Christine Hayward, owner of the contemporary clothing boutique Quinn + Foster, opened her store downtown in 2017 with a 5-year lease, which ended during the pandemic lockdown. She moved Quinn + Foster to Fairhaven in 2022. (Remarks have been edited.)
Q: Why did you leave downtown?
Crime was the number one reason. I had a lot of theft. It was blatant: they’d walk in, grab stuff, look at me, walk out. They were professionals who knew how to steal a whole bunch of stuff.
A lot of my customers stopped going downtown because people were hanging out on the sidewalk in front of my store, harassing others. When my lease was up, I looked elsewhere, and this place in Fairhaven was new construction.
Q: How did you survive the pandemic?
I adapted. We had to close for 10 weeks. I put together boxes of clothing and mailed them to customers to try at home. I’d gather things that suited that person; they’d buy what they wanted, mail back what they didn’t. Sometimes I’d just send pictures. I received two government grants to keep my employees paid.
During the pandemic especially, I noticed people camping; they’d lay a sleeping bag in front of my downtown store windows. It somehow became accepted, then normalized. Downtown needs more businesses that are vigilant about keeping people from loitering in front of their stores.
Q: Would an ordinance against panhandling help?
It wouldn’t hurt. I wanted to stay downtown, and see it get better. It did get better the first couple of years I was there. Then the pandemic: stores closing, people camping out.
Q: How do rents compare, downtown to Fairhaven?
Fairhaven’s more expensive but I rented from the city downtown. Now I rent from a private landlord.
Q: How does foot traffic compare?
For my store, it’s better in Fairhaven. You can park, walk around, spend the day, go to lunch, go to all these different shops. A lot of people who shop at my store, live in Fairhaven or close by. I get more people who walk by, see the sign, and come in. I also get a lot of Canadians, people from Seattle, maybe staying at the Chrysalis. Since moving to Fairhaven, I’m up 20% in sales. (But we always try to beat past performance.)
When my store was downtown, my regulars came to my store purposely, then left. Downtown may be more of a night scene, with a younger vibe. It has lots of good restaurants.
Q. How is the increasing minimum wage affecting Bellingham businesses?
It’s going to be rough on businesses.
I don’t think raising the minimum wage is the answer. If you push it to $22 an hour, it’s still not enough. It’s not feasible for young people to live here unless they have a job that’s not minimum wage. If you’re making minimum wage, you’re either going to college, living with your parents, or living with a group of others.
Q. Anything else?
I’m happy to be in Bellingham. I do think downtown needs to be a safe place to go. I’ve talked to others who have businesses downtown, I understand it’s gotten better in the last year.
