The heart of the Fairhaven neighborhood is made up of mostly businesses ranging from food to art. There are a little over 200 small businesses in the Fairhaven neighborhood, all of which are still up and running during this economic recession.
It is expected for businesses to lose money at a time of an economic recession. The baker of Katie’s Cupcakes, Jade, who has been with Katie since day one, knows the ins and outs of the business. According to Jade, business has not been as terrible as one would think. After the excitement that the new business brought, Jade noticed that they were still busy year round. “Business has slowed down a bit, but it has been pretty steady,” Jade said. Jade also said that the cupcake business is a unique one, something new to the Fairhaven community, so she thinks that is why Katie’s Cupcakes is still doing just fine. Year round there are customers wanting cupcakes for the holiday season, birthdays, weddings, etc. all of which take place at different times of the year. So whatever the month, Katie’s Cupcakes stays busy. Sometimes even having orders are big as 1,000 cupcakes.
Unlike Katie’s Cupcakes, clothing stores are not unique. Anyone can find clothes anywhere. Danielle Starr, owner of Four Starrs Boutique, thinks otherwise. Starr has been in business for the past five years and has seen her share of decline in sales. Starr had most of her business the first nine months the boutique was open, and as soon as the economy started to get bad, so did her sales. “People had to choose between food and luxuries, and this is a luxury,” Starr said. The decline in sales was not enough to stop her from staying in business. Starr even moved her store to a bigger location in Fairhaven because the first location was simply not big enough. Even now, Starr would not want to go back to her smaller location. Just like Katie’s Cupcakes, there is always an event going on during the year that keeps Starr in business whether it is the holiday season, any event that requires a present, or even when the boutique receives new clothing.
Bookstores, just like clothing stores, are found just about anywhere. What keeps the bookstore, Village Books, in Fairhaven running year round? Jonica, a worker for Village Books, gives the credit of steady business to the fact that the bookstore does not sell books or other items that are common at big bookstores. The books are more unique, the kind that people search for but can never find at big bookstores. Village Books has been around for 30 years and Jonica says the past ten years have not been terrible. The only time that there was a big decrease in sales, was the winter of 2008 when the weather was very bad. No one was out around the Fairhaven neighborhood; it was too cold and stormy. Village Books does not specialize in textbooks for students so students are not the main customers. The majority of the customers are tourists, and older people, a lot coming from Skagit County.
Being unique seems to be the key to these three businesses. The economy has taken a toll on the business, but not enough to close them down. With the products that they sell, whether it is cupcakes, clothing, or books, it is all unique to the Fairhaven neighborhood. “Four Starr is a store that is different than what Fairhaven is used to, and it works,” Starr said.
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