Bellingham retail vacancy drops in Q2
It got more difficult to find retail space in Bellingham — especially in certain neighborhoods — in the second quarter. The citywide vacancy rate slipped lower in the three months that ended in June to 3.1% from 3.3% in the first quarter, according to a report prepared by Ryan Martin of Pacific Continental Realty in Bellingham. But the tighter market wasn’t evenly distributed: Downtown retail vacancy was 6.8% and Fairhaven was 7.8%, both up. The Guide Meridian and Iowa Street areas saw more demand and resulting decreases. Bellis Fair mall was “nearly unchanged,” the report said, down a bit to 6.6% vacancy.
Yacht Dogs opens outside Granary
Bellingham’s waterfront is getting a bit more like Chicago — at least when it comes to hot dogs. Yacht Dogs opened July 12 outside Bison Bookbinding & Letterpress at 1207 Granary Ave. near the Portal Container Village. Owner Carly James said the new summertime patio stand has a variation on the classic Chicago-style “Depression Dog” with mustard, sweet relish, chopped sweet onion, sport peppers and celery salt on a poppy-seed bun. While the presentation is Windy City, James said the franks are local, natural and grass-fed beef. Yacht Dogs is open Friday through Sunday, 12-8 p.m., and hopes to stay open through October.
The Dance Studio, CityMac make moves
A large new sign for The Dance Studio has gone up on the long-vacant Deals Only building at 2331 James St. in Bellingham’s Sunnyland neighborhood. Owner Britt Burton said the dance school will be in the new space in early September, moving from 1820 Cornwall Ave. and able to “double our bathrooms, dressing rooms and dance floor space creating a better flow to class times,” plus have more parking. Meanwhile, locally owned Apple store CityMac has moved from its waterfront Roeder Avenue spot to 3205 Northwest Ave. in the Columbia neighborhood, and says the new location has “better foot traffic and higher visibility in the community.”
Bellingham Cold Storage expands in Burlington
Bellingham Cold Storage opened two new warehouses at its Burlington campus in Skagit County on July 15. A company news release said the expansion at 301 S. Walnut St. now gives it four warehouses in the Skagit Valley, including three cold storage facilities and one dry storage building, “to accommodate a growing customer base.” BCS was founded in 1946 and may be best known for its locations in its namesake Bellingham at 600 W. Orchard Drive and 2825 Roeder Ave., where the company is headquartered.
Border business partnership launched
Western Washington University’s Border Policy Research Institute and the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce are teaming up to get a better idea of how cross-border issues affect businesses. The two organizations have launched an initiative to create a network of chambers and related groups near the border to share news and concerns. BPRI Director Laurie Trautman said once established, “we hope to use it as a platform for engagement on a wide range of issues — basically anything that impacts cross-border travel.” One example? She cited the new U.S. government rules for canine crossings that go into effect Aug. 1. “We could use this type of network both to get a sense of how this type of disruption may impact other communities, and also to advocate for better policies,” she said.
New housing executive director
Bellingham & Whatcom County Housing Authorities has a new executive director. Andrew Calkins joins BWCHA from the King County Housing Authority, where he’d been since 2015 and most recently was the organization’s vice president of policy and intergovernmental affairs. Calkins succeeds Brien Thane who is retiring after six years in the role, according to a BWCHA news release. BWCHA is the umbrella organization for the Bellingham Housing Authority and the Whatcom County Housing Authority, both government agencies focused on providing housing in the community.
Frank Catalano writes about business and related topics for CDN; reach him at frankcatalano@cascadiadaily.com.
