Retail tidbits: A new store plans to open in Fairhaven; lunch is back at Milano’s
Here’s a roundup of recent Whatcom County retail activity:
▪ A building permit application was submitted to put in a Lululemon retail store at 1215 12th St., Suite 103, in the Fairhaven Tower building.
▪ Milano’s restaurant in Fairhaven announced that it is bringing back a lunch menu.
Lunch is served 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Menu items include prawns, scallops, sandwiches and pasta. Details can be found on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
▪ Skylark’s Cafe in Fairhaven will be closed Monday, Nov. 29 through Wednesday, Dec. 1, for floor refinishing work in the dining room, according to a Facebook post.
▪ New data shows Whatcom County retailers were ringing up sales last spring even though they weren’t seeing Canadian shoppers because of pandemic border restrictions.
Whatcom’s taxable retail sales totaled $1.44 billion in the second quarter of 2021, according to the Washington State Department of Revenue. That’s up a whopping 37.1% compared to the second quarter of 2020 when Whatcom County was dealing with severe COVID-19 restrictions and temporary business closures.
The 2021 second quarter total was a big total even compared to pre-pandemic years. In the second quarter of 2019, for example, taxable retail sales totaled $1.23 billion.
Whatcom clothing sales, which took a big hit early on in the pandemic, rebounded in a big way last spring. Sales in the second quarter were $25.3 million, which is almost double the 2020 second quarter total of $13.6 million. Furniture (up 58.2% year-over-year) and car sales (up 48.1%) also were among the biggest rebounding categories.
▪ Snapper Shuler Kenner Insurance’s 10th annual Turkey Drive provided 213 turkeys to Whatcom County families in need in November.
Around two tons of turkeys were distributed to families by Bellingham Food Bank and Lynden-based Project Hope Food Bank, according to a company news release. The turkeys were purchased with numerous donations from the public and $2,000 from Lynden-based SSK Insurance, which also donated time and vehicles to deliver the turkeys to the food banks.
“These turkeys came at an ideal time because so many local families were devastated by recent flooding,” said Bobbi Green, a longtime SSK employee who headed the drive. “We’re grateful that so many individuals and businesses made it possible to help many local families at Thanksgiving.”
This story was originally published November 28, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
