Barn Owl Vintage Goods is returning to Ballard, with plans to open a new location in the former Second Ascent/Tactics space at 5209 Ballard Ave NW.
Owner Josh Dand told My Ballard that he hopes to open the new location, called Barn Owl Vintage A to Z, by SeafoodFest (July 10).
Barn Owl first opened in Ballard in 2021 inside Sparklebarn, occupying a roughly 700-square-foot space in the back of the shop. At the time, Dand said the business was looking for opportunities to grow, and the company later moved operations outside Ballard to 6012 12th Ave S.
In announcing the return, Dand said the business had been looking for a larger space in Ballard for several years and decided to pursue the former Tactics location when it became available. Tactics closed in February 2026 after two years in Ballard.
“We never wanted to leave Ballard, but we ran into the problem of needing a bigger boat,” Dand said.
“We very quickly discovered that our 700 sf spot in the back of Sparklebarn wouldn’t allow us to grow and it seemed that everywhere I looked back in those days for commercial real estate with good foot traffic, it had already been leased. Over the past few years, I have been keeping a look on commercial real estate spaces and always pining to return to our old stomping grounds but had to wait for the perfect situation to present itself and when I saw the old Tactics/Second Ascent space was available, I jumped at the chance to get in there.” Â
According to Dand, the new shop will continue offering vintage Filson items and workwear while expanding its inventory through a partnership with Aidan and Zay.
“We’ll also give a head nod to the Second Ascent past by bringing in a good deal of vintage outdoor gear and treasures from Seattle’s workwear manufacturing past,” Dand said.
Photo: Google Image Capture Oct 2024