Bellingham Public Market Had Everything Under One Roof!
Bellingham's Public Market opened May 1, 1909 and was a seasonal operation. Farmers came from as far as the San Juan Islands to sell their agricultural harvests and associated products.
A much larger year round market opened in 1916 with 22 merchants. Farmers obtained a stall for 15 cents a day. Advertised as the place "Where the Producer Meets the Consumer", the Public Market offered "savings for the housewife by eliminating the middleman's profits." Open seven days a week, the market attracted over 10,000 people on Saturdays alone. Business blocks were built around the market and in 1925, The Bellingham Herald concluded, "It is not too much to say that the Bellingham Public Market directly encouraged the building of a new business center."
The market was gutted by fire and rebuilt in 1933. Businesses included grocers, soda fountain, coffee vendors, meat and fish markets, delicatessen and lunch counter, flower shop, dairy, shoe repair, beauty parlor and barber shop. In late 1957, a national chain drug store purchased the Public Market for its prime location and the building continues to operate as a pharmacy today at the NE corner of Cornwall and Magnolia Streets.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is May 1, 1909.
Location. 48°
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Great Water Fight (here, next to this marker); Bellingham grew up along its streetcar lines (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Bellingham bloomed during its Tulip Festival in the 1920s (about 500 feet away); Performance Theater in Bellingham (approx. 0.2 miles away); Downtown was the hub of commercial activity (approx. 0.2 miles away); Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood) (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pickett Bridge (approx. 0.4 miles away); Washington State's Oldest Brick Building (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bellingham.
More about this marker. This marker is backed by the The Great Water Fight Marker on the other side of the panel.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 322 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 23, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
