Retail Tipsheet: Train or Tri returns to Bellingham

Maureen “Mo” Trainor is back in the saddle again when it comes to running a business.

Trainor recently opened Train or Tri at 909 Squalicum Parkway, building B, unit 105, near Squalicum Creek Park. Trainor offers a variety of services geared for triathletes and cyclists, including spin classes, bike fittings, gear and an art gallery. The store will have a grand opening celebration 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, including live Irish music from 2 to 5 p.m.

Trainor originally opened Train or Tri near Hardware Sales on James Street in 2005 but had to close it down in 2010 to deal with some health issues. As she recovered, her doctors told her she could start resuming her active lifestyle but they warned her to not get too busy. When she had the store on James Street, Trainor was also a professional triathlete, a coach and a person who offered a variety of services like bike fitting for other athletes.

“There’s a fine line between being active and not overdoing it,” Trainor said.

For now, Trainor has taken a break from competing professionally in triathlons, but the business is keeping her plenty busy. A bike fitting done by Trainor is as much an art as it is a science, and she spends a lot of time making sure a cyclist is getting the maximum efficiency out of each ride while also doing it without pain.

For a professional athlete, Trainor can take up to four hours making sure a cyclist is dialed in, using video and lasers to pinpoint details like what the knees are doing on each rotation or how the person is positioned on the bike. Even how the feet are on the pedals can take up quite a bit of time.

With this kind of detail to fittings, Trainor more than likely will discover old injuries that the body is compensating for and help the cyclist.

On the retail side, Trainor has a variety of gear for the triathlete, including her own personal clothing line. Her outfits are quickly recognizable in the community, sporting bright red, yellow and orange colors.

The art gallery is a new twist as she showcases a variety of local work that tends to follow a triathlon and cycling theme. She is also organizing a series of speaking events, giving people a chance to read and talk about things related to cycling/triathlons.

Trainor continues to coach and has assembled a talented local triathlon team that has a mix of young and more experienced athletes.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Details about the store and all its services can be found at trainortry.com.

SOCIAL FABRIC GOES INTO HATCH SPACE

The city of Bellingham has a new tenant for a space that’s been hard to fill in recent years.

Local artist and educator Renee Sherrer has opened a business focused on fashion, sewing and textile arts. It is called Social Fabric, and it now occupies the former Hatch space at 1302 Commercial St.

The space was marketed as part of a business incubator idea put together earlier this year by the city, Western Washington University students and the Downtown Bellingham Partnership. The 1,700-square-foot space was revamped by the students, who also helped potential businesses with a variety of resources with the goal of landing a tenant.

Sherrer signed a two-year lease with the city and will be using the space as a place to offer classes in fashion, sewing and textile arts. Social Fabric also will be a boutique selling mostly locally products and featuring an art gallery. She has worked in the fashion industry in a variety of positions, including designer, manufacturer and manager. Her previous business, smARTwear, was a wearable art gallery/boutique in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif.

Sherrer said she knew before signing the lease that the space has been hard to fill, but she believes her business plan will work because with the classes and events, it would be more of a destination place. That way she doesn’t have to rely solely on foot traffic to make it a success.

Store hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday. The company’s website, socialfabricart.com, is currently under construction but once up it will be the place to check on classes and other news. In the meantime, call 360-733-1323.

BREWERY ROUNDUP

Menace Brewing has submitted a state liquor license application to move its brewery from Ferndale to 2529 Meridian St., in Bellingham’s Fountain district in the former Meridian Collision space. ... Structures Brewing opened last week at 1420 N. State St. with a tasting room. Bellingham Tap Trail reports that it will sell beers from 4 to 32 ounces, giving customers a chance to try out a variety of different brews. The brewery is open 3-9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Details about the company can be found at structuresbrewing.com. ... Boundary Bay Brewery announced it is releasing five beers from its Bootlegger Barrel Series at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, in its new Mountain Room at 1103 Railroad Ave. The five beers were aged in Chuckanut Bay Distillery’s Hungarian oak whiskey or American oak bourbon barrels, according to a company news release. Live music is also on tap. The beers are Cabin Fever, Scotch-Style Ale, two variations of Imperial Oatmeal Stout and Cedar Dust IPA.

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 4:10 AM with the headline "Retail Tipsheet: Train or Tri returns to Bellingham."