Business - Business News

POSTED: Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009

Longtime Bellingham business Lehmann's moving into bigger space

A longtime Bellingham business will soon move into a bigger, busier space.

Lehmann's Maytag Home Appliance Center, which has been in business for 80 years, is planning to move into the former United Auto Electric building at 2001 James St., near Hardware Sales. Lehmann's is currently at 1420 Iowa St., and the location is having a close-out sale, said owner Terry Lehmann.

Lehmann has tentatively scheduled an opening date of Tuesday, Dec. 1, at the new location, with a grand opening planned for Jan. 21.

Lehmann said there were several factors prompting the move. One is space, which will increase 44 percent to 7,200 square feet. It's also a busy part of town, where James, Iowa and State streets intersect.

"This building happened to be available when we were looking to expand, and it's nice being near a landmark business," Lehmann said, referring to Hardware Sales.

Lehmann's is a landmark itself. Terry's grandfather, Ed Lehmann, opened the business in 1929, shortly after the start of the Great Depression. Terry Lehmann acquired the business from his dad, Don, in 1987. Terry's daughters, Heather Hulbert and Shannon Joneli, currently work at the store, which has been a Maytag dealer since its founding.

Hours at the new location will be 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information, call 733-7722.

NEW STORE HELPS SELLERS CONNECT WITH EBAY

For those who want to sell items on eBay but don't have the time to deal with it themselves, there's a new Bellingham store to help.

Last week Randy Stewart opened Stewart's eBay Consignment Shop in the Cornwall Plaza building on Cornwall Avenue and East Chestnut Street, near the Shrimp Shack. Stewart has an agreement with eBay to be a registered drop-off point. A former contractor, Stewart has been selling on eBay for four years and will take anything of value on consignment and sell it for a fee.

He also will sell items out of his storefront. While he'll sell anything, one of his niches has been classic audio equipment and video game systems, such as the Atari 2600.

"If it has a company logo, someone is out there collecting it," Stewart said. "Along with the convenience, I offer the experience of getting the right price for the item."

To avoid selling stolen items, Stewart requires the seller to be an adult and have valid identification.

The store is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For details, call 739-7089.

OTHER TIDBITS

• Waldenbooks is closing approximately 200 mall stores in January, including the store in Bellis Fair. According to Borders Group company, which owns Waldenbooks, there will be no change in member status for customers who joined the Borders Rewards customer loyalty program. Approximately 1,500 jobs will be eliminated as a result of the closures.

• A clothing store is now open in the former Carquest building at 405 E. Holly St. The business, which doesn't have a sign, sells men's, women's and children's clothing.

• Super Mario's restaurant is now open at 3008 Northwest Ave., near Yeager's Sporting Goods. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day for lunch and dinner. It also has a bakery. For details, call 393-4637.