More to Love at Aloha Cafe
Already a local favorite along the Blaine waterfront for specialty treats and mochi waffles, Aloha Cafe has recently broadened their menu with island-inspired, plate…
Hot Spot Sauna Club | Bellingham’s Mobile Sauna Heats Up Bloedel Donovan Park
Joe Wynne, owner and founder of the Hot Spot Sauna Club, is perhaps the most charismatic, driven, energetic person you will ever meet. Wynne guarantees that anyone who comes to his sauna will have a positive, unforgettable experience, and he makes everyone feel as welcome as family. His idea for…
Wine Pick of the Month | Chester-Kidder
Chester-Kidder is one of my favorite red blends with plenty to say, but it knows how to keep the conversation interesting. Crafted by Long Shadows Founding Winemaker Gilles Nicault, this Columbia Valley wine brings together Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and classic Bordeaux varieties for a rich, layered pour. Aromas of dark berries, black currant, cocoa, and a touch of earth set the…
All the Rage | The Rage Magazine Fashion Show
The Rage is a student-run fashion magazine based at Western Washington University (WWU) with a staff consisting of “a community of creatives that come together to create cool stuff,” according to Jaelin McQueen, the previous director of diversity and…
Toothsome Treats from Local Candy Makers
Candy is a year-round delight, but what season gives a better excuse to indulge than fall? This Halloween, we’ve decided to showcase a few talented candy makers who produce fun and delicious candy right in our own backyard. When catering for a spooky-season party or preparing rewards for trick-or-treaters, consider supporting a local business and giving these truly awesome treats a try! Süss Candy Bellingham’s Süss Candy is the brainchild of Julia Leaman, a…
Local Writer Limelight | Robert Wright of Witch Way Books
Robert Wright, after extensively traveling around the world, now makes his home in Bellingham with his wife. When not creating exciting new worlds, he uses Bellingham and Whidbey Island locations as the backdrops to his stories. He has currently written 24 books, with more on the way. Most of his stories are young adult fantasy genre with a sprinkling of sci-fi, urban fantasy, and twisted fairy tales in the mix. Besides the stories for younger readers,…
A Can’t-Miss Fall Foodie Event in Whistler | Whistler Cornucopia
Fight the November doldrums with a well-deserved foodie trip to Whistler, British Columbia. This November marks the community’s 30th annual Whistler Cornucopia, an eleven-day festival (November 5–15 in 2026) for anyone who loves learning about food, drink, cooking, and…
Grains and Goodies in Ferndale | Main Street Bread
Local ingredients, organic flour, whole grains. Those are core to the goods made at Main Street Bread in Ferndale. The shop, located next to a gorgeous painted mural, focuses on serving the local community the best that the area has to offer. The owners, Josh and Erika, started out from the back of their minivan while raising a…
Best of the Northwest 2026 | The Winners Are In
The winners are in. Years of tradition. Your chosen winners. Welcome to the 17th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards. For 17 years, our readers have been telling us where they eat, shop, play, sip, self-pamper, and spend their time. This year’s winners represent the businesses, people, and places that make Whatcom and Skagit Counties as wonderful as they…
Homemade Hard Candy and Gummies | Recipe
Whether you’re stocking a candy dish, filling Halloween treat bags, or just looking for a fun fall activity, making candy from scratch is surprisingly approachable. With a handful of pantry ingredients and a little patience, you can create hard candies and chewy gummies in nearly any flavor, shape, and color. Try seasonal flavors like apple and cinnamon, or stick with nostalgic favorites like cherry, orange, and strawberry. Cleanup is easier than you might…
Itching for Italian | Moltobello Ristorante Italiano
Embedded deep within downtown La Conner is a new Italian restaurant that goes by the name Moltobello Ristorante Italiano. There’s nothing like an authentic, locally-owned and run restaurant, with Italian food that is bursting with flavor in a cozy setting with soft lighting. As their website says, Moltobello has “no attitude” and “just great Italian…
The Morii Spooky the Merrier | Morii Mercantile
Taxidermy art. Vintage goods and oddities. Potion bottles and antique uranium glass juicers. Nothing combines witchy and whimsy better than Morii Mercantile, created in 2024 by Katie…
The Mixing Tin | Death in the Afternoon
Death in the Afternoon is a hauntingly strong cocktail with an eerie green hue and black licorice flavor. Rather than being fruity, candy-themed, or ornately garnished (as many Halloween drinks are), this drink captures its spectral appearance and distinct flavor with just two ingredients: absinthe and Champagne. Photograph by Kristen Boehm It was fathered by Ernest Hemingway, shares a name with one of his novels, and first…
Beyond the Barre | Skagit Valley Academy of Dance
For Shelly Whan and Kelly Fellers, dance has never been just about pirouettes, pointe shoes, or polished performances. It’s been about community, friendship, and building a second home for generations of Skagit Valley families. Photograph courtesy of Skagit Valley Academy of Dance This year, the lifelong friends and co-owners of Skagit Valley Academy of Dance (SVAD) are celebrating 42 years of ownership. The two have spent their lives teaching…
A Fresh Take on Rustic | Rustic Bar & Grill
There’s a new destination for barbecue lovers in Lynden, and the experience goes well beyond the smoker. Rustic Bar & Grill opened for business on May 13 at the Cobblestone Hotel & Suites, adding an elegance to Whatcom County’s dining scene….
A Couple’s Forest Hideaway | The Gravel Pit, Legend Homes
Some houses have very strong identities. This bright blue home is one of those houses, appearing like a bright tropical fish with rooflines reminiscent of gills. Those rooflines are responsible for a very calm, 100% daylit interior. Legend Homes (formerly TC Legend Homes) has been building solar-powered homes in the Pacific Northwest for over 20 years,…
Local Mill Welcomes New Management | Fairhaven Mill
Fairhaven Mill recently welcomed Philip Fraley as the new general manager. The Mill has been an active, organic mill since…
Shuck, Share, & Celebrate | Blaine OysterFest
As autumn settles over the waterfront, the Blaine OysterFest returns to celebrate the city’s aquaculture roots on Oct. 10. “It’s a very hometown fair kind of vibe with the seafood and harbor feeling to it. It’s a lot of fun,” says Olea Mills, the Event Coordinator at Blaine-Birch Bay Parks and Recreation. Downtown Blaine transforms into a festival district as local vendors line the downtown streets, musicians fill the harbor with live performances, and families gather to enjoy games, crafts,…
Toe-tally Awesome Shoes | ReLaced
ReLaced, located in downtown Bellingham, prioritizes selling new, used, authentic, and well-made shoes to sneakerheads at great prices. The Shop This family-run streetwear shoe store, founded and owned by Lidija and Jesse Reading, first opened in March 2024 on Bay Street. In May, the business moved to a place on Holly Street. Helped by their central location and friendly demeanor, more and more people have been discovering ReLaced, and it’s fast becoming a beloved staple of downtown Bellingham….
Since Time Immemorial | Xw’tot lhem Sequoyah Julius
Since Time Immemorial is a recurring series featuring community members whose families have been here since time immemorial. The ancestral knowledge carried by Lhaq’temish (Lummi), Nooksack, and other Coast Salish peoples is knowledge about how to live in our shared home in a good, life-sustaining way. We live in a time when we need to restore our relationship with Mother…
Behind the Studio Doors | Whatcom Artist Studio Tour
For more than 30 years, the Whatcom Artist Studio Tour has been a fall cultural highlight in which artists around Whatcom…