The People Behind “Shopping Local”

The support and love of the community keeps owner Tina Anderson going through the hard times. Anderson also owned Bay to Baker Trading Company, which was located next door and recently closed its doors after many years selling Bellingham souvenirs.

“During the closure, … we were constantly asked by regular customers whether the toy store was closing as well,” Anderson reflects. “I had no intention of closing the toy store, but the concern that people expressed made me realize how important we are to the community.”

Rest assured the Toy Garden’s doors are open for business; they also carry several favorites from Bay to Baker including Bellingham themed t-shirts, stickers, keychains and more. Stop by Fairhaven Toy Garden this holiday season for high quality, unique toys and games! They offer free gift wrapping, too 😊

“We’re creating this community space where people can come and feel like they’re a part of something. We’re also acting as environmental stewards and teaching people how to garden responsibly, and plus, learning something new every day.” says Lanham when reflecting on the most rewarding parts of the job.

While spring is their busiest season, the holidays are Lanham’s favorite season in the nursery. It’s a jolly time at Garden Spot, complete with live trees, wreath decorating, irresistible ornaments, indoor and outdoor gifts and more. Garden Spot donates all profits from their Christmas Tree sales to the Boys and Girls Club, and they are excited to run that fundraiser again this year. They will have various kinds of cut fir trees and a huge selection of living trees, as well as fun decorating classes every Saturday with private party options Sunday-Friday. This year, Garden Spot will also be showcasing employee-made gifts including macrame plant holders, tree skirts, hats and more.

When you shop at a local business like Garden Spot, you feel part of a community of growers and stewards – real people in our community. When reflecting on what makes Whatcom County unique for local businesses, Lanham notes,

“I think a lot of people consciously make the decisions to shop at local places that are just, you know, collections of people, instead of big corporations where you’ll never see the people behind the business. And this year is kind of cool too, because we started doing profit sharing for the employees. So really, when you come and shop, you are supporting individual people, which is just something so important to me.”

Be sure to stop by Garden Spot this holiday season for trees, gifts, decorations, and more!

“As a queer-owned and -staffed business, it is important to us that the store is a space where our queer community can come and be their authentic selves,” says Millage. That welcoming vibe is evident from the moment you step in the store.

Third Planet is also engaged in giving back to the community and donates a percentage of their profits to important causes. For items in the store that are part of their “Give Back” program,100% of the proceeds are donated to human rights organizations. So far in 2025, they have donated over $60,000 in products and cash to non-profits throughout Whatcom County as well as the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, The Transgender Law Center, Hope for Ukraine, Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and Northern Idaho, The Human Rights Campaign, and The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.

For Millage, being able to give back is one of the most meaningful parts of owning her business.

“What keeps me going is knowing that I am making a difference in my community – by creating a safe space, supporting local artists, contributing to non-profits, fostering a healthy work environment where my staff are valued and treated with respect, and being loud about the things that are important. The most rewarding part of my job is giving back to my staff, the community, and the world at large. Since purchasing the store, I am finally able to be politically vocal and supportive of nonprofits in the ways that I have always wanted.”

Not only is Third Planet Boutique a warm and welcoming place to shop, but you also know you are supporting a business that gives back to the community.

They also believe that their success is dependent on all the community readers, writers, and educators who engage with Village Books. As Hanson shares, “We’re more relationship-oriented, rather than transaction-oriented.”

The store also gives back to the community, and the owners are particularly excited about their Round it Up program which began during the Covid-19 pandemic. Every three months, coinciding with the release of their Chuckanut Reader print catalog, a new community organization is chosen to be the recipient of rounded-up register sales. The owners also view it as an opportunity to amplify that organization’s message and focus area. This year, the rounded-up donations to Immigrant Resources & Immediate Support (IRIS) were the highest to date.

“One thing that we can control is what’s going on inside of our walls. And we can’t control what’s going on in our community, but we can influence it. We can be a voice for positivity in our community and celebrate the things of the other businesses and that people are doing.” says Paul Hanson, when describing Village Books’ Literary Citizenship and Extraordinary Educator Awards, another way they engage with and celebrate our community.

Apart from community collaboration, a sense of humor and sharing the load keeps the owners going strong. Sarah Hutton notes,

“We are positioned right now to be defending things like the First Amendment in a business that we love. And if that means that we are fighting the good fight, that also means that we should probably take a breath and have a laugh and kind of reset and focus and check in with each other.”

Hutton likened the owners to migrating geese—no one bird always leads the chevron; they take breaks and draft each other to keep the whole flock strong.

When you visit Village Books & Paper Dreams this holiday season, you will find a “Christmas Land” holiday atmosphere they have been preparing for all year long. Every item in the store is hand-picked, and the team has put a lot of thought into bringing joy to everyone from children to grandparents. You will also be supporting a community pillar—a business whose legacy is built on mutual community support.

“He was known as ‘Full Throttle Ira’. He never went slow. He only went full throttle. So, he got well known up and down the Salish Sea for going as fast as possible.”

The store’s current location on Northwest Avenue was originally just a boat yard; it was Ira’s daughter, Marianne, who had seen this new thing called a “department store” in Seattle and had the idea to add additional departments so that the store could stay open during the off season. One result, Yeager’s ski shop, which opened in the 1960s, is the oldest ski shop in Washington. Yeager’s multiple departments have something for everyone. From apparel and footwear to outdoor equipment, home goods, toys, and pet supplies, you are sure to find what you need while still supporting a family-owned store. Longtime customers may have noticed that the store was recently rearranged, with the toy department moving upstairs to the former ski shop area and guns and hunting moving downstairs. This change was made to be compliant with State of Washington regulations.

Over the years, Yeager’s has adapted to the changing outdoor interests of a growing city. But no matter what department you shop in, you will find expertise and lived experience; the owners and staff all live in this community, love to recreate in the local mountains, waterways, forests, and it shows. “We live here, we work here, we play here. So we know our products very well,” says Uhrig. The team is especially excited to bring their North Face collection back for the holidays – think high-quality jackets, rain gear, ski gear, footwear, and those cozy fleeces.

Yeager’s also has the only completely free Santa in town, with donations from Santa pictures going to support the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Lions Club. There will be free gift wrapping and tons of family matching pajama sets on offer.

Being in business for over a hundred years of course comes with ups and downs. But Uhrig and her sons (the great grandsons of Ira!), who now manage the store, are adept at taking on change as a challenge to succeed. “I think that’s one of the reasons why we’ve been around for so long,” shares Uhrig.

“It’s not only the loyalty of our customer base. We’re also like, ‘Okay, we’re going to make it work. Just watch us. We’ll do it. Let’s take it as a challenge.’”

The community connections the family has built are the most rewarding part of the job. From supplying second and third generations of family customers with their outdoor gear, to Family Fishing Day and helping kids learn to fish at Whatcom Falls, the experience you find at Yeager’s simply can’t be replicated at a big box store.