3rd Annual Bellingham Business Expo Coming April 5th
Sue Grady, of the Bellingham Business Association, at last year’s Bellingham Business Expo. This year’s event will take place on the morning of Saturday, April 5th, at Bellingham Public Library. Come meet your local businesses! Photo used courtesy of Bellingham Public Library.
By Judith Dorato O’Gara
This is the third year of the Annual Bellingham Business Expo, which will take place at the Bellingham Public Library, 100 Blackstone St., Bellingham, on Saturday, April 5, 2025, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. The free event, for vendors and the general public, began in 2023, when the library received a federal LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) $10,000 grant from the IMLS (Institute of Museum & Library Services) administered by the MBLC (Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The grant’s aim was to help businesses recover from the pandemic. The Business Expo has since grown, from 23 vendors and about 200 attendees in 2023 to 36 vendors and about 250 attendees in 2024. So far this year, 22 vendors have signed up. The morning will be dedicated to local businesses sharing information, giveaways and pamphlets about their products and services with the Bellingham community.
“Our goal for the businesses is to get them to have the opportunity to meet members of the community in a non-sales environment, where the attendees can get their questions answered about what the businesses do, and how they may be of service to the community members,” says Bernadette Rivard, Bellingham Public Library Director.
Rivard adds that the Business Expo falls in line with the library’s newest strategic plan, which has a goal to build strong community partnerships.
“That goal specifically mentions offering joint programs, as we are doing with this program with the Bellingham Business Association,” says Rivard.
At press time, the Business Expo was only accepting applications from Bellingham businesses and organizations and members of the Bellingham Business Association, and the number of vendors may ultimately be limited by the available venue space. Each vendor will be assigned space for a 6-foot table, which they are encouraged to bring, with set up beginning at 9 a.m.
Vendor applications will be accepted through March 21st or until all spaces are full, so please apply early! Find the Vendor Application at:
For questions, please contact Bernadette Rivard, Library Director at [email protected] or (508) 657-2776.
