Building Bellingham Season 4 (That's a Wrap)

We just finished the fourth season of the Building Bellingham Podcast (wahoo and WOW that went by fast!).  Every summer our crew takes May-August off to focus all our energies on the Cohen Group’s real estate operations (reach out to team@cohengroupnw.com with any real estate questions) and we’ll reconvene in September with Season 5 and a whole new lineup of guests. 

During the interim, be sure to catch up on any episodes you might have missed!

BAYLY PETERSON

We kicked off Season 1 with the owner of two businesses - the longtime downtown icon AB Crepes and the much newer Otherside Bagel Co. - 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. At the time of recording, Bayly and his business partner had recently opened Otherside Bagel Co. 

Taking the lessons of AB Crepes' success and Hodgepodge's failure, they introduced another go-to spot to the Bellingham food world with traditionally-made bagels (including a gluten-free option!) and breakfast sandwiches.

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JASON HARPER

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 other's skills, and one particular negative Google review.

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GREG KLASSEN

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. 

After being published on a major contemporary art blog, Greg and his River® tables went viral. Since then, this one-man show has sold work to every corner of the globe, been featured by the Smithsonian, Sunset Magazine and the New York Times. In this episode, he and Leo talk about setting a foundation for solid marketing, the importance of passion and grit, and how he personally delivered a 12.5' sculpture to Idaho.

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CHAY TAN

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 employee to create Downtime Taps, which was the first self-serve tap room in Washington State. In this episode, Chay talks about the rule of 7, not taking a paycheck from the business for years, and the reward of developing leaders within his business.

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SARAH & STEVE PABODY

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 US, grows & sells new strains of dahlias for renowned dahlia hybridizers working right here in Whatcom County, and hosts sold-out agritourism events.

In this episode, the Pabodys dig into the importance of infrastructure and logistics, the balance (what is that again?) between their personal and professional partnerships, and the grit involved in taking risks, adjusting, and trying again.

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NATE BROWN & GRAHAM BERKWITT

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".

At the time of recording, the duo was running the waffle shop while also building out their new brick-and-mortar location in downtown Bellingham, pivoting back to the original late-night vision. The waffle shop opened on April 20, 2023 to rave reviews!

In this episode, we talk about high-deas and the unexpected result of buying a few plastic dinosaurs, the importance of keeping Bellingham weird, and how work ethic, a waffle maker that spewed batter, and semi-nude photos involving maple syrup all contributed to developing one of Bellingham's iconic grub spots.

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KRISSY MOEHL

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 trajectory of her career for the last decade. She digs into the challenges of monetizing running, the year she discovered her value, and the conviction to never lose her joy in the sport.

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ALICE CLARK & LINDSEY PAYNE JOHNSTONE

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 and closes three city blocks over five Wednesdays in the summer.

But the DBP crew is responsible for so much more: administrating micro grants for storefront improvements, public art efforts, graffiti cleanup, spring floral baskets, and safety patrols. Over the past three years, they've also seen their role expand further into business development support and advocacy, including networking with other downtown organizations down the I-5 corridor. We talked about the fentanyl crisis, how the empty office buildings mean less breakfast & lunchtime foot traffic for small businesses, and the emotional work of advocating for their constituents.

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