Rocket Donuts to begin construction on Harris Avenue

            With construction scheduled to begin in March, Rocket Donuts is close to establishing its second location in Bellingham, on the corner of 11^th 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.

“It’s been difficult for some, because change is always difficult, but overall it’s been very positive,” Treat said. “It’s really going to be an upgrade.”

Images courtesy of RMC Architects