This new Bellingham business hopes to partner with non-profit organizations
Otherside Bagel Co. has been open on State Street since May 13 and owner Bayly Peterson said business is going well.
“We’re still focusing on getting our feet on the ground,” Peterson said. “But we’ve been able to do better in the last week or two.”
Peterson also owns AB Crepes in Downtown Bellingham. He said he opened Otherside because there is only one other bagel shop in Bellingham and he wanted to create one that breaks tradition and is a little weird as a business.
Despite having a modern shop, Otherside is not focused on making everything perfect. Peterson said a lot of people have come in expected certain things, like polished products, but that’s not what they’re about. Otherside is trying to show the beauty of in imperfection with its house-made bagels made with flour sourced from Cairnspring Mills in Burlington.
Otherside offers a wide, and not usually available, variety of bagels, schmears, sandwiches and coffee with a focus in community involvement. Peterson said they specifically partner with local non-profit organizations including Sustainable Connections and Northwest Youth Services.
“I have a lot of fun ideas,” Peterson said. “We’re hoping to be involved in the community in a variety of ways.”
Part of Otherside’s growing community involvement is participating in local events. This summer it is partnering with two new local festival, Northwest Tune-Up and Bellingham Budfest.
Northwest Tune-Up is a bike, beer and music festival for the celebration of Pacific Northwest culture. The festival will feature a mountain bike track for competitions, over 20 music artists performing live and 24 breweries from the region. This is the festival’s first year of operation, it will be held from July 8-10 at 1145 Granary Ave.
Bellingham Budfest is a free, all-ages festival to promote the normalization of cannabis through education. The festival will feature live music from local artists, educational panels, showcases of artwork and food vendors. This is the festival’s second year of operation, it will be held from noon-6 p.m. July 16 at 2600 N. Harbor Loop Drive.
Peterson said a dream event for him would be a bagel and beer 5k in a summer to come.
“I’m hoping we can partner with a local brewery and do an inter-urban 5k around the city,” Peterson said.
Another goal for Peterson is for Otherside to have the ability to make in-house lox for its bagels. After nine years of commercial fishing, Peterson knows how difficult this process can be but he is already putting his plan in place. Peterson said he would go fishing in Alaska to catch salmon to bring back to Bellingham and he has a friend at a butcher shop helping him come up with recipes.
“I’m thinking of going up (to Alaska) in late summer to see what I can get,” Peterson said.
More information can be found on the website and Instagram page. Otherside Bagel Co. is located at 929 N. State St. and is open every day from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This story was originally published July 6, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
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