Fairhaven, A fun place to shop up north...

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I spent a few hours shopping and eating lunch in Fairhaven, a part of Bellingham, WA. Not normally much of a shopper, he indulged my love for village havens since it was my birthday weekend...yep, he's a pretty good guy! 

Fairhaven is a wonderful, quaint, shopping district with many art galleries, gift shops, boutique clothing shops, several coffee shops, and restaurants. With a location right along Bellingham Bay, the setting is lovely....especially on a beautiful sunny day. As you stroll, you can look out at the Bay and see the marine traffic going by, often headed for Canada and Alaska.  Many of the old brick buildings were built in the late 1800's and early 1900's and are still well preserved. 

Arriving mid morning on a Saturday, we easily found a place to park and ventured in to the Village Books and Paper Dreams...two of my loves...books and stationary! I could spend hours in a book store like this one. I just love picking up various books with titles or book jackets that catch my eye. Isn't there something wonderful about holding a new book in your hand...just anticipating the story inside? Knowing we had a lot of ground to cover, we mosied on through.

Loving coffee as I do, this sign caught my eye!

I love looking at unique store front signs like these....

A favorite old light fixture and clock...

We enjoyed browsing through a number of shops and galleries. For those of you who know my husband, it may surprise you that he (and I!) actually enjoy walking through art gallery shops. He particularly enjoyed seeing some interesting wood pieces of furniture with live edge, created by local craftsmen.

Getting a little hungry, we followed our noses to some delicious scents coming from the Skylark cafe. A sign outside said that they were known for their clam chowder, one of our favorites! The clam chowder did not disappoint and definitely hit the spot! Do any of you have a favorite restaurant in Fairhaven?

Leaving a short while later, we had a leisurely drive home. If you are looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon, I encourage you to check out Fairhaven. I know those of you who attended Western Washington University are very familiar with it, but I had never been there. 

Happy beautiful weekend, friends! Lovin' this sunshine!