Dickey's Barbecue Pit coming soon to Post Falls

 

Dickey's Barbecue Pit, the world's largest barbecue restaurant brand is expanding locally and will soon open a new location in Post Falls. The new restaurant will be in the space last occupied by a now closed restaurant called The Filling Station at 306 N. Spokane St.

The Dickey's chain says they are known for its authentic Texas-style barbecue with signature slow-smoked meats, classic sides, and warm hospitality.  The new restaurant will offer dine-in service, carryout, online ordering, delivery and even full-service catering. "We continue to grow with passionate local owners who believe in great food and great service," said Roland Dickey, Jr., CEO of Dickey's Capital Group. "Post Falls is a thriving community, and this new restaurant reflects our commitment to bringing quality barbecue to new markets while empowering local entrepreneurs."

Work is underway for the new Post Falls Dickey's with a grand opening coming sometime within the "coming weeks". For more information on Dickey's Barbecue Pit, visit their website at https://www.dickeys.com/

Bricks & Minifigs to open new store in Coeur d' Alene

 

Courtesy photo.

Bricks & Minifigs, a franchise-based chain of LEGO product retailers is coming soon to Coeur d' Alene. A local owner will open a new Bricks & Minifigs store next to the Coeur d' Alene Fred Meyer store at 560 W. Kathleen Ave. Unit #2. They plan to do some remodeling to the space before opening so an exact opening date isn't available just yet but could be during the fall of this year. They intend to do updates on their progress via social media, which will be linked below.

Bricks & Minifigs says their motto is "rebuild, reuse and reimagine" with the store buying, selling and trading all things LEGO from large full sets to collectable minifigs and build-your-own minifigs. With the business model the inventory will also always be changing, a LEGO lover's dream come true.

For more information on Bricks & Minifigs Coeur d' Alene, visit the new store's website at https://bricksandminifigs.com/coeurdalene-id/ or give them a follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bamcoeurdalene

Crepe Cafe Sisters to open new location in Liberty Lake

 Crepe Cafe Sisters, a locally owned and operated crepe restaurant is planning to open a new location, this time in Liberty Lake. The business began as a food truck and became popular expanding into a brick-and-mortar location on Nettleton St. in Kendall Yards back in 2021. They also expanded to Leavenworth where they operate a location on 9th St. and both will continue to serve their delicious crepes even after the opening of the new Liberty Lake restaurant.

The new Liberty Lake Crepe Cafe Sisters will be located within the former TT's BBQ restaurant space at 1950 N. Harvest Pkwy, across from Orchard Park. Some remodeling will be done to the space first with the new restaurant planned to open there sometime in the Fall of this year. They plan to continue to offer a menu of both sweet and savory crepes with gluten free and vegan options available.

For more information on Crepe Cafe Sisters, including the portal to place an order online, check out their website at https://www.crepecafesisters.com/

Downtown Spokane celebrates cultural diversity with mini grant events

 The Downtown Spokane Partnership recently announced the five local organizations that are recipients of 2025 Mini Grants. These local organizations will be able to use the funding to activate Wall Street between Spokane Falls Blvd. and Main St. with community events. These events will be free, family-friendly events that will celebrate the region's cultural richness while offering inclusive experiences for all. 

Funding for the grant program was made possible by Numerica Credit Union. "Numerica is thrilled to join Downtown Spokane Partnership in celebrating the winners of this year's mini cultural grant program" said Travis Simpson, chief retail and digital officer at Numerica. "By investing in events that showcase diverse cultures and experiences, we are helping build these organization's capacity and ultimately a more vibrant and inclusive city." Launched with reallocated 2020 marketing dollars during the COVID-19 shutdowns, the Downtown Spokane Partnership began awarding cultural grants in 2021 to help seed community-centered events. Past recipients include the Tacos y Taquila Festival and Lunar New Year Celebration.

The 2025 Mini Grant recipients and their event dates are:

Armenian Festival of Spokane July 26th

Summer Splash Party August 9th

Soul Food & Sips August 30th

Festa Italia September 20th

Chinese Moon Festival September 27th

For full event details and times on these and the many other events in Downtown Spokane, visit the Downtown Spokane Partnership website at http://www.downtownspokane.org

Grocery Outlet planning a new store in Deer Park

 Deer Park will soon be getting a new option for grocery shopping. The California based chain of discount grocery stores, that operates mostly with local franchisees is currently in the planning process for a new store to be built at 507 W. Crawford St, next door to Tractor Supply on the edge of the Town of Deer Park. 

The project is currently in the SEPA application process to help determine its environmental impact. In the application the developer indicates they would like to begin construction at the site during the fall of 2025. This would likely mean the new store would open sometime in 2026. While actual building permits have not been issued just yet, Garco Construction has been chosen as the general contractor for the project an a worksite storage trailer is already on the site as of my writing this.

The plans show a new construction building at about 16,000 square feet with Grocery Outlet being the sole tenant and a new surface parking lot. Once open this will be the fifth location for Grocery Outlet in Spokane County, according to the Wikipedia the company boasts 480 stores chainwide as of May 2024 but the chain is currently expanding and opening new stores in many markets. For more information on Grocery Outlet, visit their website at http://groceryoutlet.com/

New multi-tenant commercial building to be built in Liberty Lake

Courtesy photo, provided by Daines Capital

Located on the western side of the city of Liberty Lake is a planned new commercial development, being marketed as the Ridgeline Center. The new building will be constructed soon at 19701 E. Appleway, across Appleway from Ridgeline High School and will offer space for one or multiple tenants focusing primarily on office or medical office space users.

All together the new building will offer 15,000 square feet of space with an onsite surface parking lot. Spaces can be demised down to 2,000 square feet and parking is offered at 5.17 to 1000 SF. Construction will be begin this summer with an estimated completion sometime around the summer of 2026. The general contractor for the Ridgeline Center project will be Silvey Construction and architectural work done by Bernardo Wills. 

There are currently no tenants to be announced as opening in the new building just yet. But I'm told there already has been a lot of interest, so we expect to know more about this once it gets closer to completion. Daines Capital is marketing the space for lease, with more information available by calling Steven Daines at 509-590-9114 or email steven@dainescapital.com , also visit https://dainescapital.com for other commercial real estate opportunities in the Inland Northwest and beyond.

The Thrifty Gift opens in Dalton Gardens

 

A new for-profit thrift store has opened in a unique building in Dalton Gardens, nearby Coeur d' Alene. Located in a former dentist's office building, The Thrifty Gift is a 1000 square foot retail store located at 6176 N. Government Way, by The Mall Storage. They've even incorporated the former dental chair rooms to display their array of merchandise.

The Thrifty Gift sells everything from adult to kids clothing, yard art, home decor, DVD's/books/magazines, collectables, handmade creations from the owner and a lot more. The owner are a daughter and her mother who have established roots in Kootenai County and say they have priced their items to make it back into the community, they even offer a punch card program for their more frequent buyers. The Thrifty Gift is currently open Tues-Say 9am-4pm and more information about the business can be found on their website https://thriftygiftdalton.square.site/ and give them a follow-on social media via Facebook .

Trailbreaker Cider opens new location in River Park Square

 

Courtesy photo- Trailbreaker Cider owner Trent Maier.

Just in time for Hoopfest, the Liberty Lake based hard cider company, Trailbreaker Cider has expanded and opened a second location in Downtown Spokane's River Park Square. The new place is similar to the Liberty Lake location, which also remains open, with the full line of locally produced Trailbreaker Cider's, several local beers and regional wines and a restaurant menu as well.

The River Park Square Trailbreaker Cider is located on the 3rd floor of the shopping center in-between the food court and the AMC Movie Theater ticket counters. They plan to add to the Downtown menu as the longer they are open but are starting with pizzas, salads, cheesecake and a few other of their staple items. For more information on Trailbreaker Cider, check out their website at https://www.trailbreakercider.com/

Sahil's Halal Market opens near Downtown Spokane

Food and other market items are available once more at 417 E. Third Ave., just east of Downtown Spokane. The former home of Alpine Delicatessen, a now closed European market and deli has reopened with a different local owner and a different type of cuisine. 

Sahil's Halal Market recently opened there and carries a selection of Middle Eastern and Asian foods with a selection that is growing the longer they are open. Sahil's currently has spices, sweets, drinks, dried fruits, naan, pastries and will soon have freshly baked breads and halal meats. For more information on Sahil's Halal Market, including the new grocery items they are getting in, give them a follow-on social media at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577229477927

Soulful Soups to return, at a different location in Downtown Spokane

 An iconic local restaurant that closed down at the end of April is returning. Today it was announced that Soulful Soups and Spirits will transfer ownership too local couple Aaron & Kaden Earle who plan to re-open the restaurant in new location.

Courtesy photo of the inside of the new Soulful Soups location on S. Madison.

Soulful Soups will relocate to a storefront at 111 S. Madison, the former Downtown One Tree Cider Taphouse and might be prepared to open as soon sometime in July and should be prepared for full service this fall. I'm told everything will be the same with the new location and owner, even with the recipes for the businesses soups, the only exception is they will now have a tap system for draft beer, wine and ciders. 

The original Soulful Soups and Spirits at 117 N. Howard is currently being converted in a Supa! Authentic Japanese Kitchen from a completely different owner as Soulful Soups. For more info on the re-opening of Soulful Soups give them a follow-on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/soulfulsoupsandspirits

Eats on Spokane Street opens in Post Falls

 An exciting new food truck court is now open in Post Falls called Eats on Spokane Street and is of course located on Spokane St, at 106 N. Spokane St next door to Post Falls Brewing Company. The new project has outdoor food truck spaces and a pavilion style building that also houses a couple of new eateries. Plans call for the site to also be home to some events with a night of live music even planned for tonight (June 20th) from 5-8pm.

The opening vendors of Eats on Spokane Street include:

Charcuteria serving Italian sandwiches, salads, charcuterie boards, kids sandwiches and gelato.

Angel's Eats and Treats serving Philly Cheesesteaks

Woody's Smoked Salmon serving smoked salmon sandwiches on sourdough and chowder

Taco Works

Melfit Healthy Kitchen serving healthy meals created by a chef, nutritionist and personal trainer.

Nachos Cantina serving sheet pan nachos with smoked meats. 

Additionally, Eats on Spokane Street still have room for three more food vendors to join the project. For more information, visit their website at https://www.eatsonspokanest.com/

Ellie Mental Health expands to Post Falls with new clinic at Millworx

 Access to quality mental health care is growing in North Idaho. Ellie Mental Health recently announced the opening of their second regional clinic in Post Falls at 949 E. Fourth St. Suite 106 in the new Millworx mixed-use development. The Coeur d' Alene clinic, located within the Riverstone development will also remain open.

Courtesy photos. 

Ellie Mental Health of North Idaho conducts over 1,000 individual patient visits each month and aims to double that positive impact. Ellie Mental Health is a modern outpatient provider on a mission to normalize therapy, reduce access barriers, and empower clinicians to thrive. They say their clinician-first model creates flexible, supportive environments that allow mental health professionals to focus on delivering high-quality care to individuals, couples, families, and organizations. "Our second location is now open and accepting new patients," said Jamie Major, one of the local owners said. "We're proud to be in-network with most major insurance providers, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente, Aetna, Pacific Source and more."

An official grand opening will be held on the afternoon of Thursday, June 26th 2025, hosted by the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce, the public is invited to attend. For more information on the new Post Falls Ellie Mental Health visit their website at https://elliementalhealth.com/locations/post-falls-millworx-id/