Farmer’s Market updates COVID rules; Bellingham businesses hoping to add to the art scene
Two new businesses in downtown Bellingham are hoping to add to the art scene.
Geheim Gallery and Black Noise Records are on Bay Street, near the Camber cafe. The gallery opened in October in the midst of the pandemic restrictions and is owned by Jackson O’Rourke and Desi Valdez. Black Noise Records opened in June and is operated by siblings Nico and Alex Sanchez.
The gallery offers local and national artists in its exhibits, which rotate every four weeks, Jackson said in an email. The next new show is set to open on Friday, July 2. Previously, O’Rouke operated a small art collective called The Piano Room in the alley near the Firefly Lounge before it closed last year.
Black Noise Records is a store that sells and trades used records and cassette tapes for the beginning collector to the seasoned crate digger, according to Nico Sanchez. The company is also an independent label, hosting artists from the Bellingham and Seattle areas.
With both businesses now operating and pandemic restrictions expected to be lifted at the end of the month, the owners are planning to do community-driven events, including block parties with local vendors and businesses.
For details about the gallery, which is at 1228 Bay St., visit geheimgallery.com. For details on Black Noise Records, which is at 1230 Bay St., visit blacknoiserecords.com.
Here’s a roundup of other recent retail activity around Whatcom County:
▪ Black Fern Coffee is now open in the Granary Building, near Bellingham’s Waypoint Park. Along with coffee, Black Fern sells wine and beer.
Black Fern joins a growing list of businesses opening in the Waterfront District, including Kulshan Brewing’s Trackside Beer Garden and the bakery SconeGrown. Others are expected to open soon, including an ice cream shop.
▪ A company that makes charcuterie food boards is making plans to open a storefront in Ferndale. Yeah Baby Boards is making plans to go into 2015 Main St., near the Cedar’s Restaurant. According to the company’s Facebook post, the plan is to be open later this summer.
▪ A restaurant/lounge state liquor license application was submitted for 132 E. Holly St., which is the former Starbucks space on the Railroad Avenue corner. The name of the business is not listed, but the applicants are Matthew’s of Bellingham LLC, Matthew Twining and Courtney Twining.
▪ The website Whatcom News reports that Sliced, the Italian restaurant going into the former Boston’s space near Bellis Fair, is aiming for a mid-July opening. Sliced Owner Dupree Brar owns two other restaurants in Bakersfield, Calif., according to Whatcom News.
▪ Champlin Guitars is planning to reopen in a bigger space at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 30.
The new spot is at 1121 N. State St., in the alley area near the Herald Building. The company was in smaller storefront space at the Hotel Leo.
The expanded Champlin Guitars contains three interconnected areas: a retail space, a repair workshop and a music lesson studio. The retail area carries a selection of used guitars, basses, banjos, ukuleles and specialty instruments In the repair workshop Devin Champlin and his staff offer instrument repair services ranging from basic set-ups to complete restoration. Since 2006 Champlin has built more than 70 guitars and mandolins from scratch.
Paul Russell’s music lesson studio, The Musical Mandala, has partnered with Champlin and is incorporated into the shop. Russell offers guitar, piano and voice lessons.
Details can be found at Champlin’s or Russell’s websites.
▪ The Bellingham Farmers Market has updated its COVID-19 protocols as more people become vaccinated. According to its website, masks are now optional for fully vaccinated people and eating/food sampling will be allowed again at the market. More details can be found online.
▪ For those looking for work as many pandemic restrictions are lifted next week, WorkSource centers in Whatcom, Skagit and Island counties are reopening to the public as well.
The reopening of WorkSource offices to the public starts Monday, June 28, and is by appointment only. WorkSource provides individuals looking for work a place to conduct job search activities and use computers to do things like print cover letters and resumes. To reserve a time, the public can visit worksourcewa.com, or call 360-676-1521.
This story was originally published June 27, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
