Stroll the Charming Gilman Village

Issaquah's sweet shopping village celebrates the big 4-0!

By Joe Livarchik August 28, 2012

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This article originally appeared in the September 2012 issue of Seattle magazine.

Created from renovated farm and mining buildings in downtown Issaquah, Gilman Village (317 NW Gilman Blvd., just east off I-90’s exit 17) is celebrating its 40th birthday with a roster of new shops and outdoor hangout spots nestled amongst the wooden boardwalks, charming pergolas and classic haunts, such as sweet toy store White Horse Toys (425.391.1498; whitehorsetoys.com) and antique clockworks Aubrey’s Clock Gallery (425.392.5200; aubreysclockgallery.com).

Re-store
Score cool eco-friendly finds in a somewhat unlikely place: Seattle waste-management company CleanScapes (425.392.0285; cleanscapes.com) opened a retail store early this summer that features reusable coffee cups, “upcycled” messenger bags and totes, and even bikes from Bike Works.

Paint party
Unleash your inner artist at paint-and-sip studio Palettes and Pairings (425.270.8598; palettesandpairings.com), which opens this month. The store offers classes in acrylic painting techniques to new and experienced painters, who dabble while enjoying wine, beer and appetizers; $40 starts you off with supplies, canvas, snacks and your first glass of liquid courage.

Billy Bob's sunny patio

Meander
Begin a fashion crawl at Daisy (425.427.8222; boutiquedaisy.com), with its abundance of stylish denim, dresses and sterling silver jewelry. A couple of shops away, accessorize with international flair at 3-year-old Serenity boutique (425.392.3877; serenitygilman.com), which carries handmade Japanese purses, Ottoman pewter bracelet cuffs and Indian scarves. Take a break from your wandering at JoAnne Mendenhall’s Pelage Spa & Skin Centre (425.837.8710; pelagecenter.com) for a refreshing exfoliating sea salt scrub ($100/one hour).

On the patio
The village offers a wide variety of outdoor lunch and dinner spots: Soak up the sun on the flower-laden patio of an Issaquah classic, Nicolino Ristorante Italiano (425.391.8077; nicolino.net), while enjoying a panino and a glass of vino. The outdoor deck at rookie standout The Flat Iron Grill (425.657.0373; theflatirongrill.com) is an inviting place to try the South American-influenced steak and seafood, Washington wines and a comprehensive whiskey library (more than 200!). Or snag a picnic table on the expansive fire-pit-adorned patio at Billy Bob’s Burgers and BBQ (shown right; 425.427.1600; billybobsburgersandbbq.com), where happy hour lasts from 2 to 9 p.m. Don’t miss the Dirty Bird, a drippy grilled chicken sandwich topped with bacon (more meat!), pulled pork (even more meat!), onion, tomato and peanut sauce ($10.99).

 

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