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closeFor Lynda and Russ Grant, as well as much of the Ferndale community, their version of “Happy Days” is coming to an end this week.
For 23 years the Grants have operated Grant’s Drive-In at 1861 Main St., near the Ferndale Haggen store. They own the business and the building, but the property was recently sold to make way for a retail shopping center. So the last day for Grant’s Drive-In is Saturday, and they’ll be going out in traditional drive-in style: cruising cars will be parked in the lot, and the Grants will be giving away cake.
“It’s been such a fun experience, we want to end it with a nice party that celebrates what drive-ins were about,” said Lynda Grant, 66. “This was a great hangout for kids after school, like you would see on the ‘Happy Days’ show. We wanted it to end that way.”
The drive-in has been much more than a 23-year ownership experience for Lynda Grant. She started working there 43 years ago, when it was known as Jack’s Drive-In. Back then, the nearby Haggen store property was a big farm, and much of the area was empty. But the drive-in was the place for teens to go after school.
Not much of the drive-in has changed over the years: The juke box is still in the corner; plenty of memorabilia hangs on the walls, including large pictures of Ferndale High School graduating classes during the 1950s; Elvis Presley photos and drawings grace the walls in the dining area; the speaker boxes are still in the parking area.
“The only thing that’s really changed around here is the prices,” Grant said with a laugh. “We still have Jack’s Big Bun hamburger on the menu. Many of the customers we have now are the people we served back in the 1970s, but now they have children and grandchildren.”
Lynda took ownership of the drive-in in 1985 when her boss, Jack Postelwaite, asked if she wanted to take over the business.
“I was a little surprised; I thought he meant some time much later, but a few weeks later Russ and I had ownership of the place,” Lynda said.
While Lynda is disappointed that it’s the end of an era for the drive-in, she’s more reflective about the fun she’s had there.
“I’m old enough now to try out retirement,” Lynda said. “What we’ll miss the most is the people; it’s been great having the community here, finding out how everyone is doing. It’s also been great for Russ. I’ll miss him telling jokes, handing out suckers to the kids. We just had a great time here.”
Lynda said she’ll also miss the crazy antics and enthusiasm of the high school students over the years. She remembers a time when another business down the street had a statue of a woman that was about 18 feet tall. A typical stunt was to take the huge statue and move it to the front of the drive-in, greeting the Grants when they showed up in the morning. The police would then track down the pranksters and have them move it back.
And, of course, there was the Jake Locker phenomenon.
“When Jake was in high school customers would make us stay open until the team returned from a road game,” Lynda said. “I don’t know if we made much money on that, but we have some great memories that will stay with us.”
After the final day on Saturday, Russ and Linda plan on jumping into retirement by spending more time with their grandchildren.
“It’s a great time for us to go play with them, while they’re still small,” Lynda said. “We’re looking forward to it.”
NEW STORE FOR FORMER BRENTHAVEN SPOT
Gretchen Bjork has wanted to open a furniture/home decor store for quite some time, and she’s found the perfect spot.
Bjork and her husband, Ben Knudsen, plan on having a soft opening at the end of the month for Digs at the former Brenthaven spot at 200 W. Holly St. Much of the store will be filled with modern furniture, home décor and gift items. A formal opening is scheduled for April 5.
Bjork, who opened Left Right Left shoes at the nearby Gateway Building in December 2005, said she wanted to open a furniture store first.
“I realized that opening a store like this is quite a daunting task, so I started with the shoe store, which is what I had more experience with,” said Bjork, who will focus on running Digs while her employees run Left Right Left. “Getting the right product mix is a huge task, but we have most of it in place now.”
Bjork said Digs will have a wide range of eco-friendly products.
OTHER TIDBITS
Last week The Bank of the Pacific moved out of the Barkley district into its new building at 4124 Hannegan Road. The new branch offers drive-up services, as well as commercial and home representatives on staff. … Are you feeling a bit blue when you get caught outside in another Pacific Northwest rainstorm? Richard Sielicki came up with his own solution one day while out on a jog in Whatcom Falls Park this past summer. It led to the creation of the Omm Brella Production company, which is an umbrella that has the Tibetan Omm symbol on it. In a press release, he said it’s a way to protect the body from the elements while increasing the spiritual connection with the symbol as a reminder. To check it out, visit
www.OmmBrella.com.
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