Over the past one hundred years since Wedgwood began to develop a commercial district, the types of businesses have changed.  Some types of businesses have disappeared from Wedgwood, such as a hardware store, appliance store and women’s dress shop.

Some of the present businesses are unique to Wedgwood, such as the Hunter Farm’s Christmas Tree lot.

Here is a quiz to test your knowledge of businesses in the Wedgwood neighborhood of northeast Seattle, then and now.

How many taverns were in Wedgwood in the 1930s? 

In the 1930s Wedgwood had three taverns: Ida’s Inn at 7500 35th Ave NE; a nameless tavern/cafe at the Shauer property at 8515 35th Ave NE; and Fiddler’s Inn, 9219 35th Ave NE.

We know that the Shauer’s was the first to open, as it began serving 3.2% beer in 1933 before Prohibition officially ended in January 1934.  Proprietors of the other two taverns observed what other people were doing before opening their own establishments in late 1934.

How many taverns are in Wedgwood as of June 2024? 

As of 2024 Wedgwood has one pub, Fiddlers Inn at 9219 35th Ave NE.

Ida’s Inn closed with the death of the proprietor in 1948.

The Wedgwood Ale House, descended from the original Shauer tavern at 8515 35th Ave NE, closed at the end of 2023 because the building was sold and the new owner of the building wants to open a different business there.

Wedgwood also has a bar inside the Wedgwood Broiler restaurant, 8230 35th Ave NE.

 How many major-brand grocery stores were in Wedgwood in 1958? 

The first major grocery store in Wedgwood was the IGA built in 1946 at 8606 35th Ave NE.  It was remodeled and became Evan’s Thriftway in 1957.  Now it is the site of the Jasper Apartments.

Safeway built in 1951 at NE 75th Street, was at first located right up along 35th Ave NE.  This first store was torn down and a new one, the present building, opened in 1965 on the east side of the same lot, with the large parking lot in front.

Tradewell first built in 1952 at 8512 35th Ave NE.

In 1959 Tradewell built a new store on the south side of NE 85th Street, at address 8400 35th Ave NE.  The building became Matthew’s Red Apple in 1989 and QFC from 2000 to 2021.  At this writing there is a potential plan to redevelop the whole shopping complex on that block.

How many grocery stores are in Wedgwood now? 

Wedgwood now has just one grocery store, Safeway at the corner of NE 75th Street & 35th Ave NE.  The QFC store at NE 85th Street closed in April 2021 and the building has stood vacant since then.  The history of grocery stores in Wedgwood includes IGA, Matthew’s Red Apple, QFC, Safeway, Thriftway, and Tradewell.  There still are a few “quick markets” in the area such as Morningside Market at 9118 35th Ave NE, and a gas station convenience store at 7300 35th Ave NE.

Name some businesses in Wedgwood (past ones included) which moved from one building to another.  For example, the first Wedgwood Safeway opened in 1951; it was torn down and a new store building (the present one) opened in 1965 on the same site, but positioned differently on the lot.

 Answers:

Dairy Queen – started in a freestanding building on the Safeway parking lot; in 1964 it moved to a new building at 7320 35th Ave NE.  This building later became a succession of pizza places (Domino’s, Zaw and now Veraci).

Safeway:  When first built in 1951, the building was positioned close to 35th Ave NE.  It was torn down and a new Safeway building opened in 1965, positioned on the eastern edge of the site with the parking lot in front of the store.

Gillis Jewelers:  started in 1960 inside of the WedgEwood Pharmacy at the corner of NE 86th Street; was at the corner of NE 75th Street for a time and then moved to Lake City.  Today the business is called Gillis Clock & Watch in Arlington, WA.

The McGillivray’s Variety Store at 7512 35th Ave NE (present Chase Bank building) started at 7509 35th Ave NE (present Seattle Coin Shop).  The business was so successful that the McGillivrays built at 7512 to have a bigger store.

SeaFirst Bank started in 1961 at the corner of NE 84th Street at the present site of the Windermere Real Estate office.  In 1972 Seafirst built a new building at the corner of 85th (now Bank of America).

The Tradewell grocery store started on the northeast corner of the NE 85th Street intersection in 1952; in 1959 it moved to a newly built store on the south side of NE 85th Street which is the present building (now vacant since QFC closed in April 2021.)

Bud Gagnon’s WedgEwood Pharmacy started in 1952 at the northwest corner of NE 85th Street, adjacent to the McVicar Hardware store.  In 1955 Bud Gagnon built a new pharmacy building at the north end of the same block, at the corner of NE 86th Street.  The pharmacy closed and was torn down in 1971 for construction of the present bank building (now Wells Fargo).

Churches:  both Wedgwood Presbyterian and Our Lady of the Lake started in other buildings.

Wedgwood Presbyterian first started on the corner of NE 95th Street, present site of the Northeast Veterinary Clinic.  The group had been called Morningside Presbyterian.  When they moved to 8008 35th Ave NE in 1951 they renamed themselves Wedgwood Presbyterian.

Our Lady of the Lake started as the Chapel of St. Ignatius at about NE 81st Street on the west side of 35th Ave NE.  When the chapel property was sold to developer Albert Balch in 1940, the parish of Our Lady of the Lake was formed at 8900 35th Ave NE.  Since that time, Our Lady of the Lake has had two buildings.  The first one only lasted 1940-1960 and was torn down because it was too small.  The present Our Lady of the Lake Church was constructed on the same site.  Since then it has had several modifications and additions including the school property to the east.

Name some Wedgwood businesses which closed in 2023.

The Wedgwood Market on 35th Ave NE at the corner of NE 65th Street closed in December 2023 because the owners retired.

Darcy Fox Chiropractic, 7502 35th Ave NE, closed in October 2023 because Dr. Fox retired.  In May 2024 Drenguis Construction, a Wedgwood-resident remodeling contractor, opened his office in 7502.

The Thai of Wedgwood restaurant, 7520 35th Ave NE, closed on October 30, 2023, because the lease was not renewed by the new owner of the building.

The Wedgwood Ale House, 8515 35th Ave NE, closed on December 28, 2023, because the new owner of the building wants to open a different business there.

 Name some kinds of stores & businesses which Wedgwood had in the Olden Days which we don’t have now.  For example: a hardware store. 

At the NE 73rd and 75th Street intersections: Dairy Queen, Herfy’s Burgers, Ginsberg & Pysson Appliances, Howell Decorators, Binek’s Electric Bakery, Frosty’s Ice Cream shop, Gillis Jewelers, MacLennan’s womens clothing, McGillivray’s Variety & Gift Store, View Ridge Pharmacy, Wren’s Grocery & Deli.

There was a liquor store at 7330 35th Ave NE; Washington State-run liquor stores closed in 2012.  Today that space is Pinehurst Childcare.

In the 1950s there was a plant nursery, Foster’s, later called Wedgwood Gardens, 7744 35th Ave NE, present site of the post office and the Hunter Tree Farm.

Old stores (continued):

At the NE 85th & 86th Street intersections: McVicar Hardware, Pay ‘n Save, Radio Shack, Wedgwood Paint & Glass Co., WedgEwood Pharmacy, Glazell Electric Contractors, Jenny Oakvik’s Wedgwood Cafe, IGA/Thriftway and Tradewell grocery stores.

There were two 7-Elevens, one in the present Grateful Bread at 7001 35th Ave NE, and the Wong’s building at 9400 35th Ave NE.  Another type of convenience store was called Hoagy’s Corner at NE 65th Street.

Between NE 50th to 70th in the Bryant neighborhood there were some “penny candy” stores such as Evensen’s and Farley’s.  Bert’s Cash Feed Store was attached to one of the gas stations at NE 70th Street which was replaced by a 7-Eleven, now the Grateful Bread building.

Other small markets included Morningside Market (still extant at 9118 35th Ave NE) and Fauld’s Corner Grocery & Bloomer’s Drugstore at NE 95th Street.

There were twelve gas stations on 35th Ave NE between NE 65th to 95th Streets.  Some intersections, such as NE 70th and NE 95th, had gas stations on three corners.  Now there are only two gas stations, one at 7300 and one at 9500 35th Ave NE.  Stories of gas stations can be found on this blog in the gas stations category.

How many banks can you name in Wedgwood?

As of 2024 the banks in Wedgwood are:

Key Bank 7307 35th Ave NE

Washington Federal 7334 35th Ave NE

Chase Bank 7512 35th Ave NE

Homestreet Bank 8200 35th Ave NE

Bank of America 8425 35th Ave NE

Wells Fargo 8517 35th Ave NE

U.S. Bank building (closed) 8702 35th Ave NE.  Homestreet Bank bought this building in 2022 to use as a temporary location if needed, when the Wedgwood Shopping Center at NE 85th Street is redeveloped.  Homestreet Bank wants to have a continued presence in Wedgwood if and when the shopping center is torn down and rebuilt, as is tentatively planned.

What are some sites, services or unique businesses in Wedgwood today, which other neighborhoods don’t have? 

Wedgwood Rock at 7200 28th Ave NE

Picardo Farm P-Patch Community Garden at 8040 25th Ave NE

Bike shop – Mend Bicycles at 7500 ½ 35th Ave NE

Seattle Coin Shop at 7509 35th Ave NE

Wedgwood Post Office at 7714 35th Ave NE

Hunter Tree Farm/The Gathering Place at 7744 35th Ave NE

Woodlawn Optical – eyewear & optician at 8032 35th Ave NE

Wedgwood Acupuncture & Botanical Medicine at 8034 35th Ave NE

Seattle Audubon Society (now called Birds Connect Seattle) and Nature Shop at 8050 35th Ave NE

Wedgwood Broiler Restaurant 8230 35th Ave NE

Blue Poppy Floral and Gifts 8507 35th Ave NE

LaPasta fresh pasta, take-home sauces and other foodstuffs, in the Morningside Market building at 9118 35th Ave NE.  LaPasta products are also sold at the local farmer’s markets.

Wedgwood Fire Station at 9401 35th Ave NE

Johnson’s Auto Repair at 9418 35th Ave NE

Topics and Categories:

To search for blog articles about businesses in Wedgwood, put in the name in the Search box on the top right corner of this blog page.

Go to the drop-down menu in the Categories tab, to find all of the articles on a topic.  Examples of Categories are Big Green House, Gas Stations, Taverns, and Wedgwood Rock.

For more trivia about the Wedgwood neighborhood, go to the History Trivia Quiz.