With
construction scheduled to begin in March, Rocket Donuts is close to
establishing its second location in Bellingham, on the corner of 11th
Street and Harris Avenue. A Lot of Flowers, the garden shop that currently
occupies the lot, will be given a space in the new building.
The
two-story building, which was designed by RMC Architects and will be built by
Pearson Construction, will include business space for Rocket Donuts, a new
Rocket Foods venue called Fat Pie Pizza Restaurant, and A Lot of Flowers. It
should be finished by the end of the year, Teri Treat, Rocket Donuts
spokesperson, said.
“We
anticipate having A Lot of Flowers in by Christmas, and the others following
very soon after,” Treat said. A Lot of Flowers will be temporarily relocated to
the retail space next door to the downstairs portion of the Colophon Café. The
business has agreed to be moved to this location by the end of February.
A bittersweet transition
Penny Ferguson, who said she has worked
at the garden shop for 21 years and owned it for 15 years, is cautiously
optimistic for the new structure, but sad to see the old one go.
“I
know this space better than I know my own yard. I know each plant; I know each
nook and cranny. I’ve spent every hour of the day and night here, in all types
of weather,” Ferguson said. “It’s a living space. A lot of the plants are over
25 years old, and a lot will have to be cut down. The entire nursery is going
to be removed.”
Ferguson
said that the public reaction had been, for the most part, lukewarm. Many
people are upset to hear that the outdoor nursery area would be gone, she said.
But Ferguson does not believe the discontent will last.
“That will change
once the building is done,” Ferguson said. “Change happens, and we’re just
trying to move forward.” Ferguson said that the new building will provide much
more in-door space than the current shop, and that she hopes to utilize natural
light and houseplants to create an outdoorsy look.
Treat said that
Rocket Donuts is aware of how beloved the garden shop is, and believes that the
three businesses sharing the space will all be complementary.
“They’re an
excellent business, and we want to continue to create business for them,” Treat
said. “Taking a business that’s been successful and helping it to continue is
really important to us.”
Multi-use structure introduces a new restaurant
The new building
will have three floors, wrote Jason Williard, an architect at RMC: a basement
(to be used primarily for cooking and employee space), a ground-level main
floor, and a second level of seating for Fat Pie Pizza. The final structure
will be approximately 3,200 square feet at the main floor, he said.
While Rocket
Donuts will maintain its vintage science fiction aesthetic, and A Lot of
Flowers will be selling more giftware and indoor plants, the business with the
most room for development and surprise is Fat Pie Pizza. Although owned by the
same company as Rocket Donuts, it will not have the same sci-fi look, Treat
said.
“It’s a completely
different venue,” Treat said. “We’re just developing the concept. We’re thinking
of making deep dish pizzas; kind of like Chicago-style, but lighter and
smaller.”
Ferguson said that
she believes that the new businesses will be good for Fairhaven’s commercial
area.
“I think that,
after the shock, [Rocket Donuts] will be just fine,” Ferguson said. “There’s
always competition with restaurants. It just makes all the businesses there
step up and keep doing the good job they have been doing.”
While Ferguson
said she had experienced some disappointing reactions from the public, Treat
said that, in her experience, the feedback has been encouraging.
Images courtesy of RMC Architects