In the fall of 2024, a walk-up window at 1408 34th Ave. sold two things. Ice cream came from Molly Moon's, which had been scooping there since 2011. Okazu pan came from Umami Kushi, chef Harold Fields's Japanese bun shop, which was running a pop-up out of the same window. The Infatuation reviewed the pop-up that November. The South Seattle Emerald reported that the pop-up would run through April 1, 2025.

About eighteen months later, the window changed hands. Molly Moon's said goodbye on Instagram on September 8 and closed its Madrona shop on Sunday, September 13, 2026. The same post said Umami Kushi would take the space. That account comes from the October 2026 issue of Madrona News, the Madrona Neighborhood Association's newsletter.

So the business replacing a 15-year fixture had already sold food from that exact window. The same thing is happening up and down 34th Avenue this year. Most of the businesses moving in were already known on the street before they signed anything. Some ran a pop-up first, one grew out of a business next door, and one opened in a building with its own long history on the street. That is a big part of why Madrona's main street can lose a well-known name and the block doesn't go dark.

Okazu pan comes back to 1408

Okazu pan are savory filled buns, breaded in panko and deep-fried. The Emerald's November 2024 profile reported that Fields had been making and selling them in South Seattle since 2011, and opened his Rainier Beach storefront in 2016.

Madrona News expected the Madrona shop to open sometime after October 21, and said to watch the @umamikushi Instagram account for updates. Umami Kushi's own website still showed a "Coming Soon" page in late October, so Instagram is the place to check before you walk over.

Molly Moon's ice cream hasn't left the area. The newsletter notes the company still runs eleven other locations around Seattle, and quotes the end of its farewell post: "Thank you, Madrona. It's been a privilege!"

34th and Spring is turning into a café corner

At 34th and Spring, Yoka Tea is a Filipino- and Korean-inspired specialty café and drink shop that opened in 2025 in the original Madrona home of Cupcake Royale. Capitol Hill Seattle Blog reported in September that co-founders Marcellus Beza and Amy Park have built a loyal following with their drinks and with shelves of curated Asian pantry goods. A Ballard expansion is also underway. A 34th Avenue storefront that started one local food business now has another one with plans for a second location.

A second café is coming to the same corner. In that same roundup, CHS reported that Casa Ella has taken shape in new construction on the northeast corner, across from Yoka. The café will focus on Colombian flavors and small-batch imported beans, and CHS said to watch for pop-ups while it gets ready to open. On Casa Ella's site, founder Daniela Bursztyn describes single-farm Colombian coffee that is imported and roasted in Seattle. No opening date has been announced.

Pop-ups before a full opening are the same approach Umami Kushi took at 1408. By the time Casa Ella opens its doors, some of the people walking by will already have tried the coffee.

The rest of the lineup, block by block

These are the newer names along the street, with what Madrona News, the businesses and local outlets have published so far.

Poppie is the clearest example of a business growing out of the one next door. Poppie's site says its founder, Christina, spent ten years photographing families at Smallish Photo Studio, in the same building, before she started the birthday shop. Madrona News has described Poppie as an expansion of Smallish. So the new storefront grew out of a family photo business that had already been on 34th for a decade.

Dirkse/Prim Gallery has moved into the new live/work spaces just north of Spring. KING 5 reported that the gallery is run by a married couple, interior designer Michelle Dirkse and artist Jeremy Prim.

One space that changed with no successor named

Not every storefront has a known next tenant. Mr. West's Madrona café closed suddenly at the end of May. Madrona News noted that the Seattle-born brand had been acquired by Portland-based Sortis Holdings, which later renamed itself SoHi Brands. The newsletter also said the reason for the Madrona closure is still unknown.

Compare that with 1408. Molly Moon's announced the closure and its successor in the same post, and that successor had already sold food from the window. Mr. West's space has not had that kind of announcement. The newsletter's volunteer editor, Zac Lee, wrapped up the October roundup by asking neighbors to "stop in, meet the new owners and support the shops and cafés that make Madrona our neighborhood."

The neighbors pay for the lights on the street

The neighborhood association's winter calendar runs on the same local support. The winter tree lights that brighten 34th Avenue on long nights are paid for by two neighbor-run fundraisers, and both rely on home bakers and local businesses.

• Thanksgiving pie sale. Volunteer bakers deliver pies and baked goods on the morning of Wednesday, November 25, 2026. If you don't bake, you can buy Thanksgiving treats, and the association says ordering details will be posted in mid-November on the pie sale page. The money goes to maintaining, powering and repairing the tree lights.
• Madrona's Winter Market. Set for December 10, with the time still to be announced. The Winter Market page promises festive lights, local businesses and a community raffle. Last year's raffle had more than $6,500 in prizes, and all proceeds fund the tree lights.

The shop owners in this post will be selling under lights that their neighbors baked pies to pay for.

Leschi has its own date to put on the calendar. The Leschi Community Council is hosting a Leschi Park work party on Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers meet at the Giant Sequoia, 201 Lakeside Ave. S.

A walk up 34th this month

You can see all of this in one walk north. Start at Poppie at 1113A. Keep going to 1408 and check whether the okazu pan window is open yet. Look in at Squarehead West at 1430, then finish at 34th and Spring with a drink at Yoka Tea. Across the street is the corner where Casa Ella is getting ready, and just to the north is Dirkse/Prim Gallery in the new live/work building. If Casa Ella posts a pop-up date first, plan your walk around it.

Who is opening on 34th is part of what living a few blocks away means, and that rarely shows up on a listing sheet. If you own near Madrona's business district and want to know how this year's turnover affects your home's value, reach out to Terry at homebysix and request your personalized home valuation.