The red Fairhaven bus has been quiet for over a year. It will soon have this new tenant
The dormant big red bus in Fairhaven could be bustling with activity later this year.
Sam and Nancy Hassan have leased the property and are making plans to renovate the bus. They also plan to give the corner more of an English garden look, add a food truck and a nanobrewery to bring some activity back to the property at Harris Avenue and 11th Street.
The Hassans, who operate the nearby Milano’s restaurant, hope to have it ready by the end of June and are looking to add business partners to the project, Sam Hassan said in an email.
The Fairhaven Village bus, which was known for its fish-and-chips as well as ice cream, stopped serving food in winter before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in Whatcom County. According to The Bellingham Herald archives, the double-decker bus was built in 1928 and imported from England.
Sam Hassan said they plan to have a different take on the food offerings, going with a Brazilian steakhouse meat format and serving tacos. Hassan, who is from Brazil, said he plans on serving lunch and dinner at that spot.
Here are some details about what the Hassans have planned:
▪ Bus: Hassan plans to turn the bus parallel to 11th Street and then clean and paint it. The bus will be transformed with a hydroponic greenhouse to grow herbs and tomatoes year-round.
▪ Garden: It will have two water features, flower beds and benches. It will also have an original British phone booth.
▪ Nanobrewery: The tiny brewery is expected to start after the food truck is operating and the Hassans will create their own beers.
▪ Food truck: The Hassans plan to cook beef, chicken wrapped in bacon, lamb and salmon and incorporate it and sauces into the tacos through a Brazilian barbecue machine.
Where did the bus come from?
Ken Imus, a major developer in Fairhaven for several decades, bought the bus in California and refurbished it at his Ford dealership before shipping it to this area in 1973, said his son, Brad Imus.
Ken Imus originally planned to use the bus to transport people from around town into Fairhaven, providing exposure to his new developments. The bus was towed to its present spot in the early 1990s, where it was used as an espresso cart before the fish-and-chips business took hold.
Brad Imus said he was working with someone to reopen the bus as another fish-and-chips operation, but discovered it needed far more work than anticipated to make it work. With the arrival of the pandemic, Brad Imus said he likes this current plan for that spot.
“Sam has the same vision I have for the lot — not only to clean up the old bus itself but to rearrange things to allow for a more usable food prep area along with some covered seating that will make it more usable year-round,” Imus said in an email. “Ultimately this lot may have a building on it, but for now, in this day and age of outdoor dining, I think this will be a great use for it.”
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
