Join us in acting now to build a more just and inclusive community!
Every year on July 1st, Bellingham Alive kicks off their Best of the Northwest contest, and we share newsletters and social media posts to help get the word out. Sometimes we put in a plug for businesses we work with or have worked for. Other times we’ve simply advocated for local businesses that are close to our hearts. This year, we’re using a different strategy.
Over the past few months we started the slow, humbling and painful process of educating ourselves on the heartbreaking history of racism in America and the ways that history continues to impact people of color, especially Black and Indigenous people, today. We’re listening to podcasts and radio shows; watching documentaries, interviews and movies; and reading, fiction and non-fiction books and news articles about White privilege, race, slavery, the prison system and all of the other policies that perpetuate systemic racism in America. In this process we’re beginning to grapple with the ways our actions, or more often, our inactions, make an impact. What has become abundantly clear is that in matters of racism and inequality, failure to act is an action that supports the racist status quo.
There are many ways to contribute to building a strong anti-racist movement. We know things won’t change overnight, but we are also committed to stepping away from our privileged complacency by taking action. One of those (small) actions is to use our platform to highlight our favorite local businesses that are owned (or co-owned) by people of color or women by voting for them in the Best of the Northwest Contest. We cannot change Bellingham’s ugly, racist past, but we can take action now, in big and small ways, to help build more just and inclusive community.
This list is a work in progress – we’d love to add to it, so please reach out and let us know who we’ve missed!
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
- Best Live Music Venue- The Shakedown
FASHION & RETAIL
- Best Consignment Shop- Labels Consignment
- Best Boutique – Brazen Shop & Studio
- Best Jewelry Shop – Martini Metal Craft
- Best Bookstore- Village Books
FOOD & DRINK
- Best New Restaurant- Anmly
- Best Take-Out- Wanida
- Best International Cuisine- Ambo Ethiopian Cuisine & Calypso Kitchen
- Best Bakery | Dessert Shop- Pure Bliss
- Best Burger- Brandywine Kitchen
- Best Mexican Restaurant- Mi Rancho
- Best Brewery- Wander Brewing
- Best Food Truck- Super Mario’s Taco Truck
- Best Breakfast- Home Skillet
- Best Fresh Produce- Birchwood Farmers Market
HEALTH & BEAUTY
- Best Fitness Center- Pure Fitness Martial Arts
- Best Yoga | Pilates Studio– 3 Oms Yoga
- Best Salon- Hair Art Studio
- Best Men’s Haircut- Busy B’s Barbershop
- Best Physical Therapist- CorePhysio
- Best Chiropractor – Murry Chiropractic
HOME & GARDEN
- Best Garden | Nursery- Garden Spot Nursery
- Best Roofing Company- Nolan’s Roofing
KIDS
- Best Toy Store– Launching Success
BUSINESS | SERVICES
- Best Auto Repair Shop– Rising Sun Motors
- Best Creative Company- Shew Design
- Best Plumber- Spectrum Plumbing
- Best Attorney- Kulshan Law Group
by Intellitonic