A couple of businesses have decided to move to Bellingham in order to grow.
JA Games and Hoagtech Hydroponics recently moved from Lynden into the former Fanatik building at 2025 James St., across the street from Hardware Sales. JA Games sells electronic games for a variety of systems, including Xbox, Wii and Playstation. The company also does repair work for current generation systems.
Hoagtech Hydroponics focuses on indoor gardening and greenhouse equipment, including lighting, soils and reflective surfaces.
Owners at both companies said they made the move into Bellingham because it's a bigger market. Both companies happened to be in the same building in Lynden and the simultaneous move helped fill the James Street building.
"This is also a great location, right in the middle of town and just off the freeway," said Adam Scholtz, who owns JA Games with Jordan Murari.
While game products are what many customers will see when they walk into JA Games, a big chunk of the company's business is service repair. One of the more common issues they deal with is what many Xbox gamers call the "red ring of death," when the machine malfunctions and flashes a red light around the power button. They also commonly fix DVD drive issues, Scholtz said.
Scholtz said they expect service work to remain a big part of the business, because it's less expensive than buying a new system and because he doesn't expect many new generations of game consoles in the near future.
Hoagtech Hydroponics owner Daniel Hoag said his biggest customer base is the garden hobbyist, generally between 40 and 60 years old, but he has noticed a wide demographic range. He said this time of year is generally a busy one, as gardeners deal with the lack of sunlight during the winter months.
One of the things he likes about the new space is the freight doors in the front of the building, allowing for easy loading for soil purchases. He said his focus is offering a low price point, offering products not generally found in that part of town.
JA Games is open noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, while Hoagtech is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. More information about both companies can be found on Facebook.
NEW NEIGHBORHOOD STORE COMING TO BELLINGHAM
Patrick McEvoy is making plans to create a store with more of a neighborhood feel for the Columbia/Lettered Streets/Eldridge residents.
McEvoy is taking over the convenience store portion of the building at 1400 W. Holly St. (near St. Paul's Episcopal Church). He plans to remodel the store and re-open it as Elizabeth Station in February. He's currently working on what it will have, but he wants to have a specialty beer section and potentially a cereal bar. It'll also have some traditional products for people who want to make a quick stop on the way home, including fruit, vegetables and chips.
The cereal bar is a work in progress, but McEvoy is envisioning something that has a café feel to it, offering a variety of different cereals and milk. The flower shop that is connected to the building is expected to remain in place.
Updates on the remodeling work and when it will be open as Elizabeth Station can be found on Facebook.
OTHER TIDBITS
• City Dogs Grooming has opened in the former check-cashing building on the corner of Holly Street and Lakeway Drive. The move tripled the business' square footage, and it's now accepting all dog breeds. The retail area for specialty dog accessories, coats, grooming tools and gifts for dog lovers will be stocked in about a month. A grand opening is scheduled for later this month. The new location is 711 Holly St. For information, call 360-756-9515 or visit citydogsgrooming.com.
• Also recently opening is the barbershop Jake's BS, at 1411 Cornwall Ave. Owner Julie Wilson recently brought back the business, which had been in various locations in Bellingham in recent years. She said it'll have the same atmosphere and services as the former Jake's, with walk-ins welcome. It's open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For details, call 360-306-8071 or visit jakesbs.com.
• Dog on Fire, a computer repair company at 1001 Larrabee Ave., is adding a new service, going into hardware repairs on laptops. It's doing a half-off promotion through the end of the year. For details, call 360-202-5560.
