Fairhaven Neighborhood News: September 2010

Monday, September 27, 2010

Fairhaven Neighborhood

Welcome to the Fairhaven Neighborhood. This blog will be filled with information about the Fairhaven community. There will be news stories, events going on, and everything in between.

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‘Tiss the Season to be Jolly

The holiday season in Fairhaven is celebrated yearly with big events all throughout mid-November through the end of December.

Events include a workshop called 10 Tips to Surviving the Holidays, Alpine Holiday Bazaar, Share a Grin with the Grinch, Historic Fairhaven Walk A’bout, horse drawn carriage rides and Santa in Fairhaven, Holiday Cheer Fairhaven Fun Run/Walk, and finally, the biggest event, the Home For the Holidays event which is a food and gift show.

During the Home for the Holidays event, vendors from all over the Northwest come to showcase their items whether it is food or other items they specialize in. The vendors come to sell their products for people to buy for the holiday season.

This is the 29^th year the event will be happening; Joyce Hill has made this event possible since 1982. Hill said she started this event as a fundraiser and she says she did not think it would become as big as it has become.

“I enjoyed it so much I decided to make it a yearly thing,” Hill said.

Hill said each year is bigger than the last with more vendors and people showing up. The first year there were a little over ten vendors. This year, there are 60 vendors that Hill handpicked, Hill has to jury the product the vendor is selling to approve it. Hill tries to pick vendors that do not have any other shows they show their item at, to make it more unique Hill said.

This year, one vendor Hill is excited about is Christa Warren, who owns a shop in Lynden, Wash. called Surroundings. Warren specializes in floral design and this will be Warren’s first year at the event. Warren will be brining a lot of home holiday décor that she has designed. Hill has seen Warren’s work through the years and has wanted Warren to be part of her show, so this year Warren decided to be part of it.

“This year I finally said yes, I’ll try anything once!” Warren said. “Hill has asked me to be part of it for the past six to eight years and I decided it was about time I do it.”

Home for the Holidays is a three day event starting on Thursday, November 18^th and going through Saturday, November 20^th. For times and more information about Home for the Holidays and any of the other events, check out the Fairhaven Events website at: http://www.fairhaven.com/events

Halloween is Family Friendly

Fairhaven held its annual Halloween festivities on Sunday, Oct.31. The main events included trick or treating around the businesses from 3 to 6pm and later, a tribute to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

There were hundreds of parents and children lining the streets of Fairhaven going from business to business trying to get their candy. The crowds of monsters, princesses, animals, and everything in between made the sidewalks hard to walk on. Children were not the only ones dressed up, most parents dressed up alongside their children.

The businesses that participated in the tradition of trick-or-treating had signs on their windows promoting the event and the workers were dressed up in a costume. Most businesses had someone standing outside their business handing out candy, which made it more convenient for not only the children but also the business. It was easier to give out candy outside than have hundreds of energetic children come inside the business.

“I’ve been doing this for the past 3 years, and it is so fun seeing all of the costumes while I get to just sit and hand out candy!” said the employee handing out candy for Skylar’s Hidden Café.

This event was very family friendly.

“We do this event to show parents and the community that Fairhaven is a safe and fun place to trick-or-treat,” said a helper at Pacific Chef.

A lot of parents made comments saying they were very glad that Fairhaven does this every year, it is a fun way to get their kids trick-or-treating in an environment where they know they is safe. Some parents would rather do this than go to strange homes; they feel it is safer.

During the trick-or-treating event, there was a photographer, Gordon Tweit, who was taking pictures at the Fairhaven Pharmacy of anyone that wanted their picture taken to remember the event. Tweit has been taking pictures every Halloween since the 1960s. there was a huge crowd outside of the pharmacy of parents and children alike, waiting to get their picture taken.

Fairhaven also catered to the adults that were out around Fairhaven. Dirty Dan Harris, found of Fairhaven, took a break from his weekly Fairhaven tours to roam the streets with the Fairhaven Ladies of the Evening. After all the trick-or-treaters left, hundreds of people who had been taking a class at Fairhaven Fitness to learn Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” dance performed at 7:30 on the gravel next to Fairhaven Village Inn.

Check out the other events that took place around Bellingham on Halloween:

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/10/26/1688268/halloween-events-abound-in-whatcom.html

Uniqueness is Key

Have you ever had fish and chips from a double decker bus? Or had a salted caramel cupcake? Or a book that is not found at any big name bookstore? What about a pair of jeans that you cannot find anywhere else in Bellingham? All of these items and much, much, more are available in the Fairhaven neighborhood.

During the current economic recession, businesses have decline in sales, except for the lucky few businesses that have not been affected by the recession. Katie’s Cupcakes, Village Bookstore, and Four Starrs Boutique, are all perfect examples. All have had a slight decline in sales, but not enough to close them down. Uniqueness seems to be the key in the successfulness of the businesses.

Katie’s Cupcakes has been open for almost three years, and even after the excitement of a new store, it still has business year round. Besides the fact that Katie’s Cupcakes is the only cupcake shop in Bellingham, the cupcakes offered are not your average cupcakes. There are around 30 flavors, and new flavors come in every three to four months. Flavors range from Red Velvet to Cookie Dough, and everything in between! Check out the flavors and everything Katie’s cupcakes has to offer: http://www.katiescupcake.com/index.html

Trying to find a pair of jeans that are not found at your local mall can be hard. Everyone seems to be wearing the same jeans, which is why Danielle Starr started her own business. Starr noticed that noticed that the city of Bellingham was lacking quality clothing that was different than everything she had seen at the malls and local clothing stores. Starr started up the clothing business, and five years later is still going strong, despite a few rough months. See what Starr has accomplished:
http://www.fourstarrsboutique.com

At the heart of Fairhaven lie many small businesses along with Katie’s Cupcakes and Four Starrs Boutique. Fairhaven Rugs specializes in thousands of homemade rugs, Artwood takes pride in showing off wood art and other art made by local artists, and Village Books having a selection of books and other items not found just anywhere. Those are just a few examples of the unique businesses in the center of Fairhaven.

Here is an interactive map of downtown Fairhaven which includes all the business along with their website, location, and much more.

http://www.seattlemaps.com/city_map.php?city_id=15758&bl_city=15758