Fairhaven Takes Flight
District Gaining Commercial Diversity

by Dave Brumbaugh

 

Bellingham’s historic Fairhaven neighborhood is on the verge of a commercial building boom as businesses capitalize on its scenic attractions and a growing South Side population.

“It’s extremely strong right now,” says John Hauter of the district’s commercial sector.

Owner of Fairhaven Bike & Mountain Sports since 1971, Hauter is one of the reasons hammers and saws will be heard this summer. After more than a year of design work, Hauter will apply this month for a building permit to construct a 12,000-square-foot structure that will include his bicycle shop and three smaller tenants. The new building, across 11th Street from his current location, could be ready to occupy in the first quarter of next year if another tenant is found.

The new Fairhaven Bike & Mountain Sports building will be next to one for Eclipse Books that is nearly finished. Construction also may start this year on several other projects:

• Jacaranda Corp. is working through the permitting process on two buildings. Owner Ken Imus (see cover story, page 34) plans to build a two-story retail building on 11th Street between Harris and McKenzie. Another structure named The Pavilion will be built behind Skylark’s Hidden Café.

• After a successful battle to exceed the city’s normal height limit for the neighborhood by five feet, Village Books has resumed work on plans for a new building at the corner of 11th and Mill streets. The building will include about 9,000 square feet and be connected to the current bookstore’s basement “bargain annex,” as well as the existing Paper Dreams shop. Both Village Books and Paper Dreams are owned by Chuck and Dee Robinson.

“We would love to break ground by the end of summer and move in a year from now,” Chuck Robinson says.

Features of the new building will include an elevator, wide aisles and a café,

“The main thing is it will be more accessible,” Robinson remarks.

• Work will begin this summer on the Fairhaven Village Green, currently an unimproved, city-owned lot at the corner of 10th and Mill streets. Fairhaven Village Green, funded by donations, will include a performance stage below the mural on the building at the south end, public restrooms and a large glass rectangle, surrounded on three sides by a grape-covered pergola with a wire-glass roof.

• Larrabee Animal Medical is building a two-story veterinary clinic at 1110 Larrabee Ave.

The plans for new buildings, as well as the addition of several businesses, are a sign of economic vitality.

“Fairhaven’s getting better all the time,” says Taimi Dunn Gorman, co-owner of the Colophon Café.

Fairhaven businesses also may be viewing a major demolition project at a community eyesore. Owners of the unfinished building on Harris Avenue, a half-block above 12th Street and Sycamore Square, until May 20 to obtain demolition permits and submit to the city a schedule for demolition work. If the owners fail to take action, the city is allowed to contract for the work and recover its expenses when the property is sold. Construction of the building stopped in 1975 as the project became mired in cost overruns and litigation.

 

Locals wanted

While Fairhaven is a popular area with tourists, as is reflected in the number of restaurants and art and gift shops, an increasing number of businesses depend heavily on local residents. Longtime businesses such as Village Books, Fairhaven Red Apple and Fairhaven Bike & Mountain Sports have been joined in recent years by Fairhaven Runners (athletic shoes) and 12th Street Shoes. This year’s additions include Wild Blueberries (children’s clothing, books, games and toys) and Fairhaven Hardware & Garden.

“It used to be just Village Books and the Colophon Café,” says Vicki Rogers, owner of Inside Passage Gifts in the Bellingham Cruise Terminal since 1989 and president of the Fairhaven Association. “Now there are so many shops. The district has expanded in so many ways.”

While most Fairhaven businesses appeal to tourists, they realize that local residents are the key to their success.

“Tourists are like the gravy; the icing on the cake,” Rogers remarks. She adds the local residents buy gifts for out-of-town friends and brings them to her shop when they visit.

“Tourists could stay home and we’d be OK,” Robinson agrees. “If locals stayed home, we’d be in trouble.”

Both groups enjoy the beautification efforts of the Fairhaven Association. The organization has added banners, benches and hanging floral baskets to Fairhaven streets in recent years. This year’s emphasis is improving 12th Street between Harris Avenue and Old Fairhaven Parkway.

 

Tourism thriving

Tourism remains a key component for many businesses.

The Fairhaven Merchant Group, affiliated with the Fairhaven Association, handles advertising and special events, including It All Ends in Fairhaven. The festival, scheduled May 26 this year, is the climax to the Ski to Sea Race that ends below the business district at Marine Park. The celebration draws approximately 40,000 people and features entertainment, food and vendors.

But tourism isn’t a one-day focus for Fairhaven. Tour buses began arriving earlier this spring and many cars stop as part of a trip to or from Chuckanut Drive and Larrabee State Park.

Thousands pass through the business district each year as they go to or from the Alaska ferry, which again will make two weekly stops this summer at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal. The Amtrak/Greyhound station also attracts many travelers.

After years without a hotel, Fairhaven now has two upscale establishments. The Fairhaven Village Inn opened in 1999 and the Chrysalis Inn & Spa made its debut last spring.

The combination of tourism and local appeal appears to signify a bright future for Fairhaven.

“People have discovered us; both people in town and out of town,” Gorman states.