Plenty of openings, closings in Whatcom retail

It was a busy third quarter when it came to retail business openings and closings in Whatcom County.

By the end of the third quarter, there were at least 35 retail business closings and 74 openings, with the pace for both picking up from July through the end of September.

The number of closings in the third quarter (16) nearly equaled the first half of the year (19), while businesses were opening at a faster clip than in the first two quarters.

That’s a bit unusual, as openings and closings typically take place in the first half of the year to get that first boost of increased sales from the back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons. If trends go back to traditional patterns, openings and closings will decrease in the final weeks of 2015, with closings to increase in the first few weeks of 2016.

Here’s are some of the notable openings and closings during the summer and fall:

Openings: Ferndale Grocery Outlet, Co-Op Bakery, 1 Paperboat, Ovn Wood Fire Pizza, Shirlee Bird Cafe, Twin Sisters Creamery, Earthbound Trading Co., Express Japan, and Thai Go.

Closings: Michael’s Books (last day Dec. 31), AW Bistro, Brenthaven, Star Club, and Mozza.

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 6:01 AM with the headline "Plenty of openings, closings in Whatcom retail."