Businesses in Bellingham’s Fairhaven neighborhood keep taking hits amid wave of burglaries
Local businesses in Fairhaven have seen a spike in burglaries over the last several months. According to Lt. Claudia Murphy with the Bellingham Police Department, there have been 10 attempted or successful burglaries reported to BPD since Dec. 12, most of which resulted in minor theft but also caused thousands of dollars in property damage.
There’s nothing yet to suggest any of the burglaries are linked, Murphy said last week. Also, there have been multiple methods used for gaining entry and different items stolen in each instance.
There were at least nine burglaries or attempted burglaries at businesses in the Fairhaven neighborhood over the past two months, including:
- Dec. 12: El Agave
- Dec. 14: Serendipity and Fairhaven Runners
- Dec. 20: Seaview Yacht Service, when Faber Construction had copper wire and tools stolen from the premises
- Dec. 22: An attempted break-in at Stones Throw Brewery
- Dec 23: Wellmen and Zuck
- Dec. 30: Attempted burglary at Whimsey
- Jan. 12: Paws for a Beer
- Feb. 5: Firehouse Arts and Event Center
- Feb. 7: Good Earth Pottery
“We are definitely alarmed by the number of break-ins in Fairhaven over the past few months and think that maybe burglars are seeing Fairhaven as an area of opportunity since so much focus is on other parts of Bellingham,” Fairhaven Association President Chris Caldwell told The Herald.
Members of the Fairhaven Association met with Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund to discuss increased police patrols in Fairhaven, particularly in the early morning hours when the burglaries tend to happen, Caldwell said.
Local business owners have expressed their concerns about the apparent spike in break-ins, with some businesses upgrading their security. One such business is Crooked Spoon Ice Cream, formerly ACME, which had plans to upgrade their security before the burglaries but sped up the schedule to install the systems following the recent incidents.
“Everyone is more aware now,” Manager Madeline Wiganosky said. “People are trying to find solutions.”
Mila Engle, owner of the Garden Room said she has been aware of the burglaries and she feels like a sitting duck.
“Only thing I can do is be vigilant,” Engle said.
Most of the burglaries that have happened in Fairhaven have cost businesses more in damages than in stolen cash or goods. At the Firehouse Arts and Event Center, $500 in cash was stolen (along with some cookies), but around $9,000 worth of damage was done by burglars smashing windows, owner Teresa Dalton told The Herald.
“It’s just frustrating,” Dalton said. “We are one of many businesses in Fairhaven that have been broken into over the last several months. We were one of the last holdouts, one of the last businesses that hadn’t been broken into, and I was just waiting for that call every morning and our number was up. It just seems like it needs to stop. I don’t know how to do it. It is very frustrating and very hard on small businesses.”
Cami Grichel, owner of Whimsey on Harris Avenue, said she doesn’t know how many burglaries she can take before she plans to leave.
“I really love this place, but there comes a time where you have to balance what is healthy,” she said. “I hope nobody else has to deal with this.”
Someone broke into Whimsey on Dec. 30, though the burglars were unable to break into the display cases holding jewelry and were unable to steal anything. Grichel said the burglars didn’t stay long because the alarm had gone off when they broke in. This was not the first time burglars broke into Whimsey, but it had been the first time in five years. However, Grichel decided not to go through insurance because she did not want her coverage to be dropped.
“I was told that the adjusters consider the frequency of the claims, and this burglary would give me three in less than five years. I didn’t want to be dropped by my insurance, so I was stuck paying out of pocket, about $1,500 in damages” Grichel told The Herald. “So yes, when something like this happens to a small business, a hardworking family often takes a hit, even if merchandise isn’t lost.”
Some businesses, such as Fairhaven Poke and The Barbershop at Fairhaven, have attempted to prevent burglaries by not leaving any cash in their business overnight and putting up signs saying “no cash on premises.”
Lt. Murphy offered the following tips for helping to prevent burglaries:
- Keep your business well lit at night
- Have cameras in place to watch the entrances and exits
- Install signs letting people know cameras are recording
- Do not leave cash in the cash drawer during off hours
- Leave your cash drawer open to show potential burglars there’s no cash
- Install alarms at your business if possible
Murphy told The Herald she has been invited to the annual Fairhaven Association meeting April 8, when she expects to discuss the burglary issues further.
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This story was originally published February 24, 2025 at 11:36 AM.
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