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SUKOSHI, North America’s leading Asian beauty retailer, is opening a new store at Bellevue Square. The shop will be located on the first level in the space that formerly housed The Disney Store. The other portion of the space is now home to FP Movement, Free People’s activewear brand. Founded in 2018, SUKOSHI has grown quickly, expanding its presence across the United States in high-profile retail centers. The Bellevue Square location will feature a wide range of skincare, makeup, fragrance, and K-pop merchandise and collectibles, with a strong focus on Asian beauty. The store carries more than 200 Asian beauty brands, including popular Korean and Japanese labels. SUKOSHI’s approach combines curating the latest beauty trends with offering time-tested skincare staples, aiming to provide both new and established products to its customers. In addition to Bellevue, SUKOSHI is also expanding into other major shopping destinations, including Lenox Square in Atlanta, Aventura Mall in Florida, and King of Prussia in Pennsylvania. Recently, the retailer opened its largest New York location on the Upper East Side, further signaling its rapid growth. The Disney Store, which SUKOSHI will replace at Bellevue Square, permanently closed in March 2022 as part of The Walt Disney Company’s shift toward e-commerce and away from most brick-and-mortar locations. The Bellevue Square store had originally opened in 2011 at The Bellevue Collection.

Grand Kyiv Ballet Brings Swan Lake to Bellevue The internationally acclaimed Grand Kyiv Ballet will perform Swan Lake at the Meydenbauer Center Theatre in Bellevue on September 18 and 19, 2025. Founded in 2014 by Oleksandr Stoianov, premiere of the National Opera of Ukraine, Grand Kyiv Ballet has built an international reputation through extensive tours across Europe and beyond. The company’s productions are known for bringing together world-class soloists, striking choreography, and elaborate staging to showcase classical ballet. The Bellevue performances of Swan Lake will feature dancers from Ukraine, Japan, the United States, and Europe. Tchaikovsky’s iconic score will accompany the timeless story of Odette, a princess transformed into a swan by the curse of the sorcerer Rothbart. The ballet explores themes of love, betrayal, and the struggle between light and darkness through the dual roles of Odette and Odile. The production will run approximately two hours, including a 20-minute intermission. Tickets are priced at $65 and are available online through the Grand Kyiv Ballet website. In addition to the Bellevue dates, the company will also present Swan Lake at the Kirkland Performance Center on September 16 and 17, 2025. Performance Details Photo Credit: Grand Kyiv Ballet Photo Credit: Grand Kyiv Ballet

Saks 5th Avenue at InterContinental Bellevue Saks Fifth Avenue has opened The Fifth Avenue Club at the InterContinental Bellevue, offering a private, by-appointment shopping experience outside its traditional stores in Seattle for the first time. The Bellevue location blends luxury with a Pacific Northwest sensibility, giving both locals and visitors the opportunity to work with expert Saks stylists. During appointments, stylists hand-select merchandise for each client in a private suite, creating a tailored, high-touch shopping experience. The club also hosts private events, including designer trunk shows and seasonal previews, giving clients early access to standout pieces. Appointments begin with an in-person or virtual consultation to discuss personal style, wardrobe needs, sizing, and designer preferences. Afterward, stylists curate a selection of clothing, accessories, fine jewelry, and footwear from nearby Saks stores, presented in the private suite. Every session is designed to be discreet and personalized, helping clients build a lasting relationship with their stylist. The new club is part of Saks Fifth Avenue’s expansion on the West Coast, offering a modern approach to luxury personal shopping. The Fifth Avenue Club extends Saks’ in-store personal shopping services. There is no fee to join, and clients pay only for the items they choose during their session. For more information or to book an appointment, visit seattle-bellevue@saks.com.

Photo Credit: City of Bellevue The City of Bellevue has released a draft version of its 2026–2030 Sustainable Bellevue Plan and is asking the public to share feedback. Comments can be submitted online through Monday, September 8. The draft plan is an update to the city’s current 2021–2025 plan, which was adopted in 2020. Work on the new version began in October 2024, and staff have already gathered input from more than 1,000 residents and local organizations. That feedback helped shape the priorities included in the draft. Bellevue’s long-term goal is to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, with the city aiming to make its own operations carbon-neutral by 2040. To support these goals, the draft plan outlines strategies in five areas: climate change, energy and buildings, mobility and land use, materials and waste, and natural systems. Along with reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the plan highlights growing Bellevue’s tree canopy, adding more transportation options, and preparing for climate change impacts. A main goal is building resilience so the city stays livable for everyone in the future. The City Council is expected to review and adopt the updated Sustainable Bellevue Plan in late 2025. Residents can read the draft and share feedback on the Sustainable Bellevue Plan Update page on Engaging Bellevue. For questions, contact project manager Colin Munson at cmunson@bellevuewa.gov.

Photo by Michael Brunk / nwlens.com Sound Transit’s new Eastside light rail stations are seeing higher-than-expected ridership, even as the full East Link Extension into Seattle faces another delay. According to The Urbanist, which first reported on data presented to Sound Transit’s Rider Experience and Operations Committee in early August, two stations added in May have driven significant growth across the 2 Line. Downtown Redmond has quickly emerged as the busiest station on the Eastside, followed closely by Downtown Bellevue. Updated figures released later in the summer showed even stronger gains. In July, more than 306,000 riders boarded trains along the 2 Line, an increase of 47% from June and nearly 100,000 more riders in a single month. Average weekday ridership climbed above 10,700, far surpassing Sound Transit’s previous projection of 6,000 daily riders. Those levels place the 2 Line ahead of nearly every King County Metro bus route in terms of usage. Ridership patterns vary by station. While Downtown Redmond and Downtown Bellevue account for the largest share of boardings, Wilburton and East Main have seen much lighter activity. Both stations sit in areas where major redevelopment and land-use changes have yet to fully take shape. Despite the early success of the Eastside segment, riders will need to wait longer for the full East Link Extension that connects across Lake Washington. According to Sound Transit’s June 2025 System Expansion Monthly Status Report, the opening date has shifted again, now scheduled for April 25, 2026. The revised timeline pushes back earlier projections of a January 2026 start, with some previous estimates suggesting late 2025. The delay affects the segment that crosses I-90, including new stations at Judkins Park and Mercer Island. Sound Transit attributed the latest postponement to ongoing construction, additional testing and training requirements, and the need to resolve outstanding technical issues before service begins.

A new Indian fast-casual restaurant, Hyderabad Biryani & Kababs, has opened at the corner of Bellevue Way and Main Street. It is currently the only restaurant of its kind in the area. The menu includes a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Starters range from onion samosas and chili paneer to pepper chicken and Apollo fish. Curries include vegetarian dishes like paneer butter masala and eggplant, as well as non-vegetarian options such as lamb and meatball curries. The restaurant also serves several styles of biryani, including chicken fry and goat curry, along with Tandoori clay oven items like naan, chicken tikka kebab, and tandoori chicken. Desserts and soft drinks are also available. The site has seen multiple restaurant tenants over the years. A Jack in the Box operated there for decades before closing in 2019. It was followed by Thai restaurant Racha Go, and later Chawla Cafe, an Indian restaurant that closed in less than a year. The location is part of a larger redevelopment project approved by the City of Bellevue for the southeast corner of Bellevue Way SE and Main Street. Plans include a seven-story, mixed-use residential building with 376 apartments, ground-floor retail, and underground parking. The project will feature 15,026 square feet of retail space at street level, three levels of below-grade parking with 438 stalls, and a total gross floor area of about 322,294 square feet. The new development will replace five existing commercial buildings, including a strip mall, low-rise retail spaces, and the former Jack in the Box building—currently Hyderabad Biryani & Kababs.

Joe & The Juice will soon open a new location on the second level of Bellevue Square. The space was created by combining two former storefronts: Great State Burger and Starbucks. Great State Burger first opened at Bellevue Square in 2018. It has since closed at that location and reopened at Lincoln Square South in the Lincoln South Food Hall. Starbucks relocated in May 2024 to a nearby space between Aveda and Saje Natural Wellness, featuring a more modern design. This will be the first Joe & The Juice on the Eastside. The brand currently has two Seattle locations, one at University Village and another at Amazon’s headquarters on 7th Avenue. The menu features sandwiches such as steak, turkey, and vegan pesto, along with breakfast bowls like yogurt and overnight oats. Snacks include mango bites, banana bread, and chocolate muffins. Beverage options range from specialty coffee drinks, including an iced blueberry latte and iced lavender matcha, to teas, protein shakes, and the brand’s signature juices and shakes. Customers will also be able to order ahead using the Joe & The Juice app. Joe & The Juice was founded in 2002 by Kaspar Basse in Copenhagen. As an athlete, Basse aimed to make nutritious food flavorful and appealing, drawing inspiration from Starbucks’ approach to changing coffee culture. Today, Joe & The Juice has locations worldwide.

Facing East in Downtown Bellevue at Brio Apartments Facing East, a family-run Taiwanese restaurant originally established in 2006, has opened a new location in downtown Bellevue. The eatery, which focuses on traditional Taiwanese dishes prepared with fresh ingredients, began in Bellevue and moved to a take-out–only location off Bel-Red Road in December 2021. The new downtown Bellevue location, which opened last Friday, is situated in the Brio Apartments building on the same level as Farine Bakery & Cafe. Unlike the Bel-Red site, this location offers both takeout and dine-in service. The menu at the downtown location is separate from the Bel-Red menu and includes small bites, handmade wontons, sesame flatbread sandwiches, Taiwanese bao burgers, noodles, bento boxes, desserts, and beverages. Signature items that are also fan favorites include popcorn chicken, honey-glazed BBQ pork sandwiches, and a bao omelette sandwich. The restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Bel-Red location continues to operate as a takeout-only site with online ordering available. Facing East’s name originates from a feng shui reading conducted before the restaurant first opened, in which the direction “East” was identified as bringing luck and prosperity. Nearby, Master Bing, a fast-casual Chinese restaurant also in Brio Apartments, specializes in Jianbing, a traditional Chinese street food crepe. Customers at Master Bing can order via a screen and choose to dine in or take their food to go.

Photo Credit: Colliers PickleNation will open a new indoor pickleball venue this October. It will be called the Bellevue Pickleball Club and will occupy a 35,000-square-foot space at 44 Bellevue Way NE. The site once housed Bellevue Consignments, which opened in November 2022 and closed in late 2024. It had previously served as a Sports Authority. The project received approval from the City of Bellevue, confirming the planned transformation of the commercial space into an athletic facility. This redevelopment will convert the consignment store into 13 full-size pickleball courts, making it the first urban, dedicated pickleball club in downtown Bellevue and a flagship for PickleNation. Susan Tai, who co-founded the delivery app Fantuan, emphasized in a PickleNation press release that pickleball can support both mental and physical health. She said the Bellevue Pickleball Club aims to make the sport accessible to everyone, whether they’re casual players or part of a corporate team. Discerning the club’s ideal surroundings, PickleNation selected Lakeside Shopping Center for its mix of convenience and community. The facility is near Starbucks, Café Bollywood, FedEx, and Orangetheory Fitness. These developments align well with Bellevue’s broader interest in expanding pickleball offerings—currently available in limited format across community centers and local parks—into a more professionally tailored, centrally located space. PickleNation’s Bellevue Pickleball Club is scheduled to open on October 1, with membership tiers and rates to be announced ahead of the grand opening. When it opens, the club will add something new to Bellevue’s recreation scene—a place where people can come together, stay active, and dive into pickleball, one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. Bosa Development owns the property, which they purchased in 2021 for $127.5 million. The purchase included 44 Bellevue Way Northeast and 102 Bellevue Way Northeast. The site is 3.3 acres.

Bellevue has been named one of the top innovation hubs in the western United States, according to a new report by CommercialCafe. The study looked at cities across Washington, California, Oregon, Arizona, and Colorado, ranking them on things like STEM jobs, education, talent attraction, patent growth, and the strength of science and tech industries. Bellevue ranked second overall in the West for its concentration of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) workers. The city has about 18,200 STEM professionals per 100,000 residents. That number is much higher than nearby Seattle, which has about 14,000. Education also plays a big role in Bellevue’s ranking. About 65% of college graduates in the city hold STEM degrees, the third-highest share among the top 20 cities studied. Bellevue is one of the few cities outside of California and Washington that made the top tier for STEM education levels. The report also noted Bellevue’s success in attracting highly educated newcomers. About 37% of residents with college degrees have recently moved to the city. That puts Bellevue fifth among the top 20 cities for talent attraction. This steady stream of skilled workers continues to support the city’s growth as a technology and science hub. Other western cities ranked highly in different categories. Santa Clara, California, came in first overall because of its strength in STEM jobs, education, and talent attraction. Tempe, Arizona, ranked highest in education, with the most vocational STEM schools. Fremont, California, had the largest share of science, engineering, and tech businesses, making up 14% of all companies in the city. San Jose, California, led the way in patents, producing more than 200,000 since 2020. Boulder, Colorado, stood out for STEM enrollment, with 253 of every 1,000 students studying in STEM fields. Salem, Oregon, saw the fastest STEM job growth, with a 158% increase between 2019 and 2023. The report shows that while Bellevue is competing with some of the West’s biggest tech cities, it continues to grow as a center for science and technology jobs and talent.