Scotty Browns Restaurant
Owner: Robert and Scott Walker
Address: 3101 Newmarket St. Suite 201
Phone: 306-8823
Startup Date: Jan. 6, 2009
Square Footage: Approx. 6,000
Jason Cooper, general manager with Scotty Browns Restaurant, said the new Barkley restaurant aims to take dining to a new level.
Barkley Village has a new restaurant to match its up-and-coming business-class status. With classy, eye-catching décor, TVs in the men’s room, and a diverse menu with everything from Ahi to burgers, Scotty Browns Restaurant, part of the Browns Restaurant Group based in Vancouver, British Columbia, is set on taking dining in Bellingham to another level.
“Bellingham was in need of something in the upscale dining department,” Jason Cooper, general manager, said.
Sitting in a deep-red cushioned booth lined with dark wooded walls and glass panes, Cooper explained how the restaurant classifies itself as casual upscale — classy, but never stuffy. The service is fast and friendly and the atmosphere new and unique, he said.
Stone wall décor separates the kitchen from the dining area, but counter seating is available for customers who want a first-hand look at the food preparation. Tables on the east side of the restaurant have full-window views of Barkley Village and a patio to the south provides heated outdoor seating when the weather permits. Decorations such as the neon sign that reads “Everybody Loves Everybody” and what Cooper calls the “artichoke lamp” at the front desk stand out against the dark walls.
The focal point of the restaurant is the circle bar in the middle of the lounge. The bar is lowered into the floor so the bartender is at eye-level with patrons, Cooper said. A four-sided TV cube is suspended directly above the bar, giving customers on all sides a chance to watch the big game. For special events, such as the Super Bowl, large projection screens are lowered on the walls.
Business people frequent the bar for after-work drinks, and on weekends younger crowds come for the lounge, which serves the full menu, he said.
The name “Scotty Browns” was created to keep the restaurant in the Browns Restaurant Group family, but unlike most think, “Scotty” isn’t named for the owner. For the “house of yes,” as the neon sign above the kitchen suggests, a name was needed that resonated with the high-energy, friendly atmosphere. For the Bellingham location, the name would be Scotty Browns.
“It just rang right,” Cooper said.
41 Sports Fitness Boot Camps
Owner: Anthony McClanahan
Address: 122 Ohio St. Suite 102
Phone: 393-4348
Startup Date: Jan. 7, 2009
Square Footage: 2,400
www.41sportsfitnessbootcamps.com
Anthony McClanahan, owner of 41 Sports Fitness Boot Camps and former Dallas Cowboy, opened his new fitness center on Ohio Street.
Anthony McClanahan does it all, all the time, at his new fitness business, 41 Sports Fitness Boot Camps. The former Dallas Cowboy and Washington State University linebacker offers 24/7 support to clients of all ages with everything from fitness boot camps to text messages for support, and his service also can include communication with primary care physicians, one-on-one training and even going to the store to purchase supplements or other nutritional items. To McClanahan, it isn’t just about fitness – it’s about changing lifestyles.
The 2,400-square-foot fitness studio on Ohio Street features bright green walls, one covered in mirrors, with colorful exercise equipment designed to create an upbeat, fun and exciting place for people to get in shape.
“If you can imagine working out at Disneyland with Mickey Mouse, that’s what it’s like to work out with us,” McClanahan said.
His business offers six different classes to its 70-plus clients who range in age from 5 to 85 years old. McClanahan said he expects the business to grow to offer 10 classes to more than 100 clients by late spring.
There are currently two trainers, including McClanahan, who work seven days a week with clients. Monday through Friday they have fitness boot camps, a Corporate Lunch Blast class and after-school children’s classes. Saturday they have trail running at various locations and Sunday they do sprint training at Civic Field.
McClanahan said the number 41 in the business name has several significances. For one, it was his football number, and it is also the reverse of the 14 fruit trees his grandmother grew in her backyard, which she used to feed 41 people every day.
“She barely even ate but she made sure everyone else did,” McClanahan said. She used to tell him that everything that grew from the ground was good to eat, but only in moderation, he said.
Though his grandmother died his first year of college, McClanahan has used her philosophy in his life and is integrating it into his fitness program to develop diet and nutrition plans for his clients – another of his many lifestyle-changing services.
“There’s nothing we don’t do,” he said.
Circle of Life Caregiver Cooperative
Owner: Cooperative, with officers Jo Ann McNerthney and Alice Robb
Address: 103 E Holly St. Suite 408
Phone: 647-1537
Startup Date: Jan. 28, 2009
www.nwcdc.coop/CircleOfLife.htm
Alice Robb (on left), caregiver coordinator, and Jo Ann McNerthney, administrator, are two of the co-owers in the Circle of Life Caregiver Cooperative. Nurses are owners as well as caregivers in the organization.
In 2007, after caring for her father during his last years of life, Jo Ann McNerthney developed an idea for a cooperative caregiver association. Having worked in a cooperative before, McNerthney knew the benefits of an employee-owned company, and after hiring caregivers to provide her father with round-the-clock care she recognized a need for a company that would better benefit the caregivers.
“I was so appreciative of the caregivers,” she said. “I thought they would benefit from having a piece of the company.”
After receiving two grants from the Cooperative Development Foundation, McNerthney was able to begin developing a business plan for Circle of Life. She partnered her finance savvy with the caregiving expertise of fellow co-op business partner Alice Robb, and two years later, they received their license from the Department of Health.
“You’re growing fruit, you’re hatching eggs,” Robb said of the business development process. “Here’s our duckling and now we need to take care of it.”
Circle of Life, which got its name from the circle of honor and respect between caregiver and client, has a total of 11 members. So far, five are through the application/approval process and are ready to work as caregivers. Members have a say in business policies and get a cut of profits, unlike other caregiving agencies.
“Most other agencies don’t have employees who are really driven to make the business succeed,” said Robb, who has 20 years experience in the aging-care field. “We think we’ll have an advantage of retaining caregivers because it’s our mission to support our caregivers.”
Circle of Life offers home and personal care including assistance with shopping, cooking, cleaning, bathing and other daily activities. Hourly and round-the-clock services are offered at rates Robb says are at par with other local agencies.
From their central office on Holly Street, Robb and McNerthney conduct business and hold member meetings to discuss policies. In April, Circle of Life will hold public events at the Bellingham Public Library on elder care for families who need assistance. Robb said often older people have a hard time admitting they need help and trusting younger generations to care for them. The events will help facilitate necessary conversations about care and aging to help families transition smoothly into a care plan for aging relatives.
— Amanda Winters
