The Woods Coffee to Open on Meridian Street

            The Woods Coffee will open a new location that will replace the former Tully’s Coffee on the corner of Stuart Road and Meridian Street.      

The Woods Coffee is a family-owned business with locations around Whatcom County. Woods opened in the Lynden neighborhood in 2002 by owner Wes Herman. Ten stores are currently open in Whatcom County.

Herman said the Meridian neighborhood is one of the top 10 busiest traffic areas in the state and there is a lack of drive-through coffee shops. The drive-through will provide accessibility and convenience to travelers. “It will be our busiest store yet,” said Herman.

Now that Woods has leased the spot, the surrounding businesses are hopeful that it will bring more customers to their stores. Manager of United Furniture Warehouse Jason Conway said it will definitely bring more customers into his store, “It’s a really good local brand and people like buying coffee there. It’s a nice hub.”

Conway has been managing the furniture store for two and a half years now. He said before Tully’s was put in the building was vacant. It was built for Starbucks before they opted out of their lease.

Conway loves Woods coffee and is happy to see it go in. He is also a big fan of Cruisin’ Coffee located in the Cordata neighborhood.

Community member and Woods Coffee drinker Katrina Johnson is also excited another location is opening up. “Woods is my favorite local coffee brand. It’ll be nice having a drive through coffee shop on Meridian Street when I’m in that area,” says Johnson. Her favorite drink is a Cedar non-fat caramel latte.

            The Herman family will be opening more stores in the Bellingham area and will soon open stores outside Whatcom County, but no specifics could be given.

In Herman’s earlier years he sold products in the coffee industry. Herman’s four children drank coffee as teenagers, so he and his wife opened a shop that would benefit their community and family.

Each member of the family is actively involved in keeping Woods alive. One daughter holds a corporate position, while the other daughter plans events for the stores. One of their sons builds out the stores. Their other son’s wife works as a manager at one of their locations. Herman’s wife takes care of their grandchildren.

The family wanted their coffee shops to be different than any other. Most coffee shops offer minimal seating. Herman said, “We wanted to give you a comfortable place where you could come that provided more seating compared to other shops. We wanted to bring people into the store, not kick them out.”

Reducing Mall Traffic

            This year the city of Bellingham will try reducing congestion around the Bellis Fair Mall by connecting Bellis Fair Parkway with Eliza Avenue. This project was approved in May 2010 and will cost roughly $250,000 according to the City of Bellingham.

Eliza Avenue has a roundabout that connects Northwest Avenue with West Bakerview Road. Opening Bellis Fair Parkway to Eliza Avenue will give drivers another option to choose from when entering and exiting the mall’s parking lot.

 “We are looking forward to the connection, which we believe will improve traffic flow in and out of Bellis Fair, benefiting our shoppers,” said Senior General Manager at Bellis Fair Mall Janet Henderson.

Bellis Fair Mall is approximately 755,000 square feet and is home to numerous stores and fast food restaurants, including the surrounding restaurants Red Robin, McDonalds and Boston Pizza. There are five department stores: Macy’s, Kohls, Target, Sears and JCPenny.

Many tourists travel to Bellis Fair Mall every day, including Canadians who don’t have access to a Target.  Much of the congestion forms at the intersection of Target and Bellis Fair Parkway. “This connection could not be in a better spot,” says community member Troy Miller, “I refuse to even go to Target anymore because it’s just too annoying to get to and park at.”

Although the start date and timeline are currently unknown, community members are still hopeful about the project. Community member Shari Harlom was unaware of the project. After hearing the logistics she said she was excited to have an alternate route to enter and exit the mall. “On the mall’s busiest day it can take up to as much as 10 minutes to exit the parking lot,” says Harlom, “It’ll be nice not having to plan around the traffic for once.”

Miller heard rumors about the city’s plan and said, “Hopefully the connection of Bellis Fair Parkway and Eliza Avenue will help the flow of traffic not only in and out of the mall, but on Meridian Street as well.”

            Both Harlom and Miller drive on Meridian Street daily. Miller said there has been an increase in traffic especially because construction has picked up due to the spring weather. “I really enjoy the Meridian neighborhood, but it can get frustrating trying to get around when there is so much traffic being generated because of the mall.”

            Many community members are aware of the growing traffic issues, but were unaware of the city’s plan to connect Bellis Fair Parkway and Eliza Avenue. Harlom said she would like to know more about the project and all it entails, “Hopefully the city will stay on budget.”

            Harlom also said she was worried about extra congestion around the mall with all the construction going on, “Not only do they work periodically on Meridian Street, but what will happen when construction begins on Bellis Fair Parkway? Who knows how much traffic might emerge because of the project.”