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.”