Point Roberts store hits roadblock with Trader Joe’s products

Pamala Sheppard has discovered you can’t always give customers what they want.

Sheppard owns Auntie Pam’s Country Store at 1480 Gulf Road in Point Roberts. The store offers a variety of items, including jewelry, skin-care products, scarves and food. For a time she sold Trader Joe’s products that she had purchased at the Bellingham store, but stopped last fall after receiving a cease-and-desist order from the company’s lawyers. She was able to work out a partnership with Bosa Foods of Vancouver to continue offering food products, but said she has several customers who find it challenging to make the trip to Bellingham, going through four border crossings.

“I have so many unhappy people,” Sheppard said.

She’s making one more attempt to convince Trader Joe’s with a petition, asking the grocery chain to allow Sheppard to buy specific items for customers at full retail price. As of March 8, she had about 200 signatures, which are still being gathered at the store and online at thepetitionsite.com.

Trader Joe’s is protective of its products and notably the legal clashes it has had with a Vancouver, B.C., store called Pirate Joe’s, which resells Trader Joe’s products. Trader Joe’s contends the reselling hurts its business, but Pirate Joe’s owner Mike Hallatt’s position is that since he pays full price for the products, he can do what he wants with them – particularly since there are no Trader Joe’s stores in Canada.

Sheppard isn’t interested in going to court, so she’s hoping to persuade the company that the community should get a break for its unusual geographic position in the U.S. She considers it more a community service than a commercial enterprise.

A Trader Joe’s spokeswoman had no comment about the Auntie Pam’s cease-and-desist order.

PAPA JOHN’S COMING TO BELLINGHAM

National pizza chain Papa John’s is entering the Bellingham market, with plans to open a store at 1306 Lakeway Drive in April.

Albert Pugh, vice president of PPJ Enterprises Inc., is in the process of hiring about 25 people, including 15 delivery drivers. Once open, Pugh said Papa John’s will have a grand opening celebration with 20 percent of the restaurant’s net sales going to the Bellingham Food Bank. The restaurant is also planning to regularly donate pizzas each month to The Salvation Army.

For those not familiar with a Papa John’s pizza, Pugh said the focus is on its fresh ingredients. The dough is never frozen, the chicken is free of antibiotics, and the vegetables are fresh cut, he said.

Pugh, who has worked for Papa John’s for more than 13 years, decided to start his own franchise and chose Bellingham for his first store because he likes the area.

“Everyone I have met in Bellingham has been friendly and we are glad to be a part of this community,” Pugh said. “(Bellingham) has everything a person would want in a city without all of the big-city traffic.”

The restaurant will be open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. It will have a delivery area from south Bellingham to the West Bakerview Road area. Pugh hopes to open a second restaurant in Bellingham next year to expand that delivery coverage.

OTHER TIDBITS

A new auto repair business opened at 4092 Pacific Highway, near the Bellingham Costco. 1st Class Auto Body is a collision repair center, owned and operated by Joel Nunnikhoven. Along with repair services, the company offers car rental services on site. Details about the company can be found on its Facebook page or by calling 360-738-0888. ... ReUse Works, which operates the two job-training businesses Appliance Depot and Ragfinery, has a new executive director. Dallas Betz was hired by the organization’s board of directors. Appliance Depot and Ragfinery both use discarded materials (appliances and textiles) to provide job training. The refurbished appliances are sold with a 90-day warranty, while Ragfinery is a center for textile artist and crafters.

This story was originally published March 11, 2017 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Point Roberts store hits roadblock with Trader Joe’s products."