Comics Place moves, and stays
Comic book, game and pop culture shop The Comics Place — now in its new downtown Bellingham location at 107 W. Holly St. — won’t be leaving its old spot after all. Instead, the store at 105 E. Holly St. was rebadged in December as Comics Place Retro. Owner Django Bohren announced on social media that Retro features one-of-a-kind warehouse finds, clearance items and LEGO and DVD collections; a vintage toy and action figure collection and pinball arcade will follow.
The new store, said to have nearly twice the space of what’s now Retro, also has “inherited” and plans to display a handful of exhibits from the closed Mindport Exhibits interactive museum. How long will Comics Place have two stores, less than a block apart?
“Our lease goes through August, so we’ll be around for a few months at least,” Bohren said. “We aren’t ruling out a continuation of the concept, but we’ve gotta play around with it a little bit to know if it’s an opportunity or a trap.”
Downtown Bellingham Partnership celebrates
Downtown Bellingham Partnership honored a dozen organizations, individuals and spaces during its annual Scepter Awards ceremony on Monday, Dec. 16. Businesses celebrated for “often unseen or unsung work” in their contributions to downtown’s vitality included Wonderz Market (Standout Commercial Activation), Cheba Hut (Community Collaborators), Mindport Exhibits (Longstanding Contribution) and Eyes on Fremont Bellingham (People’s Choice).
DBP’s Jenny Hagemann said Scepter categories vary from year to year and winners are nominated by staff. She said 140 people attended the awards at Wild Buffalo House of Music, and though it was also a fundraiser for the nonprofit downtown organization, the “focus is more on the awardees than money raised for us.”
The Black Cat pauses
The Black Cat in Bellingham’s Fairhaven neighborhood is temporarily closing in January. In a news release, the longtime restaurant in suite 310 at 1200 Harris Ave. said it will be closed between Jan. 3 and Jan. 25 “for kitchen and restaurant maintenance and repairs,” and will start taking online reservations on Jan. 3 for February and March.
Maritime economic impact study released
The Port of Bellingham released a new study that it said shows Whatcom County’s maritime industry supported 6,400 jobs, $416 million in labor income and $1.6 billion in business revenue — directly and indirectly — in 2023. The analysis, conducted by McKinley Research Group, covered the economic impact of a variety of sectors. Maritime logistics and shipping topped the figures for direct employment and labor income, followed by commercial fishing and seafood processing. Shipbuilding, repair and maintenance was third. Direct employment totaled 3,600 jobs across all sectors, with each maritime job estimated to support 1.8 jobs, ranging from retail to services, in Whatcom County.
Del Fox Meats, Master’s Blend Coffee add locations
Del Fox Custom Meats opened a second location. The new one, in Bow at 13400 D’Arcy Road, is in addition to Del Fox’ original Snohomish County butcher shop at 7229 300th St. NW in Stanwood. A Del Fox representative said while Bow is a bit smaller than Stanwood, both have retail stores and the Bow butcher location also provides USDA wholesale processing.
Master’s Blend Coffee, known for its cafe at 107 E. Main St. in Everson, added a drive-thru spot in Bellingham near Sunset Square. Master’s Blend said the kiosk at 1259 Barkley Blvd. in Barkley Crossroads has the same menu options (“festive drink combos, breakfast burritos and our delicious paninis,” per its Facebook page) but only outdoor seating. And, of course, car seating.
Barron launches private label
Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing announced it’s now offering its own line of equipment, Barron Private Label. A news release said the Barron-branded products include heat pumps, furnaces, air conditioners and coils created in partnership “with one of the leading manufacturers in the country.”
Ferndale-based Barron said it is selling Barron Private Label in five Northwest Washington counties and is one of the few HVAC providers to have its own branded line. CEO Brad Barron said the company “was able to negotiate exceptional pricing as the private label equipment isn’t burdened with the marketing cost associated with major promoted brand names.”
Frank Catalano writes about business and related topics for CDN; reach him at frankcatalano@cascadiadaily.com.
