After 17 years occupying store-front space on Lake Street in Kirkland, Gunnar Nordstrom is bringing his art gallery back to Bellevue.

The contemporary and fine arts studio has officially opened its doors in Bellevue Place on the corner of Northeast Eighth and Bellevue Way Northeast.

Nordstrom traded in his Kirkland digs for a new location, nestled between the Hyatt Regency Bellevue and Joeys restaurant in what is considered the thriving pulse of downtown Bellevue. His new neighbors include the popular 0/8 Seafood Grill & Twisted Cork Wine Bar, Daniel’s Broiler and Kreiss Furniture.

In 1985, Nordstrom opened his first gallery on Lake Bellevue and moved to Kirkland five years later.

His return to Bellevue has brought him full circle.

“The synergy of the Bellevue Collection that Kemper Freeman Jr. has put together has been transformed over the past three years as businesses have begun to come out of the mall and onto the street level adjacent with the restaurants and open spaces,” Nordstrom said. “I am very impressed with what he has done to transform downtown and what the future holds for Bellevue.”

The gallery’s move to Bellevue was prompted by a dwindling retail environment in Kirkland which has been in decline since 2000, Nordstrom said.

Back in the ’90s, Kirkland resident Bill Ballantine donated several of his art sculptures to the city and was instrumental in building the Kirkland art scene. According to Nordstrom, the energy that was created by public sculptures was a natural draw for people to come to Kirkland and by the late 1990s there were 16 galleries.

By 2003 the galleries began dwindling and now three remain.

Nordstrom began looking for a new location several years ago. Nordstrom started his search in Seattle where rental rates are reasonable and the art culture prospers. He was reluctant to consider Bellevue because he felt it was out of his price range and only thought twice about it when a representative of Kemper Development Co., approached him with an offer.

“A good friend of mine approached Mr. Freeman and said we have a gallery that has been in Kirkland for 17 years and on the Eastside for 23 years. Do you really want to lose them to Seattle? Mr. Freeman, being a huge component of the arts, thought that maybe this particular location (in Bellevue Place) would be an ideal fit for the both of us,” Nordstrom said, adding, “I’m paying less here per-square-foot then I would have paid in Kirkland with my rent increase in January.”

To announce his arrival to Bellevue, Nordstrom held a Grand Re-Opening and Holiday Open House on Dec. 10. The evening included a private preview of the new gallery space and an artists reception.

The new boutique space adds nearly 300 square feet, provides more linear feet of wall space, and has two sides of windows facing the inside lobby of Bellevue Place and the outside courtyard. Dan Larsen of Larsen Construction is the General Contractor on the project. Larsen’s art work can also be seen displayed in Gunnar Nordstrom gallery.

Nordstrom represents 16 regional and national artists including Bill Braun’s trompe l’oeil paintings and work by well-known painter Loren Salazar.

Lindsay Larin can be reached at llarin@bellevuereporter.com or at 425-453-4602.