By JACK HOPKINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Once a thriving, eclectic shopping strip, University Way had deteriorated by the early 1990s.

Empty store fronts, run-down buildings and accumulating garbage dimmed the Ave's vibrant appeal.

According to a September 1994 survey, 15 stores were vacant and several others had signs saying they were closing or moving. And the retail mix narrowed.

"It's become much more focused on youth culture," says Fred Hart, part owner of La Tienda Folk Art Gallery, which has for more than three decades offered a colorful array of art imported from 80 countries. "The growth of the suburban shopping areas has drawn away from the shopping core."

In the case of the Ave, suburbia might as well include University Village, down the 45th Street viaduct. Shoppers were drawn to the village's Barnes & Noble superstore, spacious Starbucks and recently opened Restoration Hardware.

The Ave became a haven for young people, some of them homeless, who hung out on the street. Panhandling scared off some of the more skittish shoppers.

Crime rates on and around the UW have remained fairly steady in recent years, says Sgt. Ray Wittmier of the UW Campus Police.

Larceny tops the list, with 2,200 incidents in 1996. But more serious crimes have dropped off. Aggravated assaults fell from 273 in 1994 to 93 last year.

As the Ave deteriorated, community members and business owners decided to do some planning before it was done unto them. They set up the Ave Planning Group in January 1994, six months before the district was designated as an Urban Center, one of several areas singled out under Growth Management planning to absorb housing and job growth in the decades ahead.

Patty Whisler, a longtime resident with a background of planning experience, headed up the Ave planning efforts and remains involved in the University Community Urban Center Association.

"I love the Ave," says Whisler, "because it's not like any shopping mall could ever be."

Students from the UW's College of Architecture and Urban Planning drew up housing and street revitalization proposals. The planning group recommended improved street lighting and widening the sidewalks to make the Ave a more pleasant place to stroll and shop. And it encouraged a better mix of products and services, entertainment and arts.

The Ave has been cleaned up and spruced up, largely funded by a dues-supported Business Improvement Area that was resisted by some.

Advocates for the homeless worried about plans to employ a private security service to patrol the streets at night. And some reluctant business owners have changed their minds.

"As much as I've always resisted authority, I'm glad they're there," says Gayle Nowicki, owner of Gargoyles Statuary, 4550 University Way N.E.

Chamber of Commerce President Scott Soules says vacancy rates on the Ave are down to about 1 percent. He points out that crime has dropped as well.

And the planning group is now seeking money to make their visions for the Ave reality. One goal -- to draw a diverse mix of businesses -- is already under way.

The newest, glitziest Ave addition is the Wizards of the Coast Game Center. The two-story palace in the old JC Penney Co. building is a studio set of velvet swags and torchiere lamps, looming Minotaurs and high-tech arcades, mission-control-like maps of the world and pods for the video-simulated war game BattleTech.

The center is averaging about 2,000 visitors a day. And that's before most UW students return to campus.

If Karah Pino is any indication, those numbers will only rise. A senior in the UW's art department, the 24-year-old has 25 BattleTech missions under her belt.

On a recent afternoon in the downstairs cafe, Pino handily roped in two UW undergrads for a BattleTech club. She says she feels comfortable in the company of fellow gamers.

"They're really great people," says Pino. "Really intelligent and creative people."

Pino doesn't take to convention. Neither does her sister, a 17-year-old who has been living on the streets for two years.

"I think it's very valid that they're here," Pino says of the street youth. "They lead a valid life."