Penny Lane Antique Mall — Attraction in Bellingham

I am from out of town (Canada) and visited this antique store the first time recently and was pleasantly surprised how spacious the store was and impressed by their use of space for their displays. I liked how they subdivided their floor space into many U-shaped cubicles (approx 7 ft x 7 ft) and displayed items within each space. The items on display were strategically placed so they are not too over crowded on the shelf or floor, but provide enough variety and interesting items for the customer to take in and notice. If the customer needed examine an item, the shelf is not overly packed that one would be afraid of accidently knocking something over.

There is also a small upper area for clothing, and a large basement area (this is where the bathroom is also located on back right corner) which contains their music (records, etc) oriental antiques and much more. Overall, it is not claustrophic (as some antique stores can be) nor so tightly packed that people cannot escape from each other (some stores have only a few narrow paths). This store has arranged their space with thought so people can move about and meander around displays. There are plenty of routes to take so you can explore with relative ease and not feel like you are stuck in a line up or worry about holding up the line when you wanted to spend more time looking at a display. I did end up buying something there. I also visited 2 other antique stores in town but this one provided the best experience. There is plenty of free 2 hour street parking along Holly Street or the side streets. I went on a Sunday. I don't think parking is stringently monitored on weekend, so if you go over 2 hours, it should be okay, but I'll leave that up to you. I would recommend visiting this...

Really cool store but were treated extremely poorly and aggressively when someone I was with stepped out of the store while still holding something they hadn't paid for. It was completely on accident and we were immediately stormed with no chance to give an explanation as my friend wasn't even given an option to pay for the item. He had his photo and a photo of his ID taken with no opportunity to even explain ourselves or apologize. Again, this was completely on accident we are all brand new to Bellingham and were just checking out the shops around. She told him he was never allowed back "EVER" or she would call the police. I understand that they probably have to work really hard to prevent theft in a store this big but the reaction was completely off putting and shook us up and I dont think any of us will be back for sometime. Dont really feel welcome in a store that definitely would have received more visits and...

This used to be one of my favorite stores until today. It was such a big store, and I happened to find two t-shirts that I liked. However I wasn't sure that I was going to buy them yet, so I had my boyfriend hang on to them and he completely forgot we had them. He walked out with them on accident and we even stopped outside the store to look at some more merchandise that was outside. He clearly wasn't trying to steal them, they still had the hangers and he was not concealing them at all. The clerk walked outside, and she took his ID and also photographed him. She then proceeded to tell him that either she would call the cops or he could never come back again. She didn't even give us the option to pay for the t-shirts! It was a complete accident and we were treated as criminals. Very dissapointed in the customer service here. My other friends even bought some of the products in the store. Never coming...