Led by Love | Storia Cucina Chef de Cuisine Helen Lofton + Recipe

Storia Cucina has been serving downtown Bellingham with delicious Italian staples since opening in 2020. The restaurant is known for many things, including its house-made pasta…

Senior Citizens United

Ken pays respect to his elders I have your backs, seniors—and your backsides, open medical gowns and all. So what if you unintentionally embarrass your kids by posting private comments about their childhood…

Chuckanut Bay Distillery

Chuckanut Bay Distillery owners Matt Howell and Kelly Andrews aim to make the highest quality spirits using as many regional ingredients as possible. So far, the pair have created a gluten-free potato vodka and a wheat vodka. Soon, their gin and coffee liqueur will hit the shelves of stores and nearby bars. The potato vodka, made exclusively of Skagit Valley Yukon Gold potatoes, won the Double…

Senior All-Stars: Volunteers Who Shine

ADRIENNE LEDERER Neighborhood and Parks Activist Energetic, warm, outspoken Adrienne came into volunteerism through a political campaign in 1996, but it was through a notice in the paper about the Guide Meridian-Cordata Neighborhood that she found herself truly engaged. She joined her neighborhood association and found her niche. Bellingham’s growth on the north end of the city didn’t include a plan for parks. And with all of the discussion about parks focused on the south side,…

Engaging Communities

Retirement Communities That Offer Amenities: When we think of retirement communities, we generally think of endless games of bingo and terrible food. Fortunately, we have retirement communities in our area that offer amenities beyond television reruns and canasta. The Leopold on Cornwall Ave. in downtown Bellingham is on the National Register of Historic Places, and has played host to Clark Gable, President William H. Taft, Prince William of Sweden, among many other luminaries. By virtue of being downtown, it…

The Rise of the Village Movement

In 2001, Boston residents came together and created a model for seniors who want the lifestyle and amenities of living in a senior community, but who wish to stay in their own homes. They call their nonprofit Beacon Hill Village, and it is the next big trend in senior lifestyle….

Staying Engaged: Senior Living

Welcome to the new era of retirement, in which retirees teach part-time, volunteer for nonprofits, mentor young people, doorbell for candidates, organize neighborhood potlucks and run 5Ks. Voted Best Place to Retire many times over by many national publications, Bellingham seems to embody this new feisty spirit of retirement. We are no longer convalescing into old age. We are healthier longer than we used to be, retiring earlier…

Spring Beauty Trends

GLOW Try mixing Mac’s Strobe Cream with your foundation. Use a damp sponge to apply it to your face, and your face will have a subtle glow. GILDED EYE A fancier way of saying metallic looking eyes, and it’s easy to do. Apply a smoky eye and top it…

On Failing Better in the Kitchen

Attempts, tries, uncertainty. Cooking and baking are full of risk. Risk of time and precious ingredients—the milk of a mother cow, eggs from an over-worked, over-laying chicken, beautiful produce that takes so much time to plant and grow, farmers’ energy and precious natural resources. The monetary value, the purchasing of the ingredients, as well as the research and time….

Small Space Growing: Beautiful Edible Containers

One of the most revelatory moments to be had as a home gardener is realizing the incredible volume of food that can be grown in a small space. A large…

Naked Clothing

THE SHOP Located on West Holly Street and shaded by the trees and nearby shops, Naked Clothing is home to a new type of clothing—clothing with a conscience. The shop is new…

Dear Zara

Just utter the name “Zara” and you will have the attention of every fashionista in the Pacific Northwest. The Spain-based fast-fashion paradise opened its 49th U.S. store in Seattle this February and the buzz it is causing may be infinite. Ask anyone who has already paid a visit to the Westlake Center Zara and they will say that it’s more than 8,000 square feet of pure…

Bureau of Historical Investigation

The Good Time Girls of the Bureau of Historical Investigation are a blast from the past. Offering guided walking tours around Bellingham dressed in Victorian costumes, these girls share their love of history in a new way and keep the historical gears going. Marissa McGrath and Sara Holodnick are the founders…

Five Faves: Brunch

Homeskillet BELLINGHAM With each pop of a champagne cork, the entire staff yells “opa!” and you know it’s on. Skillets are delicious, but don’t overlook the pancakes and Cinnamon swirl French toast. For serious appetites, the biscuits and gravy are the real deal. homeskilletinsunnyland.com Copper Hog BELLINGHAM Whether you’re…

Tyree Callahan

Tyree Callahan is probably best known worldwide for his conceptual art piece Chromatic Typewriter, a 1937 Underwood typewriter that has color keys rather than letters. Small paint-laden sponges sit poised to create one of Tyree’s landscapes, a canvas of which is unscrolling from the carriage as if typed into being. Chromatic Typewriter won international acclaim and was the runner-up in the speculative category of the Core77 design awards in 2012. Photos of it exploded across social media sites…

Tide Lines Gallery

Nestled in the Alley District is a boutique gallery filled with handcrafted treasures waiting to be discovered. While the mosaic tiled flooring may draw you into Tide Lines, it’s the artwork that keeps you there. And if the art around the room isn’t enticing enough, artist and owner Chelsea Jepson’s workspace behind the counter offers you a chance to see the masterpieces being created as you shop, making this shop unique. Having had started her…

The Alternative Library: Now recording

The Alternative Library (or Alt.Lib as it is known) is a grassroots, independent nonprofit in downtown Bellingham founded to foster and promote local artists. Located in the former Tiger Toys space on Railroad Ave., the Alternative Library not only houses an eclectic collection of books, they offer studio space for painters and will soon branch out into offering music recording and performance space as well. The local music scene offers many…

Wonder Woman: Mayor Kelli Linville

When she turns her attention toward you as you speak, you know that Mayor Kelli Linville is listening. Not just putting on the appearance of listening, but taking in your words and considering them. Sometimes she responds right away, but typically she takes your words into consideration, thinks about them, and then…

Chosen Child: Susanne Antonetta’s Make Me a Mother

Jin came to Susanne and Bruce on a flight into Seattle accompanied by an agency escort. Not unlike a birth, the moment they took him up from his car seat and held him, their lives changed forever. In her meditative and lyrical memoir Make Me a Mother, Bellingham poet and memoirst Susanne Antonetta-Paola traces the map of Jin’s adoption, from her decision at an early age…

Hypnosis: Helping You Help Yourself

Are you feeling out of control? Hypnosis can help. Are you feeling out of control in an area of your life? Do you know what you need to do, but find it hard — or nearly impossible—to follow through? Is there…