After more than a decade in the Bellingham restaurant business, Jesse Cantu remains as passionate as ever while his company enters an expansion phase. On Friday, April 22, Cantu opened a Jalapenos Family Mexican Restaurant & Lounge in Barkley Village, the second Jalapenos in Bellingham. He also operates the Milagro Mexican Grill in Fairhaven. Barkley is the largest of the three Cantu restaurants, currently seating about 120 people. Cantu also is renovating a meeting room in the new restaurant that should add another 40 seats to the total when it's completed at the end of May. The Barkley restaurant will have a menu similar to the Jalapenos on Holly Street, which opened in 1999. The new restaurant will be open every day for lunch and dinner and will have live music on Friday and Saturday evenings. It also will serve as the home base for the company's catering business, which can handle events with up to 500 guests, Cantu said. Cantu has been interested in the Barkley area for some time and saw an opportunity when the former Pastazza space became available. It took more than four months of remodeling work before Jalapenos could open, but it allowed the company to make several changes, including making the upstairs mezzanine area available for customers. The growth to three restaurants allowed Cantu to bring in his three longtime friends - Miguel, Jose and Leo Doniz, three brothers he worked with more than 20 years ago in Houston - to manage the three restaurants, freeing up more time for Cantu to manage the overall company. It's another accomplishment for someone who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico in 1976 and started as a dishwasher at a restaurant in the Houston area. He worked at a variety of positions in the industry through the years before being hired by Blaine's The Inn at Semiahmoo in 1995, leading to the starting of his own restaurant in Bellingham four years later. The burnout factor on running a restaurant is high, but that hasn't impacted Cantu. He said two things are driving him: The support he receives from his wife, Alicia, as well as the faces of satisfied customers he sees as they are leaving the restaurant. "When I retire, (the faces of customers) is what I'll remember the most," Cantu said. "Profit margins in the restaurant industry are thin, so you have to love the business in order to stay in it. I've made so many friends over the years, and I'm happy to be a part of this community in this way." With the new restaurant in Barkley, Cantu estimates he now has about 55 employees. As that restaurant settles into a regular routine, Cantu will begin thinking about expanding to other parts of Whatcom County. "People are getting familiar with the Jalapenos name, so we'll think about it (expanding)," Cantu said. "The key is finding the right people and getting them the training they need." DAVE GALLAGHER / THE BELLINGHAM HERALD --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Jesse Cantu, right, and restaurant manager Leopoldo Doniz stand at the bar of the soon-to-be open Jalapeños Mexican Restaurant in Barkley Village. Isaac Bonnell | BBJ by Isaac Bonnell Filed on 21. Apr, 2011 in Tips Jesse Cantu, who owns the restaurants Jalapeños Mexican Restaurant and Milagro Mexican Grill, is opening a third restaurant Monday, April 25 in Barkley Village. The new restaurant, which was the former home of Pastazza, will be another Jalapeños, with the same menu as the downtown location, Cantu said. “We’re excited about being in Barkley Village — it’s a growing area,” Cantu said. At 4,100 square feet, the brightly colored restaurant is larger than Cantu’s others and can seat 120 people. It also has a private dining room that can seat 50 people, but Cantu said that room will not be ready for guests until June. The new restaurant will also serve as the home office for the catering side of the business. Cantu first opened Jalapeños in downtown Bellingham in 1999 and opened Milagro Mexican Grill in Fairhaven in 2008. With the opening of a third restaurant, the business now employs 58 people. For more information, visit jalapenosbellingham.com.
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(March 11, 2011) The 2219 Building, owned and managed by the Barkley Company, has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) prestigious ENERGY STAR, the national symbol for protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency. To receive an ENERGY STAR Certification a building must perform in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency. The 2219 Building performs in the top 15% nationally and is 38% above the National Average Energy Use Index (EUI) for similar buildings. "The Barkley Company is pleased to accept EPA’s ENERGY STAR award,” said Jeff Kochman, President. " We are continually working to improve the energy performance of all of our properties, incorporating ENERGY STAR, LEED, Green Building and other innovative ideas. This ENERGY STAR Certification is a nice recognition of those efforts. It is an honor to be 1 of only 134 commercial buildings recognized in Washington State for 2010.” Commercial buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. By improving the energy performance for the 2219 Building, the Barkley Company has prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the electricity use from 124 households for a year. “Improving the energy efficiency of our nation’s buildings is critical to protecting our environment, “ said Jean Lupinacci, Chief of the ENERGY STAR Commercial & Industrial Branch. “From the boiler room to the board room, organizations are leading the way by making their buildings more efficient and earning EPA’s ENERGY STAR.” For more information about ENERGY STAR visit www.energystar.gov/buildings. For more information about Barkley Company visit www.barkleyvillage.com.
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We are now on Facebook please join us at www.facebook.com/barkleyvillage1
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BELLINGHAM - Time magazine has ranked Bellingham as the ninth most active city in the U.S. The ranking focused on the nation's 15 most active cities. Aurora, Colo., came in at 15, while Boulder, Colo., was the country's most active city. Seattle also landed on the list, at 13. The magazine said its ranking was based on data from the 2008 Census as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracked the nation's couch potatoes county by county. The magazine then looked at the counties with the lowest levels of inactivity, like Whatcom, then determined what major cities were in those counties. The data showed that Whatcom County had an inactivity rate of 15.7 percent, according to Time. In selecting Bellingham, the magazine referred to the annual Ski to Sea race and residents recreating in areas such as Larrabee State Park and Mt. Baker Ski Area. For more, read this Friday, Feb. 18 article by Meredith Melnick of time.com. KIE RELYEA / THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
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BELLINGHAM - Restaurant chains might be smart to expand into Bellingham, according to a recent survey that ranked the city among the top 40 emerging restaurant markets. The survey by QSR Magazine and Pitney Bowes Business Insight ranked the top small, medium and large cities for quick-service restaurant expansion in 2011. Bellingham was No. 7 in the small market category. The survey looked at a city's quick-service restaurant competition as well as past, present and projected unemployment, retail sales, home prices and disposable income. Quick-service restaurants include places such as Papa Murphy's, Starbucks and McDonald's. In the past few years, this area has gotten such national chains as Sonic drive-in and Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and local restaurants have been expanding as well. The Woods Coffee is in the process of adding its 10th location, in Bellingham's Flatiron building. "I think it's a climate that's more stable than some of the other areas of the country that are more volatile," Woods owner Wes Herman said. "For us, it's a logical place for expansion because we've built a local brand name. It has to be a strong local brand identity or a national chain with strong recognition because there's plenty of options out there." Bellingham is home to Western Washington University, gets loads of Canadian shoppers and is located along the Interstate 5 corridor, all of which make it an attractive place to open a restaurant. But there's a disconnect between the survey results and reality, said Tom Dorr, director of WWU's Center for Economic Vitality. "We have an oversupply of restaurants in Whatcom County compared to our population," he said. "The number of choices are a lot higher here than a lot of other places." While it's nice to get Bellingham on the map, the survey alone won't bring new restaurants to the area, Dorr said. "This is step one," he said. "A chain store is going to use this data to identify where they should look. Then they're going to do more detailed analysis." But Dorr said he could see a real influx of quick-service restaurants in the Barkley area, where a movie complex is scheduled to be built. He also could imagine a Bellingham outpost of the Canadian restaurant Tim Hortons doing well. The key is finding out what's missing in the market and finding the right product for the right place, said Washington Restaurant Association President and CEO Anthony Anton. "I would also say the palate in Bellingham, between the college and Bellingham itself, has been open to new ideas and new products," Anton said. "They'd welcome more variety." ZOE FRALEY / THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
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BELLINGHAM - A 16-screen movie theater operated by Regal Cinemas will be built west of the Barkley Haggen store in an undeveloped field. • Where will it be? See this detailed site map (PDF) Construction of the 68,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to begin next spring, with the theater opening in the first half of 2012, said Jeff Kochman, president of Barkley Company, which is developing the theater and surrounding property. The movie theater is about the size of the Barkley Haggen store and will feature 3,200 stadium seats and Regal's RealD 3D, which combines high-definition digital technology with 3-D images. There will be two very large screens, along with several medium-size and smaller-size screens in the complex. The facility is the latest piece of Barkley Village's "Live, Work and Play," concept for an urban village, Kochman said. "This is the absolute game-changer for Barkley," he said. "The theater increases the value to the area, bringing more people to enjoy the restaurants, other businesses and trails. It's the best entertainment component we could have asked for. This type of movie theater is long overdue for this market, and we're pleased to work with Regal to make it happen." What the project will mean to the three other Regal Entertainment Group theaters in Bellingham is unclear. Richard Grover, director of marketing and communications, said he didn't have that information available Thursday. Regal owns the theaters at Bellis Fair, Sunset Square mall and next to the Sehome Village shopping center. THEATER IS PHASE ONE Speculation about what would be developed in that part of the Barkley district has been a popular topic in the community since Barkley Company cleared the area and put in stormwater improvements about a year ago. Kochman said they considered making a formal announcement then, but wanted to make sure the financing was in place and the plans were finalized. He estimates the cost of the project in the $15 million to $25 million range. The movie theater is one of several projects planned for the area. In the first phase that includes the theater, three buildings will be built potentially for restaurants and retail. Trails will be added and the pond will be expanded on the south side of the property. Also, Barkley Boulevard will be expanded and a traffic light installed at the Barkley Boulevard and Howe Place intersection. Barkley Company has been working with the city on traffic impacts, Kochman said, and believes the improvements they have planned will offset the new development. "During consultations with Regal, we've learned most of the movie-goer traffic will be post-6:30 p.m., after the normal commute rush," Kochman said. General contractor for the project is Robinson Construction of Portland, Ore., a company experienced in building theaters, Kochman said. Other aspects of the project and subcontracts will go through a competitive bid process, which will mean opportunities for local workers. In phase two, plans are in the works for parking garages along with retail, restaurants and residential buildings. That part of the development will take place when market conditions are favorable, according to the company. PART OF LONG-TERM PLAN Barkley Village has been a long, steady work-in-progress since the Talbot family bought the 200 acres in the mid-1970s. Retail and residential aspects of the area began to take form in the 1990s, starting with the Haggen store. For the next step, which took years to develop, one of the biggest challenges was designing a large movie theater in a way that is in scale with the rest of the urban village, said Stowe Talbot, owner of Barkley Company. That includes using modern architecture techniques on the buildings, a "curved" parking lot design, and installing pedestrian-friendly features such as trails and greenery. Talbot said eventually he wants to put in parking garages to avoid the look of a sprawling parking lot. "I believe we've done a good job mitigating my initial concern about the scale of the building and the parking area," he said. "We don't want to lose sight of the fact we are building a community." John Arrigoni will handle leasing options for the area. For more information about what is available, and for progress on the project, see barkleyvillage.com. DAVE GALLAGHER / THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
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Bellingham Baby Company, located in Barkley Village, has been working with more than 50 local mothers and grandmothers who make handcrafted items for the store. From hats and dresses to bibs and blankets, the locally handmade items offer a unique option for customers shopping for baby gifts, said Shelly Allen, owner of the store. "We are proud to work with such talented and creative women and offer a place for them to sell their products and earn extra income," said Allen in a press release. "Our customers appreciate the fact that so many of our products are locally handmade. Many of them will come into the store and ask to see only locally handmade items." Several of the moms who make things for the store also promote sustainability with their products. The reusable fabric sandwich bags, made by local mom Allison Miller, help eliminate the use of plastic bags. Miller also makes baby bibs from fused plastic shopping bags. Bellingham Baby Co. works with local people on a consignment basis, but is currently not accepting new consignors due to space constraints. For future product considerations, contact Allen at babytalk@bellinghambabycompany.com. DAVE GALLAGHER / THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
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On Saturday, September 26, DVSAS will host Barkley Company's 2nd Annual Charity Golf Classic at Lake Padden Golf Club. This tournament will boast 136 players on one of the most beautiful courses in Whatcom County, all there for a fun-filled day of golf and to help raise money to help victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Following the tournament, all are invited to the post-game bbq! Food and refreshments will be served at the Lake Padden Clubhouse. Enter for your chance to win an array of exciting draw prizes, including a luxurious cruise, cash, vacation packages, golf merchandise, outdoor gear, and more! Tee-Off: 9:00am Format: Shotgun/Scramble Fee: $100 per player/$400 Team/$500 Corporate Team for more info go to www.dvsas.org
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The Barkley branch of the Bellingham Public Library opened on September 13, 2008. The branch is located in the Drake Building at 3111 Newmarket Street. Hours are: Tuesday 2pm - 6pm Wednesday 10am - 2pm Thursday 2pm - 6pm Friday 10am - 2pm Saturday 10am - 2pm Closed Sunday and Monday
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Scotty Browns restaurant is now open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. Located in the top floor of the Laurel building Scotty Browns offers a sleekly well-designed yet casual atmosphere with warm, efficient and unpretentious service. For more information visit the Scotty Browns website website.
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RBC Wealth Management will be moving into a first floor suite in the Laurel Building, at the northwest corner of Barkley and Newmarket, this November. Branch Director, Scott A. Hume, CFP, believes “Relocating to Barkley Village will allow RBC to best serve the needs of our clients, as well as our employees, from a more centrally located, more convenient location.” RBC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada, and is one of the largest full-service securities firms in the U.S. The company serves individual investors and businesses through offices coast to coast, and capital markets and correspondent clients in select U.S. and international markets. For more information, please visit their website at www.rbcdain.com or call (360) 671-5900.
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32 agents and support staff from Prudential Kelstrup have joined the recently remodeled John L. Scott office in Barkley Village. John L. Scott now has 75 realtors serving Whatcom County. The merger has allowed the strong local relationships built by Prudential Kelstrup over the last 60 years to benefit from the cutting edge technology and better exposure that comes from the John L. Scott name. For more information, check out their website at www.johnlscott.com
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The Peoples Bank Financial Center is nearly finished and will open this fall! The bank will bring together Retail and Business Banking along with Real Estate Lending under one roof in their beautiful new building at 3100 Woburn. Customers will enjoy covered parking in the Parking Deck, as well as convenient drive-up banking. The convenience of extended hours and banking at the in-store office located inside the Barkley Haggen’s will continue to be available when the new office opens. For more information, please call Jan Armstrong at (360) 734-9811 or visit www.peoplesbank-wa.com
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Construction of a new Dental office building at 3115 Howe Place is well under way, with occupancy expected this Fall. Ronald Moreno, DDS will occupy the ground floor. Dr. Moreno and his staff are excited to offer their patients the same gentle dentistry and personal care in a new facility with new equipment. For more information, please visit his website at: www.ronaldmorenodds.com. Schmidt Orthodontics will be located on the second floor. Dr. Andrew Schmidt was trained at the University of Washington, and practiced for several years in Wisconsin before moving to Bellingham last year. Dr. Schmidt is excited to bring a new professional service to the Barkley community. Schmidt Orthodontics is a growing practice that provides orthodontic care for all ages. Please call Dr. Schmidt’s office at 738-4772 for more information.
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Industrial Credit Union is launching its seventh branch this fall in Bellingham’s Barkley Village. The expansion into northeast Bellingham has been a longtime goal of ICU. “Barkley Village has always been the most requested new location from our 20,000 members,” said Terri McKee, President/CEO of ICU. “We also see it as a growing community of residences and businesses that deserves the benefits of a not-for-profit credit union.” ICU’s Barkley Village branch at 2955 Newmarket St., Suite 107, is scheduled to open in early September after completion of a $50,000 remodeling project. “Virtually everything inside this building will be new,” McKee said. The new branch will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. ICU will offer a no-fee ATM, consumer and home loans and a variety of everyday banking products at the Barkley Village Branch. ICU, founded in 1941, is a not-for-profit cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members. Anyone who lives or works in the state of Washington is eligible for membership. With $130 million in assets, ICU already has three branches in Bellingham (Northwest Avenue, downtown State Street and West Bakerview Fred Meyer) and three more at Lynden, Ferndale and Nugents Corner. For more information, call 734-2043 or visit www.industrialcu.org.
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The Barkley Company has been working with the Bellingham Public Library toward bringing a satellite branch to Barkley Village. Plans are nearing completion for a library branch to occupy a suite on the ground floor of the new Drake Condominium Building. If you are interested in participating in the success of the Barkley Branch, we urge you to look into joining the Friends of the Bellingham Library. Our hope is to garner public support similar to that of the Fairhaven Branch. Please check out the Friends via the Bellingham Public Library website at: www.bellinghampubliclibrary.org.
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The sleek and distinctive Laurel building in Barkley Village welcomes its first tenant - Canadian-based restaurant, Browns Social House.

Set to open late this year, Browns Social House will offer a menu of west coast cuisine fused with Vancouver's ethnic influences in a sleek and casual atmosphere. The restaurant will feature a contemporary dining room, Browns signature center-style bar (accompanied by a spacious lounge), a deck for outdoor dining complete with water features and a fire pit.

Learn more about Browns Social House

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After receiving many suggestions in our "Name That Building" contest, The Barkley Company is pleased to announce that the new building just begun at the northwest corner of Barkley and Newmarket will be named the Laurel Building. Our thanks and congratulations go to Slavica Belsher, winner of the contest and a $100 Barkley gift certificate redeemable at any participating Barkley area business.
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The Mortgage division of Golf Savings Bank, a member of the Sterling Financial Family, will soon be moving into a ground floor suite in the new Drake Building. Golf Savings has offices throughout the Pacific Northwest, with the branch in the Barkley district specializing in Residential, Commercial and Construction loans. Find out more by visiting the new office or their website: www.golfsavingsbank.com.
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Brian Finnegan of Westcom Properties has begun construction of their new 2-story office building on Howe Place, just north of the Barkley Medical Center. The new building is due to be completed in December 2007. Westcom?s offices will move into the new building, leaving approximately 3,000 square feet available for lease.
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The Drake Condominiums kicked off a month long Grand Opening celebration on Friday, September 21st. Prime units are still available. To find out more, visit www.drakebuilding.com, stop by the Muljat Group office in the Dahlia Building at 3110 Woburn Street Suite 105, or contact Doug Foster at 920-1114.
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Apple Yarns opened their doors this summer in Barkley Village to great success! This cozy specialty yarn shop provides all the tools for folks who knit and crochet. From books, patterns, accessories and gifts to yarns from all around the world, Apple Yarns has it all. They feature Cascade 220, Encore, Noro, Mission Falls, Rowan and many more. They also offer a few exclusive products, and special orders are welcomed. Daily classes are taught by helpful, friendly and inspiring staff. Drop by Apple Yarns, just north of the gazebo and south of Starbucks, to receive a class calendar, or call 756-9992 for more info.
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Two additional temporary parking lots have been installed to help keep up with the increased activity in the Barkley District. One lot is on the west side of Woburn, just north of Wells Fargo. The other is at the east end of Rimland Drive, next to the YMCA Daycare.
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The MBNA is a membership organization (free of charge) that provides an opportunity for residents, business owners and property owners to come together and discuss how to improve the quality of life and foster a spirit of community in our neighborhood. Some of the issues we deal with are zoning, traffic, crime prevention, beautification, city services, planning, and volunteer opportunities. The MBNA neighborhood encompasses upper and lower Barkley Boulevard, as well as Sunset Square and the Irongate industrial area. The next quarterly meeting is scheduled for 7pm, Wednesday, October 24th in the Dorothy Haggen Conference Room - 2211 Rimland Drive, Suite 106. We hope to see you there! Please visit our website at www.mtbakerna.org for membership forms, or to see the agenda for the next quarterly meeting.
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The city of Bellingham will be widening the Mount Baker Highway from Woburn to McLeod Road. Construction should begin during 2008.
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