People shift in and out of the various stores while old and new friends gather at local cafés to discuss their constantly changing lives. Buses move through traffic, bringing people closer to their destinations. Waves of students rush in and out of stores to get necessary items for classes and life, as the smell of enticing food from nearly all corners of the world blankets the area.

The Ave is not just a street: It’s a community.

But community is not necessarily the word that would have been used to describe the Ave eight years ago. In 2000, the Ave, also known as University Way, was in serious need of help and repair; the infrastructure was in disarray and the neighborhood was divided.

“Everything has changed since then, and people have really come together,” said Kian Pornour, co-owner of the Woolly Mammoth on the Ave at Northeast 43rd Street. “Alliances in the neighborhood, political action committees, the Chamber of Commerce and local business owners really helped to make the community stronger.”

The infrastructure of the Ave had not changed in more than 40 years, so in June of 2002, the City of Seattle provided about $9 million to fix those problems.

“We needed wider sidewalks, more trees, more lighting and better drainage systems,” Pornour said. “They actually dug up the whole street. That was the basic idea of the Ave project.”

The infrastructure project stretched from Northeast 41st Street to Northeast 50th Street. UW students also had a big hand in the project. A class of architecture students set up a storefront for one quarter and worked with businesses to develop design concepts for new facades.

“This started the ball rolling in a very good way,” said Teresa Lord Hugel, executive director for the Greater University Chamber of Commerce. “It really, really changed the face of the Ave.”

More than $1.2 million in private investments, as well as up to $332,000 in grants from the Seattle Office of Economic Development, helped to make the Ave more aesthetically pleasing by improving building facades. There were 32 separate facade improvements.

“Who came up with the ideas of colors and the ideas of different architecture? The students of UW,” Pornour said. “They went to individual owners to see what they could do to help the facades of the buildings. You would be surprised what a coat of paint can do.”

And the changes haven’t gone unnoticed.

“I’d definitely say the Ave is booming lately,” said UW business student Justin Clark. “But in my opinion, regardless of the new developments, there will always be pretty good business on the Ave because the student population are the consumers. Even if the shops themselves don’t flourish, the Ave as a whole will always be booming with students.”

After these changes had been completed, the Ave’s economy and community involvement began to grow.

“The Ave is currently in a pretty strong growth mode with all the new development and things that are going,” Hugel said. “It’s on a roll.”

Pornour is proud of the community’s involvement. “We have been here since 1969 and have seen the ups and downs of the Ave more than many other people,” Pornour said. “Within the past eight years we have been doing very well. There’s a lot of community involvement here and I am proud to be a part of it.”

This tight knit community is opening doors to larger retail chain stores as well. American Apparel made its debut to the Ave in 2005, and last quarter both Urban Outfitters and Crossroads entered the picture.

While other areas in Seattle have a declining economy, the Ave seems to be growing even bigger.

“Thirty percent of our customers actually come from outside of this neighborhood,” Pornour said. “I consider the Ave as doing better year after year for the past few years. People are now seeing possibilities here more than anything else.”

“I think it’s better than it had been for a long time,” said Scott Soules, local business owner and president of the University District Business Improvement Area. “Retail is very dynamic in general, stores come and go on a national and local and regional level. It’s an ever-evolving, ever-dynamic business, but there are an amazing number of businesses that have been on that Ave under the same management [for] 20-25 years.”

The spirits are high in this community and optimistic words are at the tip of everyone’s tongue.

“When you’re talking about the Ave, you are talking about a good neighborhood,” Pornour said. “And I am really proud of my neighborhood.”