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Juice bar squeezes out second location
Bellingham likes its juice. In a community that thrives on health and activity, it’s no wonder a company that started out small, offering all natural alternatives for the thirsty, has prospered. So much so that Juice It juice bar has now opened a second location in the Public Market on Cornwall Street in Bellingham.
Corey and Leslie Shek started the business in a modest location in the heart of downtown Bellingham. That location soon proved too small to meet Juice It’s needs and the couple moved their operation next door. Soon demand was once again outpacing supply and with the opening of the Public Market, the Sheks saw another opportunity to expand.
“Business has been great and we’re very excited to have a new location,” Leslie Shek said. “I’d say we’ve doubled our business in our first location but with the new store it seems like we’ve tripled.”
Juice It uses only all natural products and focuses on local produce.
“Something that’s very special to me is how much more involved we’ve gotten with local products,” she said. “People come to us now to sell apples and pears, etc. I don’t have to hunt it down.”
The Juice It menu has also grown. Originally focusing primarily on juice, this natural eatery is now a dining experience offering soups, sandwiches, wraps and rolls.
Oak Harbor Delex goes civilian
Delex Systems, Inc. of Oak Harbor officially opened into the civilian markets in late October.
Mayor Patty Cohena and U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen were in attendance as Delex officials announced the change.
The training services company has been operating on base at Whidbey Island Naval Air Stations for the past seven years. This will be the first time the company has operated in a civilian capacity.
Larry Bezold, the Northwest Region director for Delex said the change came on the heels of a growing customer base, the need for more operational space and the longstanding desire to break into the civilian business market.
The company has been expanding its training services to include design, analysis and development of training services.
Bezold said Delex could help in the public market. For example, if a company gets a new contract and needs to update employees quickly, Delex can show them how. Delex specializes in the quick professional training of employees in a variety of industries.
Dinners Ready brings families back to the table
With the advent of the drive-through window, microwave and TV dinners, and the trend toward two income households, the family dinner table is going the way of the Dodo.
Dinners Ready aims to remedy this by allowing customers to come into their restaurant and use their complete kitchen facilities to prepare family-sized meals to take home or freeze and bake as needed.
The Seattle based company has recently opened a new location at 3930 Meridian Street in Bellingham.
“Dinners Ready provides families with the perfect alternative to a steady diet of fast food and take-out meals,” said DR’s Rod and Nichole Tucker. “Once you’ve experienced the convenience of Dinners Ready, you’ll see why so many people are excited that we’re here,” they said. “We not only save busy moms a lot of time and money but it’s a way to bring families back to the dinner table again.”
According to Dinners Ready, each month customers select from 16 recipes. Dinners Ready takes care of the shopping and ingredient preparation. Customers are then able to assemble a dozen ready-to-cook meals in less than two hours at an average cost of $3 per serving.
Swedish Flooring lays groundwork
Bellingham will now have another option for flooring needs. SwedishFlooring.com has opened for business and features Morkaskog flooring manufactured by Rappgo AB in Braas, Sweden.
The company imports and distributes luxury, engineered, all-wood flooring specializing in wide planks with unique finishes.
“In particular, we offer thermo-treated boards, featuring luxurious dark coffee tones that compete very well against tropical woods, but without the environmental impact related to the logging of rain forests,” said Marketing Manager, Sherry Holmes.
Engineered flooring also permits the use of wide planks particularly over radiant-heat systems, without sacrificing stability,” General Manager, Steve Rhodes said. “For that reason we are seeing a lot of interest from architects and designers.”
The company has been focusing its marketing towards architects and interior designers, but the flooring can be obtained from retailers and showrooms featuring high-end floor coverings such as Erickson’s in Bellingham and AW interiors in Seattle.
Hemminger opens Frameworks
Paul Hemminger has launched Bellingham Frameworks. Hemminger is a Bellingham native who has over 10 years of framing experience, the past six as a custom picture framer at a downtown Bellingham store.
The new business opened in early October on Cornwall Avenue in space previously occupied by Hemminger’s former employer, the Hang Up Shoppe & Gallery. Options for framing photos, prints and personal memorabilia range from conservation and preservation framing to the sale of individual framing components.
“The design process can be daunting for customers because there are so many framing possibilities, but I make it fun and narrow it down to several choices that best suit the individual and the artwork,” said Hemminger.
Mi Shoes opens on Railroad
Michelle Millar sees through the undesirable elements that haunt Railroad Avenue in Bellingham. Known for attracting transients and trouble, the area is going through some changes. Recent efforts by city planners and merchants are starting to clean things up.
Millar has worked at Sojourn on Railroad for three years and has now decided to open her own woman’s shoe store. Located at 1315 Railroad Avenue, Mi Shoes will offer fashionable and trendy women’s shoes for work and fun, she said. Mi Shoes will be owned and operated by Millar and her husband Ben.
Avenue Bread opens in Fairhaven
The scent of fresh baked pastries is wafting down the Southside of Bellingham as Avenue Bread opened their second location at 1135 11th Street in the new Fairhaven Gardens Building in mid-October.
“Everybody wants to go to Fairhaven,” Wendy Defreest, who owns the company, with her husband John said. “We love downtown, but this is a wider market base.”
The couple bought Avenue Bread downtown four years ago on the advice of Wendy’s brother, who was employed there. The two have enjoyed the bakery business, and took a leap when they saw a chance to expand, despite a busy family life with two and six-year-old girls.
“The bakery business was new to us, but we really enjoy creating these wonderful foods for people,” she said. “We were voted Best Sandwich in the Bellingham Weekly poll four years running. I guess we’re doing something right.”
They will be open daily serving sandwiches, soups, salads, espresso and of course, their famous breads and pastries. Hours may change seasonally. A website is planned with a menu and daily soups and specials.
Teacher launches first book
Bellingham teacher Alex Snyder is self-publishing his first book with his brother Erik.
“The Land of the Fog” is the first book in a trilogy about Captain Koals, a strange seaman who travels through a world of oddities and weird characters dealing and trading along the way. In this book, Koals begins by immerging out of the Hot Danger driving a barge loaded with spice and strange birds trading with an old lady named Willemina Backnard for roughage pies and casserole of cabbage slop.
Alex and his brother grew up on Bainbridge Island and now live in Bellingham and Big Sky, Montana. Both started creating the trilogy living in an army tent in the woods of Alaska, while up-starting a bicycle taxi business in the town of Valdez. Both are hoping to have the book fully completed by the holiday season.
Foothills Gazette launched
Journalists Rebecca Schwarz and Brent Cole have formed an independent publishing company based in Glacier. The company’s first project is the creation of the Foothills Gazette, a bi-weekly community newspaper serving the eastern Whatcom County foothills region and northeastern Skagit County. Published the second and fourth Thursdays of each month, the newspaper’s first issue was distributed October 13 at select locations in Whatcom and Skagit Counties.
“We are particularly excited about covering the underserved foothills area,” Schwarz said of her partnership with Cole.
With more than 15 years of combined publishing experience, co-owners and co-publishers Schwarz and Cole have other publishing projects in the works as well, including several mountain culture and history books for the North Cascades and western Washington region. Schwarz most recently served as the news director for the Bellingham Weekly and as editor for both the Whatcom Independent and The Northern Light. Cole, a freelance writer and editor, is also the owner and editor of What’s Up! a monthly magazine featuring the local music scene.
Corporate Gifts Northwest opens in La Conner
Bob and Peggy Prince, founders and former owners of Cascade Candy Company in La Conner recently started a new venture they hope will be just what the doctor ordered for the holiday season.
Corporate Gifts Northwest is a service business intended to help companies of all sizes build long term relationships with their customers, vendors and employees by providing a personalized customer service program to utilize throughout the year.
Bob and Peggy also will have their chocolate and specialty items available to be sent for the holiday season.
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