This downtown Bellingham pub is closing; iconic winery under new ownership
Here’s a roundup of recent retail activity around Whatcom County:
▪ The Local Public House and its Local Annex is closing after Saturday, July 9. In a social media post the company said it would be open regular hours in its final days. The Local is at 1427 Railroad Ave., near the downtown Bellingham WTA station.
The Local was founded in 2013 and expanded in 2015 to include the annex space. It started off as a place to try out different types of local brews, expanding into food for lunch and dinner.
▪ It appears Mount Baker Vineyards will be under new ownership. A new state domestic winery liquor license application was submitted for the vineyard at 4290 Mt. Baker Highway in Deming. The application lists the proposed new name as Lagon Vineyards, and the applicants are Matthew Barnes, Elbert Bynon, Valerie Bynon, David Leemon, Gwenneth Leemon and Yvonne Steinlein.
A company based in China called Sunking Finance Group purchased the vineyards in 2018 from Randy Finley and Patricia Clark-Finley, who operated Mount Baker Vineyards for more than 25 years.
▪ The Mount Bakery has postponed its traditional Tour de France extravaganza for one more year.
The cafes in downtown Bellingham and Fairhaven were known for hosting live coverage of the annual race, drawing in cycling enthusiasts for the early-morning broadcasts. In a Facebook post, owner Vince Lalonde explained that the company has a lot on its plate right now, which includes the remodel of the Temple Bar, expanding bakery production in the Fairhaven space and training a group of recently hired staff.
“These are all amazing and complex growth-oriented challenges that we are happily tackling and I will take them any day of the week over challenges like ‘what do we do with all of the food in the walk-in now that there is a global pandemic and we don’t know if we will ever open again?’” Lalonde said in the social media post.
Lalonde added that he plans to bring back the Tour de France event in 2023. If he does, it’ll be the first time since 2019, given that the previous two years were canceled because of the pandemic.
▪ Katz! Coffee & Used Books in Lynden is for sale. According to a Facebook post, owners Ken and Sherri Stap are retiring after 35 years of running the bookstore, which has been around 75 years. If a new owner cannot be found, the plan is to close the shop sometime in the early fall, according to the post.
▪ Cheba Hut had its official Bellingham opening on Monday, June 27. The sandwich shop, which is at 306 W. Holly St. in the former Rocket Donuts space, is the first to open in Washington state. The company is opening a shop in Seattle soon and has more than 45 locations across the U.S.
▪ Gateway 1890 Taphouse & Grill announced it has opened its outdoor seating area called Tapyard. The taphouse, which opened in December, is at 429 Peace Portal Drive in Blaine. Details about Gateway 1890 can be found on its website.
▪ The Northern Light newspaper reports that a used car dealership recently opened in Blaine. It’s called Peters AutoSales and it is at 2000 Peace Portal Drive. Details about the business, including current inventory, can be found on the Peters AutoSales website.
▪ The Volli Bellingham pickleball and bar facility going in near Whatcom Community College is nearing completion. An official opening date has not yet been announced, but the company is aiming to open around Labor Day weekend, said John Oldham, chief operating officer of Volli Entertainment Group.
Volli Bellingham has begun accepting founders club membership applications, which are $1,500 a year. Details can be found on its website. While the facility will be open to anyone, members will get extra benefits.
This story was originally published July 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
