a quart at Archie McPhee’s, the wonderfully wacky, tacky store that caters to our inner child.

But, they lost their lease, so McPhee’s is packing up and heading to Wallingford, and they’re saying goodbye to some of the store’s larger fixtures that just won’t fit in the new space. Shelving, racks, an old dentist’s chair, a life-size medieval archer and a custom-built pop-up cake that did a booming business as a rental – all are for sale.

“Usually it’s a hairy man in a coconut bra jumping out of the cake,” Shana, the store manager, explains of the cake that’s now for sale for $1,500. “It’s usually more funny than saucy.”

So, once the big items are sold, how in the world will Shana and her crew pack up the estimated 10,000 different items for the 2.4-mile move to the corner of 45th and Stone Way?

Since they’ll be consolidating from two buildings into one about the size of their main building in Ballard, they’ve had to pick only the finest fixtures for the new store. And they’re packing up their storeroom behind building number two and sending it all up to the main office and warehouse in Mukilteo, where their parent company, Accoutrements, conducts its wholesale and shipping business.

McPhee’s just got the keys to their new building, a former liquor store, on April 3, so first they’ll start painting inside and out. They’ve already painted all the pegboard in four vibrant colors: pink, orange, turquoise and green. “It’ll be nice and bright,” Shana says.

Shana and her staff made a diagram of the new space and spent hours moving around little pictures of fixtures and products, trying to make it all fit.

They numbered all the displays and have packing boxes with corresponding numbers, so they can put items into a numbered box and unpack it on the right display in Wallingford – meaning no rubber chickens or Jesus action figures should go astray.

Some displays may be moved without taking items off – if it has wheels they can just wheel it up and into a truck. For others, they will literally just take the steel peg full of products off the pegboard, put the whole thing into a box, then pull it out and put it on its new fixture.

One thing they haven’t quite figured out is how to display the employee-decorated ceiling tiles from their second building.

“The ceiling is not the same at the new store, but we’ll figure out a way to display them. All the staff was very concerned about taking the ceiling tiles,” Shana says.

The move will start happening as soon as the painting is done, but Shana can’t nail down a time frame. She says they’ll stay open in Ballard and start moving fixtures and product slowly until there’s more stuff at the Wallingford store than in Ballard. Then they’ll close for hopefully just a day or two to move the cash registers and the rest of the inventory, before putting out the welcome sign in Wallingford.

“A lot of people will be very happy because we’re going to be very cramped, much like we used to be in the old space on 35th and Stone Way,” Shana says. “Believe me, it is going to be crammed. It’s going to be crazy. As we say, it’s going to be luscious.”

Oh, and the medieval archer? He’s all yours for just $599.

The boutique Ian has packed up and left its 36th St. store, consolidating with its downtown location. “We at Ian have enjoyed our time in such an amazing neighborhood; but, we ultimately found it difficult to keep both stores open during this challenging period,” the boutique sent out in an email.

The downtown store is located at 1919 2nd Ave.

You may have seen the sign painted on the front of Creative Fashions on Fremont Ave. — the shop is closing this Saturday.

“We have made many friends with all of you over the last 15 years,” reads a letter on the door, written by Carol, Kristy and the staff of Creative Fashions. “We have watched so many dancers go from their first pair of shoes, to auditions for college to continue their career. It will be sad day when we have to lock the doors the final time.” Meanwhile, Sewing Specialties is a separate shop and will continue operations. They’re reachable at 206-818-0870.

Redhook’s breweries may have left Fremont, but the neighborhood is still home to Hale’s, Dad Watson’s and soon, Fremont Brewing Company. It’s a brand new microbrewery under construction at Woodland Park Ave. and 34th St.

To start, Fremont Brewery will brew two beers, UniversAle Pale Ale and Interurban India Pale Ale, only available in kegs. “We will put our beer in cans as soon as possible but for the immediate future, you will be able to find our beer on draft at many fine bars and restaurants in the area as well as come to the brewery for growlers and kegs,” explains owner Matt Lincecum on his website. “Starting a brewery in the midst of a challenging moment for our economy is clearly an act of passion. We invite you to come along with us and enjoy that passion in our beers.” Fremont Brewery will open in April.