The Historic Fairhaven District may be just a few blocks square along Bellingham Bay, but it’s packed with at least a day’s worth of shopping opportunities in Bellingham. Stroll the tree-lined streets, and in these quaint and historic (or rather new) brick buildings, you’ll find just about everything you need to spruce up yourself, your home, or your bookshelves.
Top: Good Earth Pottery
Bottom: Artwood Gallery
Clothing and shoe boutiques are sprinkled between galleries that feature handcrafted, functional pottery, beautiful glass art and fine wood furnishings and accessories.
Top: Three French Hens
Bottom: 12th Street Shoes
Fun-to-browse jewelry and gift shops, independent bookstores and funky, whimsical garden shops abound.
Top: Whimsey
Bottom: The Garden Room
Top: A Lot of Flowers
Bottom: Village Books
For souvenirs, t-shirts and cat-and dog-themed gifts, you’ll want to stop into Bay to Baker Trading Company.
Be sure to head over to Paper Dreams for greeting cards, novelty gifts, funny buttons and magnets, puzzles and games, and about a jillion other items you’ll love to take home.
Top: Paper Dreams
Bottom: Bead Bazaar
Of course, Fairhaven offers plenty of eating and imbibing opps, too—after all, sustenance is key to a successful shopping excursion. Grab a coffee at Tony’s or the Rustic, a sandwich at Avenue Bread or a lovely breakfast or lunch at Harris Avenue Café. If you need a boost of sugar, you’ll find fudge from Paper Dreams and handmade, authentic Italian gelato at Sirena Gelato. When you’re ready for adult beverages, hop on the Fairhaven Cocktail Crawl.
If you’re all shopped out and worn out, or need another day of treasure hunting, book a room at the Fairhaven Village Inn or Chrysalis Inn and Spa. You can enjoy dinner at Dirty Dan’s, Jalepenos or Fairhaven Pizza.
For more ideas throughout Bellingham visit our things to do pages.
About the Author: Teresa Schmidt
Teresa Schmidt has been known to skid to a stop on a gravel road to check out a random art gallery, country store or pie stand. If there’s a hint of something worth looking at, she’s on it. Teresa is a freelance copywriter who lives in Bellingham, owns and operates Sprout Creative, and eats, drinks, runs and shops all over the highways and byways of beautiful Whatcom County.
I have a family member who is visiting the Bellingham, Birch Bay area. I’d like her to purchase for me, a 16 oz coffee mug that is iconic and awesome from that area. Would you have recommendations for places for her to find something like that? Maybe a pub, coffee shop, restaurant, recreational area?
Comment by Chris — November 17, 2017 @ 10:55 am
Hi Chris,
There the best place that you can check for mugs for this area, there’s Bay to Baker Trading Company in Fairhaven is a wonderful stop. Let us know how that works out!
Comment by admin — November 17, 2017 @ 11:26 am