NOBL Wheels opens Bellingham facility
Chalk up one business move to the initial threats of tariffs: British Columbia-based NOBL Wheels announced it opened a Bellingham operations and distribution facility in February. The company, which hand-builds carbon bicycle wheels, said the office in the Irongate neighborhood makes it possible to offer U.S. customers “faster, hassle-free shipping that’s duty and tariff-free, with significantly shorter lead times.” NOBL will keep its Cumberland, B.C. headquarters and operations. A spokesperson said NOBL’s goal is to eventually offer retail services like order pickups and walk-in wheel service in Bellingham, but the location is not yet open to the public.
Joe’s Gardens opens for season
Joe’s Gardens opened for the 2025 growing season on March 1 at 3110 Taylor Ave. in Bellingham’s Happy Valley neighborhood. The self-described urban farm, in business since 1933, said it’s stocked with herb and vegetable starts, pansies, violas, blueberry shrubs as well as bagged soil mixes. Co-owner Nathan Weston said this year, they’re “going to continuously work on expanding our nursery area, just having a little bit more variety.” Joe’s Gardens typically is open through the end of September.
Restore Hyper Wellness opens studio
Restore Hyper Wellness, a national chain of “personal health and performance” studios, has opened in Bellingham. The location in the Sunnyland neighborhood at 2411 James St. (across from Trader Joe’s) offers cryotherapy, IV drip therapy, red light therapy, mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy, an infrared sauna and more, each tied to a different wellness benefit. Bellingham studio owner Kristin Clarkman emphasized that “these are science-backed therapies; at Restore, we do our own peer-reviewed research.” The Bellingham location celebrated its grand opening on March 6 after initially opening at the end of January.
La Conner Pets opens
Independent pet store La Conner Pets opened on Feb. 20 at 708 E. Morris St. in La Conner — complete with a drive-thru “pup cup window.” The store’s Tracy McCain said so far, bestselling food, treats and toys include “Northwest Naturals frozen nuggets, Woof Pupsicle dispensers and a fleece salmon toy named Seymour.” La Conner Pets will hold its grand opening on Saturday, April 5 after the Tulip Festival Parade and Daffodil Pet Parade that McCain said will include its delivery vehicle, Boop.
Mountain Mike’s Pizza opens
Pizza chain Mountain Mike’s Pizza opened a Mount Vernon restaurant on March 3, its second location in Washington state. The pizza restaurant, which boasts “massive 20-inch Mountain-sized pizzas” and a “family-friendly atmosphere,” is in Riverside Plaza at 528 E. College Way. The local franchisees first opened in Arlington at the end of 2024, and a spokesperson said locations are planned for Bellingham and Burlington. Mountain Mike’s has more than 300 locations nationwide.
NWMLS cites tariff risk
Northwest Multiple Listing Service, a nonprofit organization providing services to the residential real estate industry in 26 Washington counties, tucked an eye-opening prediction into its February 2025 Market Snapshot. Steven Bourassa, director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, said increases in the price of construction materials due to any tariffs “will have a major impact on affordability” including both new homes and existing homes, since “the values of existing structures are based on their replacement cost.” Citing estimates from CoreLogic, Bourassa said home construction costs might go up 4-6% nationwide and household fixtures like appliances and cabinets could increase 10-20% in price.
Also eye opening: The highest county median sales price in the NWMLS service area for February was in Northwest Washington, in San Juan County. It hit $880,000, beating number two King and number three Snohomish.
Frank Catalano writes about business and related topics for CDN; reach him at frankcatalano@cascadiadaily.com.
