You’ve no doubt seen all the work happening at 6510 Phinney Ave. N. That space is turning into In the Red Wine Bar & Cafe, owned by Chad W. Campbell and Brian Folino. They hope to open sometime in March.

(Photo by artman1951.)

Campbell was laid off from a telecommunications industry job last summer and took that as a sign to switch careers. Even though his family lived in Queen Anne, they spent quite a bit of time in Phinney, particularly at El Chupacabra. He looked around at various potential sites in the neighborhood before settling on the building that also houses Davern Safe & Lock.

But Campbell and Folino didn’t want an upscale, slick wine bar. They wanted something that was reasonably priced, around $5 a glass, and, since Campbell has an almost 3-year-old, it needed to be family-friendly.

“We wanted something that was more affordable,” Campbell explained. “We didn’t want people to break the bank with double-digit glasses of wine.”

And they wanted them to have yummy, but not overproduced, food to go along with it.

“The food will be kind of simple,” he said. “We won’t have a hood so we can’t do open flame or deep frying. We’ll do some soups and bruschetta and small plate salads. Little bites if you will. And we’ll probably have a few vegan things on the menu as well.”

In the Red will also serve coffee in the mornings (Folino trained at Capitol Hill’s famed Espresso Vivace). Campbell said they’ll probably open at 6 or 6:30 a.m. Coffee and pastries will be available for sit down or take-out. Eventually they may serve simple breakfasts as well, and they’ll have free WiFi.

Furniture and dishes will be mismatched eclectic, with comfy couches and chairs, and hopefully a little fireplace. “We don’t want to come across as being too slick,” Campbell said.

They’re still working out the hours, but they will probably close at 11 p.m. weeknights and midnight on Friday and Saturday.

“Phinney is a fantastic neighborhood, plus there isn’t a wine bar per se in the neighborhood. We feel like it’s a good little neighborhood and a good little corner,” Campbell said. “I think that we’ve got a lot of factors that will make us successful. The neighborhood in itself is supportive of these kinds of places.”

We’re starting a new feature here on PhinneyWood: Pet of the Week. Our sister site, Magnolia Voice, has been running a Pet of the Week feature for quite a while now and it’s very popular, so we thought we’d try it out.

This week’s featured pet is Pickles, from PAWS Cat City at 8503 Greenwood Ave. N.

(Photo by Erika Chang, Cat City volunteer.)

Pickles is a fun-loving girl with so much playful energy that you’d hardly guess she’s almost 8 years old! She is absolutely adorable with greenish/gold eyes that sparkle when you look her way. She has a wonderful zest for life and loves playing with toys, especially feather wands and laser pointers. She would really appreciate a home all to herself so she’ll be your main sidekick. She’s a free-spirited beauty and will capture your heart with her peaceful charm. Pickles is spayed, microchipped and up-to-date with her vaccines. She is on a special diet to help prevent urinary problems and comes with a detailed vet history from her previous owner. You can come visit Pickels at PAWS Cat City in Greenwood at 8503 Greenwood Ave N. Her adoption fee is $75.

Anna & Scott Sturgeon of Phinney Ridge have won the Oldest House In the Neighborhood contest, sponsored by the Greenwood-Phinney Historical Society. 

While their house is not the oldest in the neighborhood, they did complete the required research including obtaining their building permit from 1902, which fulfilled the spirit of the contest - researching and treasuring our architectural heritage.

They won a certificate for “Breakfast for Two” at Mae’s Phinney Ridge Cafe and an autographed copy of “Seattle’s Greenwood-Phinney Neighborhood” by Ted Pedersen.

Update: Cat and owner have been reunited.

Someone claimed the cat as one she lost 2 months ago. We think someone from the neighborhood must have been feeding it since it is in good condition.

Earlier: We received this note this morning from Nancy about a found cat:

A fluffy black and white cat came visiting my office this morning and seems lost. Anyone looking for one? I’m at 68th and Greenwood. Call 781-2570.

If you’re not out enjoying the day, you should be. On a day that feels more like the middle of April than Feb. 6, the mild start to 2010 has got the local flora and fauna thinking it’s spring. From cherry blossoms, to flower bulbs already in bloom, to this bee spotted a short time ago,

it’s a winter that so far mostly isn’t. What signs of spring are you seeing?

Lest we forget, here’s a reminder of what it was like about this time (2/9/09) a year ago:

Seattle Magazine has just published its annual “Reader’s Choice” list, and three Greenwood-Phinney businesses are on the list.

Top Ten Toys at 104 N. 85th St. won for Children’s Toy Shop.

Zeek’s Pizza (which has seven locations, including 6000 Phinney Ave. N.), won for Pizza Place.

And 8 Limbs Yoga Center, which just expanded to its fourth location at 6801 Greenwood Ave. N., tied for Yoga Workout. (8 Limbs is a PhinneyWood sponsor.)

And congratulations to our sister site, MyBallard, for winning Neighborhood Blog!

Clothes Encounters moved out of the little spot at 7411 Greenwood Ave. N. a few months ago, and has been replaced by another alterations business. Alterations Fit 4 U is owned by master seamstress Sandi Perez-Lixa.

We are just a few doors down from the 74th Street Ale House. Drop by Alterations Fit 4 U to repair, renew, and revive your clothes.

Alterations Fit 4 U is open Wed. - Fri. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., and Sat. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Call 206-782-5289.

It’s a little harder to remember when Election Day is now, since King County voters no longer go to an actual polling place, instead voting by mail. So here’s a little reminder: Ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, Feb. 9 in order to count.

And King County has removed all but two of its drop boxes, so if you can’t make it to the post office by 5 p.m. Tuesday, you’ll have to drop it into a free drop box at the King County Administration Building, 500 Fourth Ave. in downtown Seattle, or at King County Elections Headquarters, 9010 East Marginal Way S. in Tukwila.

You can also drop it off at one of King County’s three accessible voting centers, including one at Seattle’s Union Station 401 S. Jackson St., until 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

On the ballot in Seattle are two Seattle Public School measures to renew existing Operating and Capital levies. There’s a student-led rally in support of the measures from 12-1 p.m. Saturday at the Green Lake Boat House, 5900 W. Green Lake Way N., followed by a walk around the lake.

Valentine’s Performing Pigs are the guests at this Saturday morning’s Ridge Romp children’s entertainment series at the Phinney Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., in the brick building.

Valentine’s Performing pigs is a unique, fast-paced act that consists of mini pigs doing tricks and incredible athletic feats on a very large stage. As music plays, the dazzling swiners dance, jump in the air, play catch with the audience, run up teeter totters, slam dunk basketballs, pop balloons, roll barrels and madly roar across the stage on scooters and skateboards! The audiences go HOG WILD!

The pot-bellied pigs hit the stage at 10:30 a.m. for a 45-minute show. Cost is $3 per person (babes in arms are free).

The famous pigs from Gig Harbor have appeared on “The Late Show” with David Letterman and “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, and have appeared in commercials and at special events all across the country. Click here for some amazing video of past performances.

Note: In past years, Valentine’s Performing Pigs have been so popular that the event sold out, and some of those folks attending were adults without children, leaving some kids out in the cold. Please remember that Ridge Romp is a children’s entertainment series; it is designed for families.

It’s that time of year to start touring elementary schools for your little ones. West Woodland Elementary School at 5601 4th Ave. NW is giving tours on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, March 4 at 9:10 a.m.; and Thursday, March 11 at 9: 10 a.m.

Call in advance to reserve your tour spot: 206-252-1600.

Limited childcare is available during the Feb. 11 tour. Call Kids Inc. at 783-8185.

The 15th annual Greenwood-Phinney ArtWalk is May 14-15. This juried show welcomes two-dimensional and three-dimensional artists from the greater Puget Sound area. Artist entries are due by March 5.

The annual ArtWalk is from 6-9 p.m. Friday, May 14 and 12-5 p.m. on Saturday, May 15. Thousands of people stroll the length of Phinney and Greenwood avenues, from 60th to 87th streets, admiring and buying artwork displayed inside dozens of neighborhood businesses. Many businesses also host music or specials during the ArtWalk.

The ArtWalk is hosted by the Greenwood Arts Council in collaboration with the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber, the Phinney Neighborhood Association and the Art Up Greenwood-Phinney monthly art walk.

Those helicopters you heard overhead earlier this evening were news choppers covering the story of a woman whose car went into a ravine near Carkeek Park just after 6 p.m. It happened at Third Avenue Northwest and NW 115th Street. KING 5 reported the woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries.