Bellevue Beat | Is Bellevue Square the new Bellevue Auto Row?

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For decades, the stretch of road along 116th Avenue NE between NE 8th Street to the north and Main Street to the south--Bellevue Auto Row--has been home to car dealerships, but as downtown Bellevue has grown over the years, some of the dealers have left or gotten bought out by larger national chains.

Earlier this week Seattle MINI announced it's opening the first Eastside satellite showroom, MINI at Bellevue Square, this spring. This is also the first shopping center showroom experience in the country for MINI. For Bellevue Square, the MINI store will be the second auto store at the shopping center. Tesla Motors opened a store on the second floor of Bellevue Square mall back in 2011.

The MINI micro showroom will be located on the main level of Bellevue Square in the South Commons area near the forthcoming 365 by Whole Foods. "This is completely different from a traditional dealership setting," said Seattle MINI owner Manfred Scharmach.

Guess you think of it as an urban micro auto showroom. "Other MINI temporary pop-up experiences in the UK have been well received. We are expanding on that idea to fit the Eastside lifestyle. At MINI Bellevue Square someone can gather relevant information, buy merchandise and take a test drive," added Scharmach.

Over a dozen vehicles--including the two newest MINI models, Clubman and Convertible--will be available to test drive at the MINI Wedge in The Lodge parking garage across from Crate and Barrel.

What do you think of Seattle MINI opening a store at Bellevue Square? Share your comments on our Facebook Page.

Published: March 10, 2016
Bellevue Auto Row map courtesy of City of Bellevue; Tesla Bellevue photo courtesy of The Retail Monitor

 

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