A new restaurant is coming to Bellingham; latest on reopenings, closings
Here’s a roundup of recent activity in Whatcom County:
▪ Big Stick BBQ is taking over the former Jeckyl & Hyde restaurant space at 709 W. Orchard Drive.
Owners Rick and Linda Atkins plan to have the brick-and-mortar version of Big Stick BBQ ready by Thursday, Oct. 1. The menu will have the food truck favorites, but also a broader menu. The food truck menu includes brisket, ribs, pulled pork meat and sandwiches.
Jeckyl & Hyde, which closed the brick-and-mortar part of the business at the end of August, has a variety of its barbecue meats available online.
The Big Stick BBQ food truck, which began operating three years ago, will continue to offer food. It’s currently at Stemma Brewing at 2039 Moore St. Friday through Sunday.
▪ Blue Horizon Clothing of Fairhaven announced on Instagram that it is closing its boutique and moving all its brands to its sister business, Three French Hens.
The final day for Blue Horizon at 1302 12th St. is Wednesday, Sept. 30. Three French Hens is nearby at 1100 Harris Ave.
▪ Two longtime local publications announced this week plans to cease publication of their print editions, citing the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grow Northwest announced on Facebook that it is no longer printing monthly editions. The 10-year-old monthly publication focused on community news in Whatcom and the surrounding counties, particularly in farming, gardening and events. The publication had stopped print publication in March with the emergence of the pandemic and made the decision not to restart.
“As a family-owned, independent publication, it is heartbreaking to share this with you. Grow is community work that we truly love, and has been a part of our lives for years,” said co-owner Becca Schwarz Cole. “Since we launched from our kitchen table back in May 2010, Grow has always operated on a very small budget, and we are very thankful for the local businesses who advertised in our pages as well as the subscriptions and small donations from residents.”
Schwarz Cole said they are currently redesigning its website and will attempt to launch an online-only publication. What’s Up!, the local entertainment publication which is operated by Brent Cole, remains on hiatus for now.
Also announcing that it has ceased print publication is Entertainment News Northwest. The owners of the publication also cited the pandemic as a main factor in ceasing print publication after nearly 17 years.
“Many of our distribution points are closed, and will likely remain closed for some time. There are no events on the horizon for our regular advertisers to promote, and the notion of a ‘packed house’ seems elusive until a vaccine is developed. It didn’t seem right for us to seek COVID relief funds when so many other people and organizations need help. Please support them if you are able,” according to the post on the publication’s website, signed by Mark Fuller, Barbara Fuller, Gladys Crnich, and Lynna Dunn Fuller.
The publishing team plans to keep its database intact and remains open to the idea of working with an interested party to restart the publication. Further inquiries or questions can be emailed to editor@ennw.info.
▪ Chocolate Necessities has reopened its downtown Bellingham location near the Mt. Baker Theatre. The new hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday, according to a Facebook post.
▪ The Fireside Martini & Wine Bar in Bakerview Square is planning to reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 8 with indoor and outdoor seating. The owners are encouraging customers to make reservations by clicking the “Book Now” button on the bar’s Facebook page.
▪ The Southside bar in Fairhaven noted on Facebook that it has expanded its outdoor seating into the parking area during the COVID-19 pandemic.
▪ Along with the closing of the downtown coffee shop last week, Starbucks also has closed its kiosk area one at Bellis Fair mall. The company still has 11 cafes in Bellingham, however.
▪ A city sign permit application indicates that a T-Mobile store is going into the new building under construction near the Subway store at 121 E. Samish Way.
▪ A new store opened on Tuesday, Sept. 1 in Blaine. It’s called Living Pantry Refillery and is at 684 Peace Portal Drive. According to its Facebook page, the store specializes in bulk foods, home goods and body care refills.
This story was originally published September 6, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
