What a transformation downtown Walla Walla has undergone in recent years! From the ’90s when tumbleweeds blew through Main Street to a vibrant, energized downtown, Walla Walla has seen tremendous growth and revitalization in recent years. Especially notable is the increase in tasting rooms throughout the core area. On Main Street, Waterbrook Winery has been joined in recent years by Fort WW Cellars, Sapolil Cellars and DaMa Wines. East Main will soon have a new anchor when Nicolas Cole Cellars, at 229 E. Main ~across from Backstage Bistro ~ opens their tasting room doors in time for Spring Release Weekend.

In March, Walla Walla’s oldest flower shop, O’Con’s Flowers (next door to Merchant’s Deli) closed the retail side of their business and their location will soon be the new home for Otis Kenyon. And what will Cayuse do with their new permit application for a beer and wine specialty shop for his Main Street storefront? It would be nice to see that space open again.

Around the corner on 2nd, in the location that Preston Wines has vacated, word is that airport-based El Mirador will be the new tenant. That block has steadily filled in and is currently home to Ash Hollow, Sleight of Hand Cellars and Spring Valley Vineyards tasting rooms with support from Salumiere Cesario and Vintage Cellars Wine Bar.

On the restaurant front, both Whitehouse Crawford and 26Brix have added additional days to their week. Since April 1, Whitehouse Crawford is now open Monday evenings for dinner and 26Brix has brought back Sunday evening dinner from 5-9PM. Reopening soon in the location that was Grapefields, will be Beurre et Terre, a restaurant minus the wine shop (maybe that is the void that Cayuse will fill?)

The next step is to convince the downtown tasting rooms to stay open later so that they are another draw to downtown after 5 PM. At this time, only Ash Hollow (until 7PM Wednesday-Saturday), DaMa Wines (6PM on weekends) and Sapolil Cellars stay open later with the latter quickly becoming the place to be on Friday nights with their lively piano bar.