Prospects pick up for Young Building

Of course, there’s no telling when Whatcom County’s weather will actually warm up, but at least Loewen can expect neighbors soon. The Rustic Coffee Bar is expected to be open at the end of June, as is Jimmy’s Personal Care, which does manicures, pedicures and facials.

Donna Heerspink, who is opening Rustic with her husband, Norm, said they are excited to get in and continue filling in the new retail spaces.

“We love the building and this part of town; it’s the kind of spot we’ve been looking for more than a year,” said Heerspink, who opened and still operates a drive-through coffee stand called Muddy Waters in Lynden.

Heerspink said they are going with earthy, warm colors and leather seating to give a nice but laid-back feel to the coffee shop. They’ll have free Wi-Fi and are planning to be open earlier in the morning (possibly starting at 6 a.m.) and to stay open later in the evening (possibly closing at 8 p.m.) than what you typically see in Fairhaven.

“We’re hoping to cater to the local residents, the tourists and students, so we think there is an opportunity to serve them with the longer hours,” Heerspink said.

On the other side of the Young Building, in the newly developed McKenzie Alley, is Aisling, which has seen steady customers despite being the only business there, said Kate Sweeney, who owns it with Carrie Vining.

“We’re more of a destination business and people are finding us, but it would be great to have more foot traffic here,” Sweeney said.

Becki Taylor of Windermere Real Estate believes those empty spaces near Aisling will fill up soon. She’s been handling the leasing arrangements for the buildings, and after a few months this winter when they weren’t receiving many inquiries, interest has picked up in the past month. There are no new tenants, but Taylor believes a few are close to signing.

“Many of the potential tenants wanted to wait through the winter and are much more interested in getting started now,” Taylor said.

The tenant space in the upper floor of the Waldron building (facing 12th Street) is prepped for a restaurant, while the lower level (facing McKenzie Alley) can have a variety of uses, she said.

There are also two retail spaces left in the Young Building.

OTHER TIDBITS

Plato’s Closet, a used clothing store that is moving into Meridian Village, is buying clothes to stock its store. Jeff Swanson, president of Swan Arts Inc. (which has other Plato’s Closet stores in Washington and Oregon) said they plan to fill the 3,000-squarefoot space with about 10,000 clothing items. The store is paying cash for a variety of “slightly used” brand-name clothes, including Abercromie & Fitch, Aeropostale, Limited and Old Navy. The grand opening for the store at 3960 Meridian St. is scheduled for June 5. For more information, visit www.platosclosetbellingham.com.

… A permit application has been submitted to the Bellingham Planning Department for $86,000 in tenant improvements at the Fred Meyer Bakerview shopping center for a new restaurant called Magic Dragon Chinese Eatery.

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