We all know the struggle of the nine-to-five grind. And for those of us who have children, the grind doesn’t ever really stop. Sometimes after work you just want to crack a cold one and relax, but realistically your responsibilities don’t end after the work day. Enter Greene’s Corner. The recently relocated tap house and restaurant in the Sunnyland neighborhood of Bellingh
am provides a family-friendly and community-centered environment where everyone can come to relax, crack a cold one and enjoy the rest of their evening.
Not just an evening spot, Greene’s Corner is open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. seven days a week. Self-dubbed a bistro, market and bottle shop, Greene’s Corner has over 300 different types of single-bottle beers you can use to make custom six packs. It can be argued that the variety of beers at Greene’s Corner is unparalleled to that of any other bottle shop in Whatcom County.
Lance Bailey co-owns Greene’s with his wife Kristine Kager and says they pride themselves on being a place where consumers can find beer they can’t get anywhere else. For example, the other day a customer came all the way from Alberta, Canada to Bailey’s bottle shop and bistro just to purchase a specific beer they had in stock. From beer such as the 2015 Barrel-Aged Narwhal from Sierra Nevada to the Ten Fidy Imperial Stout by Oskar Blues Brewery there are many rare finds to be found at Greene’s.
First and foremost Bailey and Kager emphasize community as being the driving factor behind their business. It is the glue that binds Greene’s Corner together. “The focal element of our bottle shop and restaurant is to offer a community-gathering space and, at the same time, provide a customer experience you can’t get anywhere else,” Bailey says.
Both Bailey and Kager have extensive backgrounds working in the food industry. This experience allows them to understand the ins and outs of how to make their business a desirable community-gathering place. “We’re here for a specific reason,” Bailey says. “We want to be an integral part of the Sunnyland community. We are an all-ages family space that aims to enhance our local community.”
Before the relocation, Greene’s Corner could be found out near Smith Road and Northwest Drive, further out in Whatcom County. They were there for six years. Bailey says the decision to relocate was so they could stumble upon a community their business could form a deeper connection with. Fast-forward to December 2016 and Greene’s opened their new location at 2208 James St, Bellingham, WA.
There have been some key changes that came with the shift in scenery. Although Greene’s lost some square footage, they made up for that with an increase in their amount of taps (from five to 16), and a completely custom-built and better-equipped kitchen. The kitchen is of extra importance as Bailey and Kager run their catering business, Fools Onion Catering, out of their new location. Bailey says the convenience is fantastic, as before the move they had operated the two businesses out of separate locations.
“Our new Sunnyland location has been great,” Bailey says. “We wanted to have more of a public face, and we now have that. And at our old location we didn’t get a chance to remodel or build our old kitchen.”
The new kitchen doesn’t just come in handy for the catering business. It is a much-welcomed addition to Greene’s Corner’s bistro. The bistro offers a variety of sandwiches, pizza and wraps, in addition to salads, soups and a special happy hour menu.
The happy hour menu features some of the favorite side dishes served up at Greene’s at a discounted price. The Mac N’ Cheese Poppers are one of the most popular items – fried Mac N’ Cheese bits with your choice of either chopped jalapeno or bacon as a topping.
Greene’s happy hour isn’t just a time for food though. The happy hour menu also allows you to get $1 off draft beers and their extensive wine selection. “Even though we offer so many types of single beers and six packs, we’re more of a dining and drinking establishment as opposed to a retail outlet,” Bailey says.
Recently, Greene’s has worked even harder to up their game by offering live music on certain days of the week. Currently, you can find live music at Greene’s Corner on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Music nights at Greene’s are even themed. If you decide to go in on a Sunday you will be greeted with the sweet and sultry tunes of the Electric Blues Jam. On Tuesdays, local musician Myron Brown has a residency and will invite other members of the Bellingham music community to come play with him. And on most Wednesday nights you can find the J.P. Falcon Band based out of Ferndale, WA jamming for the patrons.
Perhaps the best part about Greene’s is their effort to improve and better the community around them. Recently starting their hashtag campaign, #Cansforacause, they will recycle all aluminum cans patrons give them and donate the money to The Lighthouse Mission in Bellingham.
As Bailey so emphatically states, Greene’s Corner would be nothing without community. Lance, Kristine and company strive to foster beneficial relationships and connections within the Sunnyland and Greater Bellingham area.
