Fifteenth Avenue Northwest, the seven-lane main drag that connects downtown to north Seattle via Ballard and Crown Hill, is known to be one of the neighborhood's less scenic areas.

Parts of the street are lined by shuttered businesses and houses, vacant lots and graffiti.

But, new businesses have popped up on 15th Avenue in the past months, bringing new life to the street and hoping to draw customers from Ballard's downtown business core.

Anna Riensuwarn, owner of The Blue Dog Coffeehouse, said the business vacancies and turnover on 15th are not because of the location. The location is great, it is up to the product and operation to make it work, she said.

Riensuwarn said The Blue Dog, which opened four months ago at 5905 15th Ave. N.W., is situated in an area of Ballard that has a lot of potential for growth.

The combination of being located in a true neighborhood, unlike their University District location, and on a street with heavy traffic that can make use of their drive-through has worked out excellently for the coffeehouse.

"It's been awesome," she said. "The community is really welcoming us."

The street has been a perfect location for Three Girls Bakery, which opened this week at 6209 15th Ave. N.W.

Lou Levy, who works at the bakery owned by her parents, said the location is convenient because it is located between her parents’ home up north and the Three Girls location at the Pike Place Market.

Apart from the convenience, Levy said her parents liked the new location's big windows and proximity to Ballard High School.

So far, she said the bakery has been a lot busier in its first week than she expected.

One of the owners of Rizzo's French Dip found 15th Avenue to be a convenient location as well, as he lives right next door, said his son Anthony Marks, who was manning the counter at the restaurant that opened over a month ago at 7334 15th Ave. N.W.

Nathan Grier, another Rizzo's employee, said the location has worked great for the restaurant because people in Ballard are really into local businesses and they already have regulars who come in almost every day.

Being located on 15th Avenue, away from Ballard's downtown shopping core, is a give-and-take relationship, said Jon Aiken manager at Mud Bay's Ballard location.

The pet store, located at 5314 15th Ave. N.W., gives up the foot traffic of other areas in the neighborhood, but gets accessibility in return, he said. He said the store has plenty of parking and is in a prime location for drivers, especially those heading north on 15th.

In the three months since the store opened, Aiken said they have seen plenty of business.

"It's been excellent," he said. "I think Ballard was really ready. It's just been a really fun few months so far."

Knotty Bodies Espresso, a three-week-old bikini coffee stand at 5715 15th Ave. N.W., is making use of 15th Avenue's heavy traffic as well.

Barista Amber James said the owner of Knotty Bodies is always looking for heavily-trafficked locations, and a busy two-way street with no median definitely fits that description.

With many vacancies still remaining on Ballard’s busiest strip, some residents are asking to see more development.

At a recent neighborhood planning meeting, community representatives asked if 15th Avenue could be incorporated into the Ballard and Crown Hill Urban Hub planning areas.