by Meg Olson

Jean Ann Hampton sold her newly renovated home in Montana a year ago and moved to Birch Bay to find another house to save.
“I bought a little cottage that is 100 years old,” she said. “It was called the Dollhouse and was down on the beach at one time. In 1979 they moved it up here with a crane and since then it has deteriorated. I decided I wanted to salvage it.”
Hampton has made a career and a lifestyle out of making the old new again. “I have always enjoyed buying fixer-uppers – fixing them up and reselling them,” she said. “We live in a throw away society and I advocate fixing up rather than tearing down.”
While Hampton is working to restore her own cottage she is also offering her restoration and interior design expertise to others who are embarking on a complete overhaul or who just want a new look for their kitchen. “I can talk with people about anything that could improve their interiors – window treatments, flooring, whatever their needs are,” she said. “If they’re interested in my suggestions I can also be a good resource person.” A walk-through and a follow-up visit cost $65.
Hampton also does custom sewing, such as window treatments, and alterations from her Birch Bay home.
For an appointment to book any of her services contact Hampton at 371-2503.
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Resort Semiahmoo’s web site has been selected as one of the best in the Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, winning the company’s 2001 Technology/Website MAX award this month. The resort’s new website, which came online in December 2000, was designed by Toolhouse Design Company. Check it out at www.semiahmoo.com.
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Local antique dealers Ron and Lois Walsh, owners of Tobacco Road Treasures, took their show on the road to the Tacoma Dome Antique and Collectible Show this weekend. Working mostly out of their home at Harvey Road and H Street and going to shows, the couple specializes in dolls and glassware.
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Next week Sterling Savings Bank will enter a time warp, blasting back to the 1950s and 1960s. “People want old fashioned banking and that’s what we’re all about,” said Blaine branch manager Larry Sutton, who along with his staff will be decked out in their best 50s and 60s wear for the week. The bank will be decorated with memorabilia from those decades thanks to business-of-the-month Ashley’s Attic. Even better, customers will get a crack at those bank giveaways of old – toasters and more.
The Sterling business of the month program is a new one this year, designed to promote the banks commercial clients. “We’re choosing a business that banks with us each month and they’ll be displaying their goods in the bank for the month,” Sutton said.
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Pelican Press new owner Dave Milliken started a new career when he retired. After more than 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, Milliken bought the H Street business in October, building on his printing experience in the service. “It seemed like a great opportunity in a great community with great growth potential,” Milliken said. “It was the right choice.” Previous Pelican Press owner Ed Mullenex helped Milliken get in the swing of things after the business changed hands but now he’s on his own. “It’s going great,” he said.
Pelican Press offers a full range of printing and copying services: color copies, offset printing, typesetting, digital printing. “We have any type of printing and copying for business, personal or community needs,” Milliken said. He doesn’t plan a lot of changes for the business, but is looking at some equipment upgrades in the next year and opening on Saturdays.