Downtown was the hub of commercial activity
In May of 1905, the great undertaking of photographing 300 store fronts in Bellingham was completed by the Rembrandt studio. These photos were mounted in albums for a Whatcom County exhibit at the Lewis & Clark Exposition in Portland, Oregon. Downtown Bellingham was truly the hub of all commercial activity. At that time, there were separate stores for produce, meat, fish, candy, hardware, clothes, shoe makers, tailors and tobacco products. The businesses were called grocers, confectioners, milliners, dry goods, pantoriums, sanitariums, iron works, saloons, notion stores, powder works, bazaars, dyeworks, haberdashers and bottling works. Many of these names for specific types of businesses are not in use today.
Certain kinds of businesses have continually existed downtown including drug stores, men's and women's clothes stores, bars, real estate offices, a co-op grocery, book stores, architects, photographers, second hand stores, bicycle shops, shoe stores, an automobile garage, printers, jewelers, restaurants, banks, a bowling alley and bakeries.
The sidewalks were mostly made of wooden planks, and fabric awnings were the fashion for shading the large storefront windows. Women wore floor length dresses and men enjoyed derby-style hats. Patrons could pay to take a bath at the O.K. Shop or at Bon Ton Baths and could have books bound at the
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1905.
Location. 48° 45.108′ N, 122° 28.807′ W. Marker is in Bellingham, Washington, in Whatcom County. Marker is at the intersection of West Champion Street and Bay Street, on the right when traveling east on West Champion Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bellingham WA 98225, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Performance Theater in Bellingham (here, next to this marker); Bellingham grew up along its streetcar lines (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Bellingham bloomed during its Tulip Festival in the 1920s (about 700 feet away); Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood) (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bellingham Public Market Had Everything Under One Roof! (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Great Water Fight (approx. 0.2 miles away); Pickett Bridge (approx. ¼ mile away); Washington State's Oldest Brick Building (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bellingham.
More about this marker. The other side of the panel for this marker is the "Performance Theater in Bellingham" marker.
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 113 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 23, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
