Dave Campbell is hoping to bring in more of that relaxed, neighborhood feel to the downtown Bellingham bar scene.
Campbell recently opened Tubbs Tavern at 118 W. Holly St., near Banditos Burritos. For now the tavern sticks to beer and wine, with an emphasis on local breweries. He characterizes Tubbs as the opposite of flashy, going with the slogan "revive the dive." He wants it to be the kind of place where people can sit, relax and have a fairly quiet conversation.
"This is not a place for a raging party," he said.
Even the grand opening was subdued. At the end of December Campbell turned on the "open" sign.
"My goal now is to try to make it better every day," Campbell said.
He plans to offer food soon, including hot dogs and French dip sandwiches. He's pondering the idea of offering other liquor but currently enjoys the idea of being just a beer and wine tavern.
He views the location as a good one because it's in between the other nightspots on the east side of Holly, such as Beaver Inn and The Royal, and not far from the ones on the west side, including the Cabin Tavern and the Waterfront Tavern.
"We get an extremely diverse crowd, which is great," Campbell said.
Tubbs is open 3 p.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week.
FAIRLY QUIET FIRST MONTH OF 2012
January is usually a time of transition for retailers, but it appears to be a fairly quiet month in Whatcom County.
This is typically the time of year when retailers that are thinking about closing follow through. After the holiday season, it's a slow time for sales. The first month of the year is also a time when leases that weren't renegotiated expire.
So far this month seven retailers announced they were closing. That's the same total as the first month of 2011. One of the tougher times for local retailers was in 2009, when 21 stores closed in the first two months.
In the first month there have been five announced retail openings, which is also the same as last year.
OTHER TIDBITS
• A liquor license application was submitted to the state to sell beer and wine in a small grocery store at 107 E. Holly St., in the Bellingham Bank building. The proposed name of the store is JJ's In and Out, and the applicant is Sanjay Chanan.
• According to its Facebook page, the Beach Store Cafe on Lummi Island (near the ferry dock) has closed. The owners thanked the community for support for the past three years and said the café was closed until further notice.
• Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Lynden (8082 Guide Meridian) will soon be opening. The construction is done and now it's down to the final inspections, said owner Cheri Benson in an email.
• On Friday, Jan. 20, El Albanil Mexican Food opened at 3619 Byron St. (in the former IHOP building near the Samish intersection). The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. Manager Rafael Alvarado said they plan on focusing on affordable, quick dining. Prices range from $5.75 to $6.95 for lunch.
• Building permits were recently approved for Whistle Workwear to expand into an empty space at 3908 Meridian St., as well as for a new Mexican restaurant in the Barkley Crossroads retail center (near Lowe's Home Improvement) called Taqueria Tecalitan.
