Downtown Redmond's Sixth Street Is Rebuilding Around Play Spaces, Kids' Shops and a New Stage

The building that used to hold the Double J Saloon now has a ball pit. Little Bug Play Hub reopened there in mid-June after 13 months of renovation, and that one change sums up most of what has happened on downtown Redmond's Sixth Street over the past few months.

Look at the other businesses that changed this summer and fall. A children's and women's clothing boutique is moving into a space about four times larger. A juice bar is moving onto Sixth Street. A historic theater added screens and a live stage. An ice cream shop is on the way one block over. And Kobold's The Vault Taphouse closed at the start of October after nine years. Put the changes together and downtown is gradually tilting toward play spaces, children's shops, daytime errands and all-ages entertainment, alongside the bars and restaurants already open there.

A 125-year-old building, rebuilt for small kids

The Falappino family's play hub first opened in 2023. After about a year, the original space was already near capacity, Cortney Falappino told the Redmond Spokesman. The new location is only two doors from the old one. The play area is twice as big, there are twice as many party rooms, and there is now a coffee shop so parents and caregivers can sit down.

Anyone who has worked on an old downtown building knows how this part goes. The family planned on four months. Plumbing problems and the building's 125-year-old brick-and-mortar construction stretched that to 13. "We were thinking for four months to gut it, paint it and just start putting toys in," Miles Falappino told the Spokesman. "That was not the case." Nearby businesses, the landlord, friends and family pitched in to keep things going during the gap. When it was time to move, a group showed up with 10 trucks.

The neighbors on that block matter just as much. The play hub shares a wall with Juniper & Sprouts, a secondhand children's clothing shop. Sweet Oasis Sweet Shoppe & Gifts is across the street, and Silvies River Charter School is next door. Miles told the paper the area is turning into "downtown Redmond's family quarter." Cortney said she'd like to expand again with a space for older kids.

That's a useful address to know once the cold sets in. Cortney told the Spokesman she came up with the idea after moving to Oregon and finding nowhere to take her kids in winter.

The shuffle on Sixth Street, store by store

That block isn't the only stretch that's changing. Several businesses are trading spaces on Sixth Street, and most of the moves are toward bigger rooms.

According to the Spokesman's report on the moves, Little & Luxe is using its new space to add maternity and plus-size lines, more kids' and women's clothing, and more toys. The boutique opened downtown in April 2025, and this year it also launched an online store.

Just Cut's move fits the same pattern. The family-owned business turned 10 in February. Owner Clint Davis told the Spokesman that the juice bar "has been outperforming the gym by more than five times," so the new Sixth Street location will be juice only. He also said the opening will include 50% off for the first couple of days.

Both moves were scheduled for mid-October, so call ahead or check their social pages before you go.

Evenings are changing too, and the new stage leads the way

Downtown's evenings are changing shape too. A few doors up Sixth Street from Little Bug, the Odem Theater Pub opened two new theaters this summer. That brings it to four, and one of them has a stage for live music or comedy. "We wanted to have the option, the flexibility to do live music or comedy, something outside of the Hollywood deal," owner Ted Eady told the Redmond Spokesman.

The building has plenty of history. Milton and Fossie Odem built it in 1937. Eady bought it in 2001 and ran a gift shop there until he reopened it as a theater in 2018. He's doing most of the work himself, with his son and a few others. The plans include balcony seating in the big theater, a larger indoor restaurant, an upstairs bar and a rooftop patio. In August, Eady said he hoped to open the restaurant this fall, the second-floor bar by winter and the rooftop patio by the start of next summer. The old patio seating is gone, partly to make room for the new theaters. The front restaurant and the theaters have stayed open throughout the remodel. Those dates were goals, not promises, so check before you plan a night around the restaurant or the bar.

A short drive away, Grace and Hammer has new co-owner Ken Streater and a group of local friends, who bought the restaurant in early 2026. KTVZ reported that the new owners announced Sunday live music starting in July, plus gluten-free menu options.

The Vault closed as the street shifted. Signs went up in the window on a Monday in early October saying the taphouse had "closed for good," the Spokesman reported. It opened in 2017 at 245 SW Sixth St. with 20 taps, a patio and a food cart area. The space may not sit empty long. The property owner told the paper he plans to resell the taproom as is, still built out with 20 taps. Kevin Meyer, who owns the Richard's Sliders food cart, said he'd heard there was interest in the space. Richard's Sliders and the Mexican cart El Imperio were both still serving after the closure. General Duffy's Waterhole went up for sale in September, and its owners said it would stay open until any change in ownership.

The downtown calendar, Halloween through mid-December

The events on the calendar this season fit the same pattern. Nearly everything coming up is daytime or early evening and built for all ages.

• Saturday, Oct. 31, 4 to 6 p.m. Trick or Treat on 6th Street, on Sixth between Black Butte and Forest.
• Friday, Nov. 6, and Friday, Dec. 4. First Friday Art Walk. Hours and stops weren't listed at press time.
• Saturday, Nov. 21, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Holiday Arts and Crafts Show at Redmond Masonic Lodge, 627 SW Seventh St.
• Nov. 27 and 28, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Holiday Village Market at Centennial Park.
• Saturday, Nov. 28, 5 to 7 p.m. Starlight Parade in downtown Redmond.

Nov. 28 is the busiest day on the list. The Holiday Village Market runs until 4 p.m. and the Starlight Parade starts at 5, so you can walk from Centennial Park to the parade route. Details are on the Visit Redmond event calendar.

Coming later: ice cream on Fifth, local names at the airport

Handel's Ice Cream is the nearest addition still on the way, at 612 SW Fifth St. In late September, franchisee Tim Joyce said he hoped to open before the end of the year, according to WhatNow. The Spokesman also reported plans for a Mexican restaurant and a Vietnamese restaurant downtown, both expected next year.

The airport project is further out. The Redmond Airport terminal expansion costs $180 million and adds more than 80,000 square feet and seven new jet bridges. Its new food hub will feature Sisters Coffee, Bend Brewing Company and Sparrow Bakery, along with Peet's Coffee & Tea. The Bulletin reported that Bend Brewing plans a full bar overlooking the Cascades and a quick-service counter, and the plans include pickup lockers for orders placed ahead. Airport officials expect the terminal and food hub to open in November 2027. Until then, you'll have to wait for an ocean roll from Sparrow on your way through security.

I grew up around construction, so a 13-month remodel of a 125-year-old brick building gets my attention. If you own an older Central Oregon home and wonder what's behind your own walls before you sell or renovate, I'm happy to walk through it with you and connect you with contractors I trust. Let's connect. Reach out to Jennifer Goodman anytime.