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Fairhaven’s Filling Up South-side
District Sees Steady Increases Article by Patricia Rathbun “April 10, we leased out the last square foot of office space we have in Fairhaven,” says Ken Imus, owner with son Brad of Jacaranda Land Corp. Jacaranda leases its buildings to about 40 tenants throughout the south-side neighborhood of Bellingham. The pair have been responsible for much of the restoration in Fairhaven during the last 30 years. Why does Fairhaven seem to be the place businesses increasingly want to be? “Fairhaven is really going through an evolution,” Ken Imus observes. There are still buildings to be remodeled and renovated. “We are getting organized and ready to go again,” Brad Imus explains. “We are doing structural work on the Waldren Building at 12th Street and McKenzie Avenue until the market (for leasing) is there. We will eventually be building on the lot behind Finnegan’s Alley on 11th and McKenzie. It will be office and retail,” Brad Imus adds. Tim Imus, Ken’s other son, recently moved to Bellingham to start his own business, Fairhaven Development Co. Tired of the rat race of California’s San Francisco Bay Area, he and his fiancée quit their jobs and moved north. “It’s been an absolute dream. The people are so outgoing and friendly here — that’s what we were escaping to,” Tim Imus remarks. He is leasing the building at 909 Harris Ave. to Mud in Your Eye Pottery and renovating the upstairs. Tim, Brad and Ken Imus will use the 4,000-square-foot second floor for more shop and storage space, according to Brad Imus. Tim Imus also owns the vacant lot next to the building and plans to build a two-story building with a third-story loft to rent to offices and retail businesses.
Buildings a draw The buildings are one draw to businesses considering locating to Fairhaven, according to Phyllis McKee, owner of Finnegan’s Alley at 1106 Harris Ave. The 20,000-square-foot building was completed earlier this year and has two retail tenants so far. Le Faux Chateau opened March 17 and Three French Hens moved there in April. A glass atrium connects Finnegan’s Alley to an adjacent building that houses two restaurants, Anna’s Kaddyshack and Bob’s Burgers & Brew. “The buildings are so appealing here; they’re all different, but blend,” McKee says. Le Faux Chateau, a home décor and gift shop, occupies space on the street side of Finnegan’s Alley ground floor. “We chose Fairhaven for our shop because of this building,” owner Deborah Breslow reports. The Breslows relocated from Florida because of the quality of life here. They drove through Fairhaven two years ago, and Lee, Deborah’s husband, exclaimed, “This is the place to be!” The “place to be” includes a large showcase window that shows off the bright colors of the artificial flowers and gifts that Deborah designs. “We have 45 feet of window on the street and that alone draws in customers looking for a bright place to be on a cloudy day,” she observes. Despite a surge of construction in recent years, Fairhaven is better known for its historic buildings. Northland Specialties owners Andrea and Karrin Daniels, a mother-daughter duo, chose Fairhaven because of its charm and old-town appeal. “This historic look fit in well with our business. We always bring our out-of-town guests to Fairhaven, so we assumed everyone else does, too,” says Karrin Daniels. Northland Specialties, a shop selling Scandinavian products and gift items, opened in November next door to Finnegan’s Alley at 1102 Harris Ave. “There is actually a big Scandinavian population in this area. Blaine and Point Roberts were founded by Icelandic people. There are also lots of Finnish people here,” Andrea Daniels notes.
Big plans for bookstore One of Fairhaven’s best-known businesses, Village Books, is moving — but not very far. Village Books, owned by Chuck and Dee Robinson, has been located at 1210 11th St. since 1980. “We are still in the design stage for a building at the corner of 11th and Mill, north of Paper Dreams,” Chuck Robinson says. “We don’t have any firm dates yet, but our goal is to be moved by the summer of 2002.” Since Fairhaven is a historic district, new buildings must meet codes specific to it, according to Robinson. However, he doesn’t see any problems getting a permit for his new building. “Our building will fit nicely into the zoning laws of Bellingham and Fairhaven. The building will coincide with the rhythm and scale of the other buildings, as the code specifies,” he states. David Christensen of Christensen Design Management designed the future new building for Village Books. He also worked recently with developers of a building at the southeast corner of 10th and Larrabee. Two storefronts will face 10th Street. Twelve studio apartments will be on the top two floors, with 14 parking spaces inside the building. Another building soon to be started will be on 11th Street. John Hauter will be moving his business, Fairhaven Bike and Mountain Sports, there, along with David Carlson’s Eclipse Books. The other spaces may be leased to fitness-related businesses and offices. Anticipated groundbreaking will be this summer or the spring of 2002, according to Hauter. “The new building will triple the size of my bookstore. Right now, I have 2,000 square feet of books packed into a 1,200-square-foot store. This project could be done anywhere for $500,000, but in Bellingham, it will be under $1 million,” Carlson laughs.
Nationally famous The other “anchor store” of Fairhaven, the Colophon Café, is co-owned by Taimi Dunn Gorman. She also owns Doggy Diner, located at 1007 Harris Ave. According to Gorman, the Doggy Diner, a café for “dogs and their people,” is very famous now. “The Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper did an article about it, and the Associated Press picked it up. So now, it seems everyone is calling for interviews and pictures — CNN, ABC News and Seattle Weekly. There’s an article about us in the May issue of Good Housekeeping, and we will be featured in People magazine soon,” she said. All this publicity is definitely bringing people to Fairhaven, Gorman notes. “The Seattle Pug Club called — they want to bring 100 pug dogs here for a party!” she exclaims. Gorman also sponsors a Doggie Days Parade in September that brings more people each year to Fairhaven. She sees special events as a good way to entice people to the district.
Special events help “It All Ends in Fairhaven, the last event of Ski to Sea Memorial Day weekend, brings 40,000 people here. The outdoor movies in the summer and the Farmers Market that starts in June all are good for Fairhaven,” Gorman says. The outdoor movies and the Fairhaven Farmers Market are held in a lot on 11th Street that has become a park called Fairhaven Town Square. According to the Bellingham Parks Department’s Lesley Bryson, the city bought the lot with Greenway money designated for that purpose. The master plan includes public restrooms and a gazebo in the park for concerts. Another event that will certainly bring people to Fairhaven on Ski to Sea weekend is the grand re-opening of the Bellingham Cruise Terminal located on the 12th Street waterfront. The event is the culmination of an extensive remodeling of the terminal to better meet the community’s uses of the building, according to John Carter, marine terminals director at the Port of Bellingham. The cost of the renovation is $929,000 and includes increased meeting space, a new staircase, more commercial space, installation of a new sound system and new meeting-room furniture. Diane Turner, special events coordinator for the Port of Bellingham, says the grand opening will blend with the festivities of It All Ends in Fairhaven on Sunday, May 27. The Alaska ferry will be docked and tours will be available on Friday, May 25, and the Navy’s USS Fife will be available for tours on Saturday, May 26. There will also be a ribbon-cutting ceremony, with food and music, on Friday. The Bellingham Cruise Terminal is an important part of Fairhaven, as are the Amtrak train and Greyhound bus terminals, according to Bill Hager, director of properties and planning for the Port of Bellingham. “The terminal is part of a very unique regional transportation area; not many places in the country have marine, bus and train services in one spot,” Hager remarks.
Popular facility The Bellingham Cruise Terminal was originally built in Fairhaven to “get life into the south side of Bellingham,” he says. “It was never built for special events; we had no idea it would become such a showcase and important to the whole community,” he adds. Gail and Britain Walker, owners of the successful Emerald Bay Events catering business in Bellingham, became operators of the terminal’s restaurant earlier this year. It now is named the Pilot House Grill. Gail Walker emphasizes that its customer focus is Whatcom County people, not just tourists who come on Amtrak or the ferries. “We wanted a full-scale restaurant with evening dining. When the construction is finished, we’ll be open later on the weekends than the café was. We’ll have outdoor dining on the deck as well. We have two excellent chefs,” she reports. The transportation center has brought travelers to the district’s two hotels, the Fairhaven Village Inn and the Chrysalis Inn & Spa. The Fairhaven Village Inn opened the summer of 1999 at 1200-10th St. and has seen very good business from the start. Ken and Brad Imus own the hotel. Manager Holly Irwin says, “This is a great area and we are doing very well; not just seasonal, but year-round. Our location is great; we’re within two or three blocks of at least 10 excellent restaurants.” Ellen Shea, co-owner and manager of Chrysalis Inn, acknowledges the wonderful support she has received from the community. The hotel, overlooking Bellingham Bay, opened April 4 at 804-10th St. “Local people use the spa and recommend us for out-of-town guests. We invite people to come and look — the hotel is absolutely spectacular,” Shea says. Fairhaven also expects to bring back the block party on Ski to Sea weekend. Denise Dibbs, an investment representative at Edward Jones in Fairhaven, emphasizes the “family flavor” of the event to be held on Saturday, May 26. She belongs to the Old Fairhaven Association board of directors and will work with Ron Hardesty of the Bellingham Bay Rotary Club. “The event will take the best aspects of the former block party held in downtown Bellingham, but without the bad aspects of it. There will be a barbecue, other food vendors and free music — Swamp Mama Johnson and the Jimmy Murphy Band. It will be after the parade, around 3 to 8:30 p.m. We are trying to renew the tradition of people just having a good time,” Hardesty says. Residents and merchants working together on events such as these and on the community of Fairhaven is what makes “it all work,” according to Tim Imus. “Everyone is watching out for Fairhaven. There’s one common goal and that’s Fairhaven,” he says. |
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