January is traditionally a time of change at Bellis Fair. Here’s an update
Here’s a roundup of recent retail activity around Whatcom County:
▪ During years when there isn’t a pandemic, January is typically the time for tenant changes at Bellis Fair mall. Right after the holiday shopping season is usually a traditional time to shift gears and it is a popular time for leases to expire. A group of businesses will close, and in past years, many of those vacated spaces would be filled in the spring.
With the arrival of COVID-19 and its impact on retailers and restaurants, what has that meant for the mall?
While there have indeed been closures or announced closures in January, as of last week the number of closures hasn’t been much different than in previous years.
Here are the changes I’ve seen either through announcements or walking around the mall last week: Christopher & Banks, the women’s clothing store, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, is having a closing business sale; Hollister Co., the teen/young adult clothing retailer, has “closing soon” signs posted outside its store; Zorganics, which has outlets in other parts of Bellingham, has closed its Bellis Fair location.
The Gap, which had been doing to some online pickup, appears to be closed permanently, according to its website.
Over in the Food Court, restaurants that permanently closed last year and haven’t been filled yet include Ivar’s seafood restaurant and Sbarro.
One new business that opened during the holiday shopping season and is still there is the Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club, which is near the JC Penney wing.
What might be more noticeable to customers at Bellis Fair is the number of empty spaces, which total more than 35. Many of those spots were vacated the previous January or before and were not filled by new tenants during the pandemic.
▪ A Bellingham sign permit application was submitted to put in a Batteries Plus store at 1301 W. Bakerview Road, in the Bakerview Fred Meyer shopping center. The company, which also does phone repairs along with its car batteries and light bulb sales, currently has 18 stores in Washington state.
▪ The food truck Piroshky Piroshky is making a stop at the Lummi Bay Market at Interstate 5, exit 26, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 17, with a limited on-site menu. The market is at 4839 Rural Ave.
Preorders can be done online by 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16. For future dates in Bellingham, check the food truck’s calendar.
▪ A new photo studio recently opened in Bellingham for indoor photos during the pandemic.
Kelsey Chance opened The Bellingham Studio on the ground floor of the Big Red Schoolhouse Historic Building at 1303 Astor St., near Elizabeth Station.
“The Bellingham Studio provides a multi-use space for creatives and offers an outlet for people who want to shoot photos in a beautiful environment outside of their homes or their clients’ homes,” Chance said in a news release. “Once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, it also will be a venue for workshops, dance classes, and events. The Bellingham Studio aims to be a welcoming space for all uses and is truly a blank slate.”
For further details, visit TheBellinghamStudio.com.
▪ Grand Avenue Alehouse announced on social media that it has reopened with a new menu for to-go orders. The menu includes burgers, sandwiches and basket items like fish & chips. The alehouse is at 113 Grand Ave.; check ahead for hours, last week it was noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
This story was originally published January 16, 2021 at 9:00 AM.
