Popular Seattle Bakery Reopening Downtown Location: Here's When

Piroshky Piroshky, a longtime bakery chain in Seattle, is giving downtown another chance amid severe crime concerns, according to KOMO. Owner Olga Sagan told reporters that they're reopening their Century Square location at Third Avenue and Pike Street on December 26.

This will be the spot's second reopening after pandemic struggles forced it to temporarily shutter. Six months after it opened its doors, Sagan complained about people threatening customers and exposing themselves to employees. The last straw was a deadly shooting on February 27, and she made the decision to temporarily close the location again.

Third Avenue has been a source of trouble over the last couple of years, with crime rates in that area rising slightly last year, according to police data obtained by KOMO. Meanwhile, violent crime in the downtown commercial area is trending downward compared to 2021.

Seattle implemented a police emphasis plan at the beginning of 2022 with the goal of curbing crime and improving safety in some areas of the city, including Third Avenue. Sagan said there's been some improvement in the area, though inconsistent.

“Am I happy with what we see on 3rd Avenue, absolutely not,” Mayor Bruce Harrell told KOMO when asked about the plan's progress. “Am I happy with the commitment, the effort, the planning that is going into it? Yes. Hopefully this time next year, you will ask me the same question and I’ll say, ‘look what you see now.'”