Merchants sing the praises of Sehome
Giving students the business pays off

by Christopher Key

If the merchants of Sehome can be trusted, that area is the best place in Bellingham to do business. Again this month, we’re taking a look at a business community that has not previously been well delineated. For our purposes, we defined the business community as situated along the east side of Sehome hill, including Samish Way from I-5 to its transformation into Ellis Street.

Can a business community have a patron saint? If so, it’s probably Joe Pertero, the founder of Joe’s Garden on 32nd Street. Joe originally farmed an area along Iowa Street, but was frustrated by the repeated flooding of Whatcom Creek. When the property along the base of Sehome Hill became available in 1933, he bought it and established the produce business that has become the heart and soul of the south side.

Carl Weston started working at Joe’s Garden in 1959. Even at age 18, he knew he eventually wanted to own the business, so he started saving his money. Weston went on to co-found Nordic Yachts, but he kept in touch with Joe over the years. When Pertero decided to retire in 1983, Weston was ready. He and his wife Karol have tended Joe’s Garden since the spring of that year.

“Joe never understood about borrowing money,” Carl said, “and paid cash for everything. We’ve tried to follow the philosophy of carrying little debt and it’s helped us succeed.”

There are a lot of memories attached to this business.

“This place used to be way out in the country,” Weston said. “We knew everybody who drove by on 32nd Street. The older people who worked for Joe were mentors to us kids. The neighborhood kids Joe hired worked 65 hour weeks and the pay was pretty good for that time. He put a lot of trust in me, allowing me to select and deliver produce to customers.”

Naturally enough, Pertero followed Italian farming methods that are designed to get the most out of a small space. Everything had to be of the very best quality.

“We have six acres in production now,” said Weston, “and we haven’t used pesticides for 15 years. We substitute labor for spraying.”

The farm has not been certified organic, in part because of the massive amounts of red tape required to gain that status.

“I think we’ve done well in part because we’ve diversified and changed with the times,” said Weston. “We even have a Joe’s Garden Cookbook.”

He and Karol installed greenhouses so they could get a head start on bedding plants and veggies and get the cash flowing earlier in the spring.

“When Joe first started,” Weston said, “80-90 percent of the business was wholesale. Now it’s 90 percent direct marketing. We can still price our produce lower than the grocery stores.”

Part of the reputation of the business rests on service.

“Our wholesale customers know that we will get the plants there while they’re still fresh,” Weston said.

The community has been very supportive of the business.

“We get customers from all over the south side,” Weston said, “and a lot of people from the Lake Whatcom area. Of course, we get tons of business from the university.”

In addition to a wide selection of vegetables and herbs, Joe’s Garden offers cut flowers. A lot of them. For about 90 days in the summer, it represents 25 percent of their business. The Westons sell produce from a number of other small farmers in the county as well as their own.

“This is a quiet part of town,” Weston said. “We get to know most of our customers. Occasionally, we’ll run a small ad, but it’s mostly word of mouth.”

It seems to be working. There are days in the summer when the parking lot overflows and cars are lined up out to 32nd Street. The Westons say they feel more like caretakers of the property than the owners. They get a tax break from the City of Bellingham for preserving open space, but is there a place for an urban farm as the city grows?

“If we have anything to say about it,” the Westons said, “it will always be a farm.”

Just a few blocks from the peace and quiet of Joe’s Garden is the hustle and bustle of Samish Way, sometimes known as Motel Row. Klas Fogelklou just took over as manager of the Ramada Inn in October. The motel was built in the late 60s and originally called Pony Express. It became part of the Ramada chain about eight years ago.

Fogelklou, who has been an innkeeper all his life, was brought in by Ramada to upgrade the establishment.

“A motel is like a living thing,” Fogelklou said. “You have to work with it and improve service where you can. It really keeps you on your toes. You can’t get complacent”

Like other businesses in Sehome, the Ramada Inn benefits hugely from the presence of the university.

“We work very closely with Western,” Fogelklou said, “It’s our biggest corporate account.”

Fogelklou prefers that the motel not try to be something it isn’t.

“We know we’re not a four or five star facility,” said Fogelklou. “We want to be in the middle of the road, providing comfortable accommodations for everybody.”

Being part of a big chain has its advantages.

“Travelers are very name sensitive,” Fogelklou said, “and our name is one of the most recognizable. They want to get a big bang for the buck.”

With a number of other motels in the immediate neighborhood, it’s important to stay competitive.

“We’re selling service and a clean room,” Fogelklou said. “We have to make sure ours is better than the others. It’s vital that our employees have a friendly and welcoming presence. My philosophy is to hire for attitude and train for the job.”

The Ramada offers 66 rooms, a heated pool, free HBO on the TVs and a complimentary continental breakfast. There’s plenty of parking, even for the big rigs that may wander in off the interstate.

One of the other characteristics of the Sehome area is a fascinating variety of restaurants. The Keg Steakhouse and Bar has been on Fielding Avenue next to Sehome Village for a long time, although it started life as a Sea Galley. The Keg chain is based in Canada and bought out the Sea Galley group in 1990.

Bill McCormack had been working for Sea Galley when the transition occurred and was sent to Seattle to train at the Keg there while this location underwent renovation. He has served as kitchen manager, general manager, then finally bought the franchise this past April.

“The goal of the company,” McCormack said, “is to have half the restaurants owned by the corporation and half by franchisees. I’m sort of the guinea pig for the US franchises.”

Keg restaurants are now operating in Washington, Oregon, Texas, Colorado and Arizona. The restaurant business is a tough go under any circumstances, but the double whammy of 9/11 and a shaky economy makes it worse.

“We took a pretty good hit with the closures at Georgia Pacific and Intalco,” McCormack said, “but business is starting to pick up again. I’m doing better than last year. Of course new restaurants like Anthony’s and Applebee’s have an impact and we’re not exactly in a high profile location.”

Like his colleague at the Ramada Inn, McCormack believes that staff attitude is all-important.

“Our staff makes us successful,” said McCormack. “They smile and remember your name. I hire people for their personality. When people visit this restaurant, we don’t refer to them as customers, but as guests. Some of my people have been here 10 or15 years.”

It also helps to have good food.

“Quality is the first priority at the Keg,” McCormack said. “We have great buyers who don’t hesitate to send beef back if it doesn’t meet our standards.”

Like other restauranteurs, McCormack faces the challenge of a rising minimum wage.

“Sure, it hurts,” McCormack said, “but I’m trying not to change the prices on the menu. We offer the best value in the business and I want to keep it that way.”

McCormack is enthusiastic about the Sehome area.

“This is a great community,” said McCormack. “The students from Western and the high school make it a very vital place. We’re easy to access from I-5, but don’t have the traffic problems of Sunset or Meridian.”

Having successful neighbors helps a lot.

“Haggen is successful, the theatre is successful, and that helps me succeed,” McCormack said. “The new office building across the street is a great boost. It makes us that much easier to see.”

He worries a bit about the image of his bar facility.

“I want people to know that this is not a college bar in the sense of being loud and obnoxious,” McCormack said. “We have quality drinks at a good price. We want folks to come in, relax and watch the game on TV. Casual or dressy doesn’t matter here. The restaurant is not just a place for special occasions, it’s an anytime place.”

The Bellingham High School graduate has been in the community for a long time and so has the restaurant. He believes in supporting the community that supports him and wants to be sure the public knows that the restaurant is now locally owned rather than being just another link in a corporate chain. Not that being part of a larger operation doesn’t have its advantages.

“The Keg has always been good to me,” McCormack said. “It’s a very people oriented company. If I’m in trouble I know they’ll help me. I’m proud of our product and this establishment. I really felt like I owned the place long before I actually did.”

At the other end of Samish Way is an equally successful restaurant with a very different ambiance. Boomer’s was started in 1989 and Chris Irwin took it over from his brother-in-law in 1999. The classic 50s drive in is regularly selected as having the best burger in town.

“Boomer’s offers good food and quality service,” Irwin said, “and we don’t try to compete with the chains on price. I look for the highest quality ingredients: hamburgers that don’t shrink much, real ice cream in the shakes, big juicy tomatoes.”

Service is as much a part of the Boomer’s experience as the burger.

“I try to hire employees that care about the customers and about our product,” Irwin said, “and I think it shows.”

Sixty percent of his employees are students at Western and a high percentage of his customers as well.

“It’s right on the path for college students headed downtown,” said Irwin. “There really are no bad points about Sehome.”

He expects his employees to be fairly self-sufficient.

“They’re grownups and this isn’t rocket science,” Irwin said. “If you know how to do your job, it becomes a lot easier. Realizing that your co-workers are also good at what they do is a big help. I like for the employees to train each other and give them a lot of responsibility for quality control. You have to have employees you can trust to make decisions if you want to have a life. So I provide a good working environment that makes people want to work here.”

He’d like to reward his staff more than is actually possible.

“Do they deserve more? Yes,” said Irwin. “But you can’t whine about it. You just have to move on and make it work.”

A lot of Boomer’s success lies in Irwin’s attitude.

“I love hamburgers,” Irwin said. “I always have. I’d rather be voted best burger in town than have 14 Boomer’s. For people who want a Boomer Burger, the fast food chains are not even on the map.”

Pet Stop in Sehome Village has been on the map for ten years. Alan Gardner and his wife were TV engineers in Los Angeles when they took a vacation to the northwest with an eye toward leaving the rat race.

“We’re city people to the extent that we couldn’t see moving to Mayberry,” Gardner said. “It came down to here or Eugene, Ore., and Bellingham eventually won.”

Gardner grew up in a retail environment and thinks he chose well when he decided to open a store catering to pets.

“Who doesn’t like pets?” Gardner asked. “It’s a competitive business, but family oriented and it doesn’t fluctuate much with the seasons. This business is fun.”

The Gardners looked at several locations in the north end and credit their real estate agent for steering them to Sehome. It seems to have worked well.

“We’ve never had a down year or even a down month with one exception,” Gardner said. “That was when PETsMART opened. People naturally wanted to check it out, but our customers are loyal and came right back. Pet food drives this store. We carry 20 brands, the most of any store in western Washington.”

Pet Stop’s customers are so loyal that when new arrivals come to Bellingham, Pet Stop devotees bring them in to show off what’s best about Bellingham. Gardner insisted that he has no axes to grind.

“PETsMART does what they do very well,” Gardner said. “They compete with Costco and WalMart, not us. We do what we do very well. We take care of the customer. Our employees are very knowledgeable and we treat them well.”

Sehome Village has had its ups and downs over the years, but it has been a perfect location for Pet Stop and Gardner wonders why businesses aren’t beating down the doors to get in.

“The ownership has changed slightly,” Gardner said. “They’re going to do a facelift in the near future. There should be a waiting list to get in here. Small businesses should seriously consider Sehome Village. The owners have been very good to us.”

Sehome is a unique and eclectic community of businesses. They benefit from proximity to I-5 and relatively uncongested traffic. There may be other business districts that are more fashionable at the moment, but most of the merchants of Sehome wouldn’t be any place else.