9/13/2002 SNOQUALMIE RIDGE - Retail Scene: Snoqualmie Ridge retail complex off to hot start by Cydney Gillis Eastside Journal SNOQUALMIE--The developers of Snoqualmie Ridge took great care to include parks to play in and sidewalks to stroll along. But, until last month, residents of this massive 1,340-acre master-planned community had no place to walk to. Now the baby strollers--up to 15 at a time--pack into the new Bibo Coffee shop at Center Street Square, a retail complex that has just opened the first of six planned buildings at Snoqualmie Ridge, which is being developed by Bellevue-based Quadrant Corp. Like Snoqualmie Ridge's many Craftsman-style homes, the 11,000-square-foot retail building has a hometown look of brick, big windows and a wide sidewalk. Center Street Square is located near the development's entrance at Center Street and Snoqualmie Park, where Bibo Coffee and five other establishments will celebrate their grand opening this weekend. As part of the grand opening, SuperSonics guard Desmond Mason and Squatch, the NBA basketball team's mascot, will visit the new Snoqualmie Ridge branch of KeyBank on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. In addition to the bank, the eats and services include: *Bibo Coffee. Co-owner Brandon Kuvara reports that Snoqualmie's first sit-down espresso and pastry house met its six-month goal its first day, Aug. 17. The 1,400-square-foot store now does 300 to 400 transactions a day. *Snoqualmie Floral & Gift. A 1,200-square-foot store filled with flowers and notions, Snoqualmie Floral will offer 50 percent off everything in the store this Saturday and Sunday. *Chiropractic Care at the Ridge. Heather Geigert says her chiropractic office gets a lot of drive-by business. *Himitsu Japanese Restaurant. Owner David Chang makes all his own marinades in the 1,200-square-foot eatery that he's hoping to franchise. Chang is the owner of seven Teriyaki Time outlets in the Seattle area. *Andre's Cleaners. It's the third shop for dry-cleaner Andre Chon, whose other outlets are in Preston and North Bend. Outlets of Georgio's Subs and Mailboxes Etc. also plan to open Oct. 1. Residents, many of whom work at Microsoft Corp., say it's not a moment too soon. Maria Henriksen, a three-year resident who left Microsoft to be with her three young boys, said people have been driving past the building every day to see what new shop might have opened. "It's a community that was built to walk to shops and come together," said Henriksen over a juice with her 3-year-old and 2-year-old boys at Bibo's. "It's nice to see that happening." But what's really missed for now, residents say, is a grocery store--something that currently requires a drive to Issaquah or Snoqualmie to stock the Ridge's 1,100 households (about half the Ridge's eventual capacity). When a second building currently under construction opens early next year, Ridgeline Beer & Wine will offer some specialty grocery items. Ridgeline is one of four retailers, including a dentistry, hair salon and nail salon, that have leased space in the second building so far. In the meantime, Rose Chisolm, owner of Snoqualmie Floral & Gift, has taken the unusual step of stocking one fourth of her shop with the "little grocery and sundry items that people tend to run out of," Chisolm said. Home Page