Business - Business News

POSTED: Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009

New Whatcom County store offering bargain prices on the Guide

Andy Brauner is counting on the desire for getting great deals with his latest venture.

Earlier this month Brauner opened U-Save-Big in a warehouse near the former BB Lumber building at 4894 Guide Meridian. The 6,000-square-foot store is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. In terms of what they sell, it's just about anything they can get their hands on through distressed sales and overstock sales. The products are all new and mostly in the home-décor category, including tile, furniture, lighting and sinks, but they also might have sporting goods and electronic equipment.

It might be easier just to mention what they won't be selling: food, clothing and toys.

"This is a no-frills store for those who enjoy bargain hunting and know that the products are always changing," Brauner said. "Many of our customers will be contractors, do-it-yourselfers and gift-makers."

Brauner got the idea after coming across products that didn't quite fit in his other store, Buyer's Market, which is on Iowa Street. He started that business in 2000 and focuses on home improvement products.

While he is seeing plenty of products through distressed sales because of the economic recession, he also finds plenty of products through other types of sales, such as shelf pulls, where a store discontinues selling one product because it is adding a competitor's brand. Whatever sale he gets it from, Brauner said customers can save up to 70 percent off the regular price.

"I enjoy seeing the reaction of customers when they find something they need," Brauner said. "They get really, really excited."

GIUSEPPE'S MOVING TO WATERFRONT

Giuseppe Mauro is moving a step closer to fulfilling his dream of having a waterfront restaurant.

Earlier this month he announced that he will be moving Giuseppe's Italian Restaurant on Cornwall Avenue into the Bellwether Gate Building A, which is now being constructed on Bellwether Way by Ebenal Special Projects Inc. He'll also be changing the name to Giuseppe's Al-Porto. He plans to start tenant improvements in early spring and be open in the early part of the summer.

Giuseppe's will take up about 5,500 square feet of space on the ground floor of the four-story, mixed-use building. He said the new location will have a lighter, more casual feel to it with lots of windows for customers to check out the nearby harbor.

"It reminds me of a fishing town in Sicily, where I grew up," Mauro said. "It'll be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to being out on the waterfront."

BELLIS FAIR MAKES CHANGES

There have been a few changes at Bellis Fair heading into the holiday shopping season.

• First, a large tenant just opened: Safari Mini Golf opened in the former Daiso space in the Sears wing of the mall. The 12,200-square-foot space now has 18 holes and is similar to the glow-in-the-dark mini golf course that used to be in the Target wing, said Bellis Fair General Manager Dennis Curtis. Also opening near Kohl's is Vivid Creations, which creates personalized t-shirts.

• The Sweet Factory closed earlier this month. The candy store, which was near Kay Jewelers, opened in December 2008.

• While the mall has a wide variety of temporary holiday tenants each year, including See's Candy and Hickory Farms, here are a couple of new ones to Bellis Fair worth noting: Precision Mountainwear, which sells coats and other winter clothes, is in the Macy's wing of the mall. Lynden Chocolate and Lynden Dutch Bakery have teamed up to sell products near Bath & Body Works.