Whatcom Roundup: Downtown eatery closing; new cocktail bar; Bellis Fair carnival
Here’s a weekly roundup of the latest retail and restaurant activity around Whatcom County:
Welcome Road Wine & Coffee closing
Welcome Road Wine & Coffee is closing July 18, according to co-owner and manager Linda Sabee.
“Our lease is up! It’s all about timing,” Sabee told The Bellingham Herald in a July 7 email.
“We are operating business as usual with normal operating hours between now and July 18. Our final day, Saturday, July 18, we will be celebrating with gratis sweet treats, great deals on wine, live music and a raffle,” Sabee said.
Welcome Road Winery and coffee shop is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and noon to 8 p.m. Saturday through July 18 at 300 W. Champion St. in downtown Bellingham.
The winery and coffee shop is next door to The Temple Bar and Mount Bakery Café Downtown.
Bellis Fair’s new tenant
Bellis Fair mall’s newest tenet is coming soon. The city of Bellingham approved the latest building permit application for BoxLunch on July 6. The permit was submitted June 29.
Bellis Fair mall recently confirmed the new shop is coming soon in a June 19 Facebook post.
“We are thrilled to officially announce that BoxLunch will be joining Bellis Fair in Fall 2026! We are looking forward to handing over keys next week, seeing the barricade go up Tuesday morning and then, construction begins,” the post said.
A separate building permit application for $34,000 of new outlets and new lights was also approved July 6.
Chuckanut Bay Distillery opens Portal location
Chuckanut Bay Distillery’s new location at Bellingham’s waterfront — Bayside — is now open, according to the restaurant and bar’s Facebook page.
The new double-decker cocktail bar and restaurant opened Tuesday, July 7, according to a July 7 Facebook post.
The bar’s menu includes cocktails, beer, wine and ciders, as well as chips and dip, charcuterie plates, snack mixes and nuts.
The new bar is open from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday at The Portal Container Village at 298 W Laurel St. in Bellingham.
Carnival comes to Bellis Fair
The Bellis Fair mall is bringing a carnival to Bellingham, including a variety of rides and games, for one weekend only.
Rainier Amusements, a carnival ride and game business based in Oregon, will host a pop-up carnival in Bellingham July 9-11 in the mall’s parking lot.
The carnival space is free to enter, but ride tickets cost 50 cents each. Each ride costs between two and 12 tickets, depending on the ride. Unlimited ride wristbands cost $35 per person Thursday and Friday, and $40 per person Saturday.
The carnival will be open from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday at 1 Bellis Fair Parkway in Bellingham.
Bellingham events, trivia nights and live music
Bellingham is full of local events, markets, festivals and other events during the month of July. Here’s your guide to this month’s events, trivia, live music and more. For an extensive list of local events, visit our new Events page at www.bellinghamherald.com/events/#.
Last week’s roundup
Last week’s Whatcom Roundup highlighted Whatcom County’s unemployment rate dropping month to month, Border Town Pizza in Blaine reopening, local events and more.
Discover Whatcom
If you’re looking for some fun things to do in Whatcom County, new restaurants to visit, or stories on what makes our area unique, subscribe to our free weekly “Discover Whatcom” newsletter.
