Building Bellingham

Executive Director Alice Clark and Program Director Lindsey Payne Johnstone joined us to tell about the role DBP plays in keeping our downtown core vibrant and thriving.  The Downtown Bellingham Partnership (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit) is famous for is events - First Fridays, Wine Walk, and especially the iconic Downtown Sounds, a free-admission outdoor concert series which draws thousands of people an...

In 2000, Krissy Moehl ran her first ultra - the Chuckanut 50k, which is one of the oldest and largest races of its type in North America. She set a course record, took over as race director in 2003, and began to pursue running professionally. She's the author of Running Your First Ultra and is a Patagonia® ambassador. In this episode, Krissy tells the story of a major decision that changed the tra...

Sweet As Waffles began as an idea back in 2015 and a grueling road trip in 2018. Nate and Graham wanted to bring waffles to downtown Bellingham's late-night scene in a new, funky, hole-in-the-wall type spot. Over the years, they've built a solid menu of complex sweet and savory waffles along with their rotating "Waffle of the Week-ish". Today, the duo is running the waffle shop while also building...

Triple Wren Farms began in 2012 as a cut flower farm; Sarah and Steve grew florist favorites and trucked them up and down I-5 until the day of a certain King County wedding, brake lights, and a broken iPhone. Over the decade, they've pivoted, grown, shrunk and adjusted until reaching the current iteration: retail dahlia tuber sales. Today, the 20-acre farm ships thousands of tubers all across the...

Brothers Chay Tan and Lee Tan purchased Coconut Kenny's back in 2004. Chay tells the stories of the early days - purchasing on an owner contract, slinging real estate to pay the bills, and stretching every marketing dollar. Now, the family-owned chain has 7 stores in 3 counties and has opened up co-ownership opportunities to their employees and managers. In 2018, Chay partnered with a former emplo...

Greg Klassen's woodworking journey began as a newlywed making furniture out of door scraps. Later he would design the original River® table - live edge wood with blue glass. Greg's distinctive style, his grit in going to show after show after show with little results, and his willingness to learn marketing and write an infinity of press releases and cold emails led to a turning point in 2014. Afte...

Stemma Brewing Co began as a business plan while owner Jason Harper was a student at WWU. He got an inside look at the industry while working for a local distribution company and completed multiple levels of the Cicerone certification.   In this episode, he and Leo talk about the importance of both subject matter education and business savvy, how co-owners Kim and Jason Harper complement each othe...

AB Crepes just celebrated its 10 year anniversary, and to kick off Season 4 we sat down with owner Bayly Peterson. We talk late-night party vibes, negative Yelp reviews, and the sheer grit and work it took to run a new business while a full-time student.  This year, Bayly and his business partner opened Otherside Bagel Co. Taking the lessons of AB Crepes' success and Hodgepodge's failure, they int...

In this episode, we sat down with Ari and Paul to taste chocolate and talk about their journey: from squinting at chocolate bars in a grocery store, to landing 500 retail stores on the West Coast, to expanding into back-end manufacturing (and the ramifications of the new chocolate chip machine). Paul and Ari shared insights into the direct trade chocolate world, how they are challenged to grow bey...

In this episode, Tony tells the story of his relentless desire to create. From scaling up (and back down again) Moceri Construction, to freelance writing for local publications, to promoting small yard games on social media, he brings energy and drive to a situation. Leo and Tony dig into real estate investing, mindset, and the importance of kindness - to all members and levels of an organization....

Widnor Farms offers beef, chicken, lamb and pork along with other farm goods. In this episode, Brianna tells us about the process of transforming a rundown farmhouse into a home, and arid land into pasture that feeds their rotating herds of cows, pigs, lambs and chickens. Throughout the story, she talks about the challenge farmers have finding processing plants in our area, the centralization of t...

Bob Kramer forges some of the most sought-after kitchen knives in the world, and he has been featured in articles by the New York Times, Saveur, and Wall Street Journal. In this episode, Bob tells the story of a young man flying to six cities seeking the secret to knife sharpening, opening a storefront in the heart of Seattle, stacking up a two-year order waitlist, and the Ebay auction that showed...

Well friends, it's been 2.5 years, 19 feature-length episodes and 45 livestreams since the Building Bellingham Podcast began. And so for our 20th show, Leo and Tiffany take a deep-dive into the creation and growth of the show, and the challenges and mindset shifts they've had along the way.  They talk branding, leaning down and livestreaming during Covid, building trust among the crew, and how it...

Storia Cucina m eans "kitchen history" in Italian. This popular downtown Bellingham restaurant is the brainchild of Chef Jonathan Cicotti, formerly a restauranteur in San Francisco. The restaurant opened in May 2020 and quickly became a Bellingham favorite, thanks to delicious recipes from Jonathan's Italian heritage and the his commitment to sourcing ingredients from local and organic farmers. Re...

Kelsey's entrepreneurial journey began at the young age of 11 with her Grandpa Paul, who taught her the secrets about connecting first, and selling second. Today, she's built her business around that concept as a branding educator and photographer. Known for her big personality, bold colors, and wearing a jumpsuit to photoshoots, Kelsey is an unapologetic cheerleader for leaders in business.  Rece...

When you think of Hardware Sales, you're probably thinking of the place you go when you need nuts and bolts, or to rent a power washer (and you'd be right). But did you know about the 56,000 sq ft warehouse in Indiana? Or the consulting work they do for Amazon sellers in their industry? Or how one idea from an employee saved 132 hours of labor per year? It's all right here.  For exclusive content,...

Season 3 is just around the corner, but before that, here are some thoughts from Leo! Building Bellingham's host reflects on the last two years of conversations with local entrepreneurs. He also goes into why the topic of failure comes up in every interview. Website: https://livebellinghamnow.com/building_bellingham Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/building.bellingham Instagram: https://www.inst...

Frank Muljat founded the Muljat Group Realtors, a brokerage that now has multiple offices in our county, and has become a widely-recognized name. In 2017, Frank Muljat sold the business to his son, Troy Muljat, himself known for his 30 years of commercial appraising and investment experience. Troy is a trusted housing market data source, regularly quoted in the Bellingham Herald and KGMI.   Under...

Brothers Ryan & BJ Flood took over the brewery and offsite tap-room in 2019. Menace Brewing in the Fountain District has played host to trivia nights, open mic, and movie showings. The Local is nestled between Casa Que Pasa and Cafe Adagio on Railroad, and has 36 rotating taps, showcasing independent local breweries. They're also known for having the best Reuben sandwich in town. For exclusive con...

Gretchen was drawn to Bellingham by the outdoor lifestyle - snowboarding, mountain biking and sea kayaking. These Pacific NW elements, along with bright colors, crisp lines, and large-scale design, make up her signature style. Her work can be found on the walls of local breweries and climbing gyms, to the sides of buildings in Bellingham, Seattle and Denver. Gretchen's 'big kahuna?' A mural of the...

Brist Mfg began as a clothing line popular in the WWU student bookstore. The company now manufactures private label hats, t-shirts, flannels and beanies, offers screenprinting & design, AND provides e-commerce and web store management and fulfillment services. Today, their nationwide client list includes Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, the Seattle Mariners, and iconic local brands like Woods Coffee,...

Greenhouse began in 1972 and Eric & BreAnne Green purchased the business in 2017. Bre manages the store and is the primary buyer, hand-selecting high-end, premium pieces of home decor, housewares, and furniture. Greenhouse pairs nicely with their real estate business, as they stage homes or work with buyers on making their new house a home.  With the holidays approaching, the store on the corner o...

A brewer, a beertender and a business man walked into a bar...Aslan Brewing Co began in 2012 as a team of three friends. They brewed over 130 pilot batches and determined the core values that guide every development in their company: the Triple Bottom Line model, which places People and the Planet prior to Profits. Two years later, after an extensive construction process, Aslan Brewing Co opened i...

Erin Baker's all began in a 4-H kitchen at the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds in 1994, when the concept of a nutritionally dense 'breakfast cookie' was a brand new concept. In the early years, Erin made deliveries on a blue Schwinn bicycle, but today, Erin Baker's Wholesome Baked Goods can be found in grocery stores in 17 states and also purchased at erinbakers.com. The goodies have been featured in t...

Faithlife all began as a software side project for a Microsoft developer, and the first copies of Logos 1 were shipped from Bob's parents' kitchen table. Today, 28 years later, the software giant has tools available for over 3 billion people worldwide to study theology in their first language. In this episode, Bob talks about Thomas Edison's mining failures, how money is an accelerant, and the gro...