Places & Things is updated regularly throughout the month with new business openings, closings and changes.
JoJo’s Doughnuts is looking for a new home. After temporarily closing at 1301 Commercial St. in downtown Bellingham due to a lack of staff, the owner said JoJo’s would reopen with a “new kitchen, new hours and refreshed crew.” But in a series of Facebook posts on Sunday, June 25 and Monday, June 26, JoJo’s said it’s looking for a space that’s “not in downtown.” JoJo’s said the reason for the move is “not due to crime,” but noted that “our door being broken was the last incident that broke us.”
Red Ginger Asian Cuisine opened in Bellingham on June 19. The restaurant, at 1208 E. Maple St. in the Sehome neighborhood, is in the same space where long-time fixture New Peking Restaurant was located before it closed on March 27 when its owners retired. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Nomad Charcuterie and Wine at 10 Prospect St. in downtown Bellingham on Wednesday, June 28, closed during its normal opening hours. A listing for a wine bar for sale at the same address was posted online. (Frank Catalano/Cascadia Daily News)
The future of Nomad Charcuterie and Wine in downtown Bellingham appears uncertain. Following reports this month that Google had listed the restaurant as “temporarily closed,” a visit to 10 Prospect St. at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 28 — during its posted opening hours — found the doors locked and no one inside. Nomad’s OpenTable reservation page is no longer active. A BizBuySell listing for a “wine bar in downtown Bellingham” at 10 Prospect St., though it doesn’t name Nomad, has an asking price of $125,000 and reads, “Medical emergency in family causing asset sale of business.” An email to Nomad asking if the business was closed received no response.
Oaks Blood Distillery plans to open in Burlington in July. The distillery will be located at 1635 S. Walnut St., according to its state liquor license application. On its website, the business said it’s “passionate about making small-batch, handmade spirits that are truly one of a kind.” A post on the distillery’s Facebook page on June 22 said it had received its federal license approval and was waiting for state OK. In a Facebook chat, co-owner Tina Leighton said they hope to open around July 10. “We will be focusing on vodka, gin, whiskey, and bourbon,” she said. “We will also offer specialty spirits that are new and exciting.”
Chicago Joe’s opened in Lynden at 8082 Guide Meridian Road, suite 103 on Friday, June 16. The menu of the “Chicago style quick serve restaurant” features Chicago-style hot dogs (think all-beef dog with relish, tomato, onions, pickle spear and sport peppers) and Italian beef sandwiches. The eatery also said it’s now the home of the “well-established” Lynden Underground Burger. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Miniature golf and the “Saloon” family bar and live music area are part of Station 49 in Birch Bay, which is open every day through Labor Day as of Saturday, June 24. (Frank Catalano/Cascadia Daily News)
Station 49 in Birch Bay is extending its operating days starting Saturday, June 24 to every day of the week, Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The amusement center at 4620 Birch Bay Lynden Road opened for the season in May, initially every Saturday and Sunday. The center’s owners said the schedule will return to weekends only after Labor Day. Attractions include go karts, miniature golf, a miniature train ride, arcade and “Saloon” family bar and live music area.
Volli Bellingham has added a new food and drink venue to its indoor pickleball sports center. “The Kitchen and Backcourt Bar” had its grand opening over the weekend of Friday, June 16 inside Volli at 4190 Cordata Parkway in Bellingham’s Meridian neighborhood, according to a Volli social media post. The center also said that it has darts, cornhole, shuffleboard, ping-pong, pool, a golf simulator and, of course, pickleball.
Qué Onda Fusion Cuisine has now opened at 442 Peace Portal Drive in Blaine, sharing the same owners with Bordertown Mexican Grill, a Blaine food truck with outdoor seating. Hours for the new restaurant are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Dishes on a posted menu range from burritos and bagels to crepes and Philly cheese subs. The owners said on Facebook that the Bordertown food truck will continue to operate at 538 Peace Portal Drive.
Skagit Valley Malting in Burlington appears to have abruptly shut down. The craft malthouse, which said it provides ingredients for “craft beer, distilling and baking customers,” notified the Port of Skagit on Friday, June 16 that the company had closed, according to Port Communications Director Linda Tyler. The business is located at 11966 Westar Lane near Skagit Regional Airport, Chuckanut Brewery and Garden Path Fermentation. Skagit Valley Malting’s website and Facebook page had no official word of the closure as of Thursday, June 22, but newer comments on a June 15 Facebook post mentioned layoffs and canceled orders. The company did not respond to emails requesting comment.
Portal Putt Mini-Golf is aiming for a July 1 opening at The Portal Container Village on Bellingham’s waterfront. The course’s operators said it’ll open this year with nine holes and an option for 18-hole play, “but we plan to expand to 18 holes next season.” The holes are said to be a wooden-platform style, “mid-mod in design and color” and challenging for all ages and levels. Portal Putt said its season will run through October with hours of 11 a.m. to dusk.
Artist’s rendering of Bin 13 Wine Bar at The Portal Container Village in Bellingham. Bin 13 plans to open in September. (Image courtesy of Bin 13 Wine Bar/David Falk Design)
Bin 13 Wine Bar plans to open in The Portal Container Village this September. The Port of Bellingham’s Mike Hogan said Bin 13 will operate out of two 20-foot containers and have a rooftop deck. Also ahead for the Portal at 296 W. Laurel St. in Bellingham: Zeeks Pizza and a second rotating vendor container shop, both opening in 2024. Hogan said Bin 13, Zeeks and the new container shop will be in an area near Kulshan Trackside Beer Garden and The Selkie Scoop.
The Great Northern Bottle Shop & Lounge will open Saturday, June 17 at 1319 Commercial St. in downtown Bellingham. Garden Path Fermentation, which operates a brewery and taproom in Burlington, said in an announcement its Great Northern will feature both Garden Path and other products “for online consumption as well as a broad range of bottles to go.” Hours for the 21+ venue, originally announced last August, will be 12-9 p.m. Wednesday through Monday.
Bellis Fair mall in Bellingham is hosting an early Father’s Day competition from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 17 — a “Plastic Axe Throwing Event” for dads and kids. Lest one get the idea this is a William Tell-style toss, mall management said the axes will be aimed at a target to earn points for raffle tickets. Prizes include, appropriately, a backyard axe throwing set, as well as gift cards to Buffalo Wild Wings and Cinnabon. The mall said the first 100 dads to participate will receive a Bellis Fair coffee mug.
Natalino’s Pizza opens Friday, June 16 inside Bellis Fair mall’s food court. Natalino’s said it will be serving “authentic Roman-style pizza” with a different style of dough than most pizza places use. “Roman-style dough takes a lot of preparation,” said a Natalino’s representative. “We allow for the dough to naturally grow, giving it a crispy bottom but soft at the top and bringing an incredible taste to it.” Hours for the family-owned business are expected to mirror the mall’s, with the exception of being closed on Sunday.
Made and Found Market has opened at 725 S. First St. in downtown Mount Vernon. The shop features “locally sourced, vintage sale, upcycled and handmade home goods and gifts” according to the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce. The Market’s website highlights jewelry, home decor, art, clothing and other products and said it works with local vendors and consignment.
The Foxhole at 215 W. Holly St. in downtown Bellingham, under construction on June 6. The grand opening in the former home of Lorikeet Bar is set for June 16. (Frank Catalano/Cascadia Daily News)
The Foxhole plans to open in downtown Bellingham on Friday, June 16 in the former location of Lorikeet Bar. Touting “new ownership,” the “modern cocktail and coffee lounge” said on Instagram to “think: absinthe, delirium, fun takes on old drinks, and lite bites under low-lite with your friends.” The bar at 215 W. Holly St. wears a dark palette and a hand-written sign in its window June 6 gave its hours as Tuesday through Saturday, 3 p.m. to “10ish.”. Lorikeet closed on March 11.
Redlight Kitchen and Bar reopened June 5 at 109 Grand Ave. in downtown Bellingham, after briefly closing in late May and moving from 1017 N. State St. Regular hours are Sunday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight and Friday through Saturday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Meryenda Shop is open in downtown Bellingham, initially through the Leopold Building entrance at 1226 Cornwall Ave. The shop sells “nutritious, tasty, on-the-go snacks and drinks you can feel good about” as full-meal alternatives. Starting Friday, June 9, Meryenda’s hours are Fridays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., for walk-up service or online order pickup. Founder Chris Guillot said that “during our training weekends, snack boxes resonated with visitors looking for picnics as well as employees on meal breaks.”
Mestizo Mexican Restaurant reopened in Sedro-Woolley. The restaurant is back in the same building it had been in when it closed after a dozen years in January 2022, taking the 617 Metcalf St. spot that more recently housed Don Rafa’s Mexican Restaurant. What sets it apart? “At Mestizo’s we offer a variety of meat choices like lengua (beef tongue) carnitas, chorizo, al pastor,” the restaurant responded in a Facebook chat. “Meat choices you normally don’t find in a Mexican restaurant but rather at a taqueria.”
Barley & Brew has opened at 102 Woodworth St. in Sedro-Woolley, a combination coffeehouse and taproom and the “only one in the area that I’m aware of,” according to a venue rep. The coffeehouse identity offers pastries from Pure Bliss and coffee from Caffe Vita; the taproom, “a variety of beer, cider (12 taps) and wine focusing on local (WA) products but also from around the country.” Karaoke, live music and paint parties are also part of the presence with food “coming soon.”
Tossin’ Axes has its grand opening in Oak Harbor on Friday, June 16 after a soft opening the prior weekend. While axes are in the name, the spot at 390 NE Midway Blvd. calls itself a “family entertainment center,” and promotes a pinball arcade “and a few fun games to play while you’re here.” One feature: “A no bounce back border system to stop the momentum of the axe before it can come flying back at you.”
The Lucky Monkey at 312 W. Champion St. on June 6. The gift shop said it will close after June 19. (Frank Catalano/Cascadia Daily News)
The Lucky Monkey in downtown Bellingham is closing. The gift shop at 312 W. Champion St. announced June 5 on Facebook that it would shutter “after nearly 20 years of Monkey business.” A two-week closing sale in the store at 312 W. Champion St. will end on Monday, June 19. In a Facebook chat, the owner mentioned retirement and said it’s possible “someone new could take over and buy it but that hasn’t happened at this point.”
The Coffee Shop by Hammerhead Coffee Roasters has set a grand opening date of Saturday, June 10 at 405 E. Holly St. in downtown Bellingham (but don’t be surprised by a soft opening slightly earlier). Among the offerings across from Community Food Co-op’s downtown store will apparently be the “Anytime Cookie,” made with salted milk chocolate toffee from Ferndale’s Anytime Toffee.
SconeGrown is back, in a sort of more private, custom way. The original owner of that Bellingham restaurant, later combined with the now-sold Quantum Leaf, held onto the vegan recipes and posted on social media that the food, if not the physical location, is returning. “SconeGrown 2.0” plans to take advance orders weekly for pickup or local delivery to Bellingham ZIP codes from a commissary kitchen. Launch date for the new SconeGrown is Monday, June 12.
Lummi Seafood Market at 4920 Rural Ave. in Ferndale has announced its first canned salmon product line, Salmon Woman. The retail store adjacent to I-5 at exit 260 said the salmon is “locally wild harvested sockeye salmon (otherwise known as ‘Seki,’ in the Lummi language)” and is available in six-ounce cans in either “original” or “jalapeño” flavor.
Persimmon Bistro held its grand opening at Bow Sanctuary on June 4. The “thoughtful food & drink” venue will be open at 3533 Chuckanut Drive in Bow from Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Persimmon Bistro said it shares owners with Evolve Chocolate + Cafe in Bellingham’s Fairhaven neighborhood and the Bow Sanctuary Wellness Center.
Chick-fil-A may be coming to Bellingham. But it’s still in the early stages. A project “pre-application letter” filed with the city would put the chicken fast-food chain restaurant at 4030 Cordata Parkway, across from Bellis Fair mall. The project proposes a restaurant with a two-lane drive thru, 74 interior seats and 48 exterior seats. Blake Lyon, Bellingham’s director of Planning & Community Development, said many steps remain should the project move forward after the May 30 pre-application meeting, including a neighborhood meeting, permits and reviews. The letter was first reported by Bellingham Metro News.
Natalino’s Pizza plans to open in Bellis Fair mall. The pizza restaurant — known for its location in Surrey, British Columbia — hasn’t announced an opening date, but a “coming soon” banner inside the food court includes the testimonial, “I would sell my left kidney for this pizza.” Bellis Fair management confirmed the new lease, and a Bellingham-specific Instagram account simply said, “We’re almost ready!”
The front door of JoJo’s Doughnuts on May 31. The shop at 1301 Commercial St. in downtown Bellingham temporarily closed “due to staff shortages.” (Frank Catalano/Cascadia Daily News)
JoJo’s Doughnuts temporarily — and perhaps just intermittently — closed on May 25. The spot at 1301 Commercial St. in downtown Bellingham cited in a Facebook post a lack of kitchen staff “to make enough doughnuts to pay everyone,” but said it would be doing “block parties and events and hopefully a food truck in the next few weeks.” Signs seen on the door May 31 read, “Due to staff shortages we cannot open, again, today,” and, “We are hiring.”
Oystercatcher is reopening with new owners at 901 Grace St. NW in Coupeville. The Whidbey Island restaurant — which closed in October 2022 — announced on Facebook that it would have a soft reopening starting Sunday, June 4. An introductory letter from the new owners on Oystercatcher’s website said that, “Together we have a combined 28 years in the restaurant industry as a chef and fine dining server, and we promise to bring our passion and excitement about all things food, wine and hospitality to this storied place.”
Graham’s Restaurant in Glacier will reopen. The historic bar and restaurant at 9989 Mount Baker Highway had its state liquor license application approved on May 23, and now has a teasing Instagram presence with a video post on May 29 seemingly showing an under-renovation interior; an Instagram message from the venue said it was “shooting for July 4th” opening. The spot has a long history with multiple openings, closings and owners documented on the grahamsrestaurant.com website.
Read Places & Things: May 2023.
The Graham’s Restaurant item was updated at 9:30 a.m. June 1 to include an expected opening date.
