Fairhaven is full of unique shops as I mentioned in my earlier post about Fairhaven's Artwood Gallery. Another truly unique place to do your holiday shopping is Good Earth Pottery. It is located in the historic Morgan Block Building next door to Artwood. The gallery has been located here for almost 40 years and is certainly helped influence the artistic nature of the Fairhaven district.

Artwood

The gallery has gone through many incarnations, is presently owned by three local potters and showcases more than 50 local artists. Good Earth pottery features a very wide variety of creatively useful and decorative ceramic ware. You can find a beautiful functional pieces like serving bowls, mugs, platters, planters as well as whimsical pieces from the creative minds of the artists. They also carry handmade jewelry and other unique gifts. If you're out and about in Fairhaven stop by and see what some of the local artists are up to.

Labels: Fairhaven Living, Fairhaven Neighborhood

If you're looking for unique gifts for the holidays Fairhaven is a great place to do your shopping. You're not going to find any malls here or for that matter any of the national chain stores. Fairhaven shops are all unique. Being enamored with wood as I am, (I've dabbled in wood carving, building, and believe it or not I've planted close to a quarter of a million trees in my years as a tree planter.) I always enjoy seeing beautiful things made out of wood.

One of my favorite Fairhaven shops is called Artwood, it is a "gallery of find woodworking". Art wood is a 20 plus year old cooperative gallery of local woodworkers who have produced an incredible variety of all things wood, from utilitarian and functional to artistic and abstract. If you're looking for something special, that one-of-a-kind piece, you can find it here. Or if you're looking for a new piece of furniture for your home or office, there's an incredible selection of a beautiful pieces at the gallery. You'll find creative boxes, turned bowls, tables, chairs, desks, beds, and whimsical wooden art.

If you'd like any info about Fairhaven Home's or Condo's you can give me a call at 360-739-6981 or drop me a line by email.

Labels: Art, Fairhaven Living

Wow-As a Real Estate Agent I am always saying there is tons going on in Bellingham but have you taken a look at ALL that is going on just this Saturday alone!

• Grin with the Grinch at Waldron building noon-4pm $10


• Fairhaven Library is 104 years old! 1:00-3:00pm free festivities


• Firehouse 1-2:30 $8 suggested donation at door for festivities fundraiser


• Village Book 'The Airplane Plane' 7pm Free


• Free Appetizers and Drinks at Fairhaven Pub & Mini Bar from Neighborhood Mortgage 8pm


• Jazz at Skylarks 8pm free

As I said-wowza! Hope to see you out and about!

Just a side note-interest rates dropped below 5% today!!! Knew you'ld want to know! I have never come across a better time to buy and you never will... don't be saying "I wish I would have purchased when interest rates were that low"

Please feel free to contact me anytime at Jenny@BuyerTours.com or direct on my cell @ 360-303-3699.

Labels: Fairhaven Events, Fairhaven Living, Fairhaven Neighborhood

The annual Holiday Port Festival - Friday, Dec. 5, from noon - 8 pm; Saturday, Sept. 6, from 11 am - 6 pm; and Sunday, Dec. 7, from 11 am - 5 pm

Continuing the Holiday Spirit in Fairhaven, this weekend the action will be at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal. The annual Holiday Port Festival will have performances by local choirs, bands and dance groups. There are lots of free family activities, including horse drawn wagon rides, children's art activities, complimentary gingerbread cookies and cider to name a few! Santa Claus will around, and a photographer will be available for pictures with Santa. There will be a Food Drive to benefit the Bellingham Food Bank there as well so you can donate non-perishable food items and receive a FREE photo keychain from Artiem Photography!

The Gingerbread House Contest
Get your creative spirit in gear and enter a gingerbread structures in the annual Gingerbread House Contest. Entry is free, and contestants can compete in 1 of 10 categories. Gingerbread Homes are open for public viewing all 3 days of the Festival. Many of the Gingerbread structures are donated to the silent auction, so if you see one you really like, you can bid on it and maybe take it home. The proceeds from the silent auction will go to benefit the Mount Baker Chapter of the American Red Cross. Last year, there were more than 90 Gingerbread structures were in the contest, and more than $1,200 dollars was raised for our local Red Cross Chapter.

Image courtesy of flickr.com by gamillos

Labels: Fairhaven Events, Fairhaven Living

This weekend will be the beginning of the holiday season in Fairhaven's historic district. Fairhaven's century old buildings and streets will be lit up and decorated for the season. Some of the shops will have their windows painted by kids from the Fairhaven Middle School Art Club. The weekend festivities in Village Green will include musicians, carolers, a Victorian Santa who will arrive at 1 PM in a horse drawn carriage on both Friday and Saturday. At 4:30 PM on Friday you can come dressed up as Ebenezer Scrooge for the best Scrooge contest on the Village Green stage.

There will be a magic forest of evergreen trees in front of the stage were carolers will be singing around 5 PM on Friday. There will be horse drawn carriage rides around the neighborhood, from 1 to 4 on both Friday and Saturday.

The annual holiday Tour D'art will also take place on both Friday and Saturday from 5 to 9 PM. There will be artists in many of the shops and galleries.

Image courtesy of flickr.com by gadi

Labels: Fairhaven Events, Fairhaven Living

Ok, I am here to tell you what it is really like living in Fairhaven in the winter. My husband and I moved here two and a half years ago and I wasn't used to the rain and the dreary days. We moved from the Midwest so I was used to snow but sunny days. Since moving here I have learned how to make the best of winter and want to share that with all of my clients and friends who have recently moved here as well.

 My first tip is winter can be as cold as 30's and as nice as 60's. There can be sun and there can be rain and wind. So pick your poison. If it is sunny and in the 50-60's take off work early and take your family for a nice long walk. We have so many beautiful places to walk. My husband and I live a half a block from the interurban trail and on a nice day we love to walk down to woods coffee in Boulevard Park. The dreary days where it's just a little cold are the best. Woods has an outdoor fireplace where they play really relaxing music and all you see in front of you is ocean, islands, and sailboats. The water is so calm. It is extremely peaceful.

You can see seals some days on the way and there are always so many sailboats on the water. The view of the sailboats and the islands always makes me feel like I am somewhere amazing.

Second tip and it probably should have been the first. Dress for the weather. REI has all the right gear. The first thing I bought was a good rain coat. The truth is most of my walks I don't even need a rain coat because it rarely rains real heavy. It's mostly just dreary and a little bit of spitting rain. My favorite jacket is just a fleece. I have water proof pants but again I only wear those when it is really raining which is the best time to go for a walk. You just have to bring out the kid in you and see it as an adventure. Finally good shoes are essential. My next purchase will be waterproof shoes because you run into wet areas often.

These are just a few fun tips for winter. There are many more to come!

For more information on Fairhaven feel free to call or email me at Jami@buyertours.com or 360-319-5402.

Labels: Fairhaven Living, Fairhaven Neighborhood

Fairhaven's Village Books as well as Colin Flynn and Anders Crabo two recent Sehome High School graduates, were among this years Philanthropy Awards Honorees.

Labels: Fairhaven Living, Fairhaven Village Books

A bronze statue honoring one of Fairhaven's founding father's was just unveiled this past, October between Flats Tapas Bar and the Rustic Coffee Bar on 11th St. at the entrance to McKenzie Alley in the Historic District in Fairhaven.

The same sculptor who created the Dirty Dan Harris statue on the Village Green, Bob McDermott, has created a bronze bust of Fairhaven builder C.X. Larrabee. Dirty Dan may have started Fairhaven, but it was who Larrabee helped build it.

He was building Fairhaven from 1889 until 1915.

Larrabee and his wife, Frances are well know for donating the land for Larrabee Elementary School, and for Larrabee State Park, Washington's first state park, in 1915. Other donations that don't carry the family name are the land under Fairhaven Middle School, Fairhaven Library, Fairhaven Park, and the land and building for the Bellingham YWCA.

Larrabee made millions in land development, mining, and other business ventures.

Larrabee's investments had a profound effect in the area. They included a bank in Fairhaven, a railroad to Sedro-Woolley, and he bought into coal ventures in Skagit County and in Roslyn and invested in oyster beds on Samish Bay and promoted the bulb industry in Whatcom County.

Labels: Fairhaven History, Fairhaven Living