With coronavirus cases again on the rise, these Whatcom businesses are adapting
Here’s an update on retail activity happening around Whatcom County:
▪ With the number of COVID-19 cases rising across the state, Whatcom County businesses are already starting to make adjustments ahead of potential new restrictions.
Evolve Chocolate announced on Facebook that it is closing its dining room for now in the Village Books building in Fairhaven, but will continue to have counter-, curbside- and Viking-delivery service. The cafe also announced it has a new holiday menu and that hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
“We look forward to when we can resume our normal operations but for now we want to make sure that we are being cautious with the space that we have,” according to the Facebook post.
Elizabeth Station announced in an email to customers that it will only allow eating outside its store after investing in heaters for the outside seating areas. The email noted the increase in cases, and wanted to make sure shoppers were comfortable inside the building with everyone wearing masks.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to announce new measures geared toward preventing the spread of coronavirus in the coming days.
▪ After the year everyone has had, restaurant owner Jesse Cantu has decided to expand his customer appreciation day to three days during the week of Thanksgiving.
Luna’s Bistro and the three Jalapenos locations will have cash days Nov. 23-25. That means customers will receive a 50% discount on their entire bill if they pay in cash.
Cantu has offered this event since 2011, but in the past only offered it on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
▪ Bellis Fair has posted its holiday hours, noting that it will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.
The mall will be open early the day after Thanksgiving, going with a 7 a.m. start for Black Friday shoppers. Individual store and restaurant hours may vary.
Anchor stores like JC Penney and Kohl’s have already announced they will not be open on Thanksgiving Day, opting for a Black Friday start. In recent years many of the stores, including inside the main mall area, were open on Thanksgiving Day.
▪ See’s Candies’ pop-up store is back for the holidays in Bellingham, but this year it has a new pick-up option.
The store is back in Sunset Square at 1145 E. Sunset Drive. This year customers have the option of ordering online and picking up in a designated area.
▪ A building permit was submitted to build a 4,634 square foot medical building for Bellingham Foot and Ankle Clinic. The building would go in at 4541 Cordata Parkway, near the Peace Health Cordata medical offices.
▪ A new building under construction at 3111 Woburn St. near Wells Fargo bank will be home to Northwest Gastroenterology and Endoscopy.
The medical firm has partnered with the Barkley Company to build the 23,817 square foot medical building. The new building will include innovative design features and a state-of-the-art gastroenterology center, according to a news release.
Northwest Gastroenterology and Northwest Endoscopy Center are independent, physician-owned and operated practices that have served patients in Whatcom county since 1979.
The new building is scheduled to be completed by December 2021. Bellingham’s Exxel Pacific is the general contractor.
This story was originally published November 14, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
