Fremont's switch from summer to winter fits into one six-day stretch. Between Tuesday, Oct. 27 and Sunday, Nov. 1, there's a cleanup along the Ship Canal, an afternoon of trick-or-treating at local businesses, the Troll's birthday procession, and the Sunday Market's move to its covered winter site. During the same weeks, two of the neighborhood's best-known buildings are being split into smaller spaces.
By the first Sunday in November, the market will be under a roof at the Fremont Bridge, the old Purple Cafe room on Stone Way will be four counters, and the 1905 Trolley Barn on Phinney will be waiting on a coffee bar, two cocktail bars, and a pottery studio.
The Week, in Order
| Date | What | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct. 23 | Wubblys' Paint 'n Sip Studio ribbon cutting | 1058 N. 39th St. | Per Chamber listing |
| Tue, Oct. 27 | Puget Soundkeeper's Trash-or-Treat | Ship Canal trail, afterparty at Old Stove Ship Canal | 5:30 to 7 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 31 | Fremont Trick or Treat | Participating local businesses | 3 to 6 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 31 | Trolloween and the Haunt of Fremont | Fremont Troll, N. 36th St. and Troll Ave. N. | 7 p.m. |
| Sun, Nov. 1 | Sunday Market at its fall/winter site | 701 N. Northlake Way | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
Most of the week happens outdoors, along the canal and on the streets around the Troll. By the following Sunday, the market is under a roof.
Halloween Comes in Three Parts
The week starts a few days before Halloween with Puget Soundkeeper's Trash-or-Treat, a cleanup along the Ship Canal trail on Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The afterparty is at Old Stove Ship Canal.
Halloween is a Saturday this year, and Fremont celebrates it twice. First, the Fremont Chamber of Commerce runs Fremont Trick or Treat from 3 to 6 p.m., with candy and costumes at participating local businesses. The Chamber posts a map that shows which storefronts are taking part. Because the map lists participating businesses, the route can change from year to year, so check it before heading out.
An hour after the candy route ends, the Fremont Arts Council's Trolloween starts at the Troll at N. 36th Street and Troll Avenue N. The event celebrates the Troll's birthday. It opens with live music and a theatrical pageant at the sculpture, then becomes the Haunt of Fremont, a costumed procession through the neighborhood. The Arts Council asks people to meet at the Troll by 7 p.m. sharp and notes that the route may change with the weather. The event happens rain or shine. The Arts Council is also looking for volunteers to help put it on.
With afternoon trick-or-treating at shops and an evening procession, the same streets serve two different crowds on the same day.
The Sunday Market Goes Under Cover
The following morning, Nov. 1, is the first Sunday of the month. The Fremont Sunday Market uses two locations. From March through October, it sets up at 3401 Evanston Ave. N. From November through March, it moves to 701 N. Northlake Way. The market describes its winter site at the Fremont Bridge as covered and heated, and lists hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every week, rain or shine. The market's homepage also mentions a second covered location on 34th, next door to Sundays Coffee.
The market's schedule points to Nov. 1 as the first winter Sunday. Its own pages describe the locations a little differently from section to section, so check the site that morning before you go.
From November on, the Sunday walk to the market ends at 701 N. Northlake Way instead of Evanston Avenue. The market has been running for 36 years and calls itself Seattle's oldest street market. Its winter setup trades the open street for a roof.
Two Large Spaces, Now Divided Into Smaller Ones
Two buildings show the same change happening over a longer stretch. Each held one large operation for years. Now each is being split among several smaller tenants.
Nolu Hall, 3400 Stone Way N.
Purple Cafe and Wine Bar closed its Stone Way location on Aug. 1. Heavy Restaurant Group, which ran that location, has now opened Nolu Hall in the space. Tabski reported the opening on Oct. 15, citing the Puget Sound Business Journal's Oct. 14 report. What used to be one full-service dining room is now four counters:
- Mallard Smashburgers
- Corners Tavern Style Pizza
- Parcel Grain Bowls
- Bad Mouse, a wine bar
Nolu Hall's site lists menus for each counter. Tabski described the format as one way restaurant operators try to reset a space that wasn't working as a traditional dining room. For a weeknight in November, four counters under one roof give a table of people with different tastes more choices.
The Trolley Barn, 3400 Phinney Ave. N.
The red-brick building on Phinney opened in 1905 as the Fremont Trolley Barn. It later housed Redhook Brewery's production facility and the Trolleyman Pub. Theo Chocolate then used it as its factory and flagship store, ended factory operations there in 2023, and closed the store in 2025.
The redevelopment plan calls for as many as six tenants, KIRO 7 reported in August. What Now Seattle reported that Here Today Brewery & Kitchen plans three concepts there:
- Good Bones Coffee, a coffee shop
- Glitter Paw Lounge, a cocktail and snack bar that shares its name with Here Today's best-selling hazy IPA
- Marigolds, a small cocktail and oyster bar
All three are listed for fall 2026, but no opening dates have been announced. Here Today's owners, Chris Elford and Dave Riddle, have run the brewery's taproom at 2815 Elliott Avenue on the waterfront since 2022. My Ballard identifies the building's owner as East Seattle Partners.
One more tenant has been named. Muddy Goose, a pottery business, leased a 5,100-square-foot space for classes and studio work with kilns, and KIRO 7's August report said it was expected to open in October. Until the businesses announce their own openings, treat the building as a work in progress.
Over the past century, this building has been a trolley barn, a brewery, and a chocolate factory, each with a single main occupant. The next version will hold a coffee counter, two bars, and a pottery studio.
What's Changing Around N. 36th
The streets near the Trolley Barn are changing too. In its Sept. 9 update, the Seattle Department of Transportation said its Route 40 Transit-Plus work in Fremont was nearing completion. The update listed a new westbound bus stop on N. 36th Street between Greenwood and Phinney, with main construction scheduled to start Sept. 14 and last about two weeks. SDOT also said striping changes on Fremont Avenue N. between N. 35th and N. 36th could begin in fall 2026. Those include removing the northbound left-turn lane at N. 36th. If you drive north on Fremont Avenue and usually turn left at 36th, watch for that change.
On the north end of the neighborhood, the Fremont Chamber lists a ribbon cutting to mark the opening of Wubblys' Paint 'n Sip Studio at 1058 N. 39th Street on Friday, Oct. 23. Like the pottery studio, it's an indoor, hands-on space.
After Nov. 1, the market will be at 701 N. Northlake Way, there will be four counters on Stone Way, and the Trolley Barn will be waiting on its new tenants. The Troll will have had its birthday.
For more than 20 years, I've watched Fremont's old buildings take on new uses. If you're curious what the next round of changes on Phinney and Stone Way could mean for the blocks around your own home, Dorothee Graham is glad to talk it through over coffee, wherever Good Bones ends up pouring. Let's Connect.
