15 years of Inland Northwest Business Watch

 This past week this site, Inland Northwest Business Watch past 15 years in existence, so I (Matt Behringer) just wanted to come on here and say Thank You! Thank you for reading the site, interacting with the social media pages, the emails, donations, sponsorships, the ones telling others of things your saw on here...to everyone just thank you!

In 2011 I started this just for fun off my weird obsession of keeping track of what was being built and/or opening where. For instance, I loved trying to restaurants but found at the time there wasn't very many ways to find them until they started advertising or some word of mouth started spreading. But those businesses, especially the small ones could use some help getting off the ground and I found there we're a lot of noisy people out there like myself. It was a match made in Heaven. 

Today, there's a few real estate agents and influencers sharing about the same stuff I am, and in much more up to date ways like TikTok and Instagram Reels (although I'm often still first). But I'm not stopping and I still love what I'm doing, although I also think the site hasn't grown much in some time. Maybe I'm crazy but a good scoop can make an entire day for me. 

I also enjoy seeing how this niche has evolved, when I started reporting on construction and business news, in Spokane and the Inland Northwest there was just me and a similar newspaper column in the Coeur d' Alene Press. I'd guess there we're not more than 10 sites/blogs like this in the nation, and now most major markets have one. Ranging from little hobby sites or social media pages to a couple with full newsrooms. Here's a few I want to mention:

Marysville & Arlington Retail News Curious about new places in Marysville & Arlington, WA? This up-and-coming page is your go to source https://www.facebook.com/marysville.arlington.retail.news/

Cheyenne, WY based blogger Optopolis (https://optopolis.blogspot.com/) recently took to leap into what he calls a "print blog" named Cheyenne's Retail Minute, (https://linktr.ee/RetailMinute) covering new places around Cheyenne and surrounding communities and available to be picked up at a number of locations.

Although they dabble into other news including politics, one of the largest sites and most well done in this niche is defiantly Boise's BoiseDev (https://boisedev.com) . They actually are celebrating 10 years in business! Congratulations to Don Day and your team if you see this!

So, what's next for Inland Northwest Business Watch? The same coverage of new businesses, restaurants and construction projects in Spokane and Kootenai County that you expect. I'm not a full-time resident of the area anymore (left for Ohio in 2023) but wouldn't ever want to give this up, my connections, sources and just the internet make it possible. This blog is my passion project and quite frankly Spokane gets a bad rap but it's my happy place and I want to keep promoting it. Spokane has an amazing business and culinary community that should get as much of a lime light as possible.

If you know of a place that's worth coverage on Inland Northwest Business Watch or a tip on something coming to the Spokane and Coeur d' Alene area, send me an email anytime to matt.behringer@inlandnwbusiness.com . 

And, yes I take donations, I know so does everyone else and they're not required but I'll do a happy dance for each one. If it's big enough, maybe I'll record it too! 

Page for donations:      https://inlandbusiness2.blogspot.com/

And, last but not least thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of the Inland Northwest Business Watch family!!!

Front Room Art Gallery opens in Downtown Spokane

 

Courtesy photos from the recent ribbon cutting of Front Room, provided by the Downtown Spokane Partnership.

Front Room Art Gallery, a new locally owned contemporary art gallery has joined the growing Spokane Arts community, bringing a fresh space for discovering high-quality fine art to the city's developing West Spokane Arts District. Located at 115 S. Adams Suite 6, Front Room's location adds another arts-focused destination to an area that is solidifying itself as a hub of Spokane arts and culture, moving in alongside coffee and vintage shop Drip Drip, the newly expanded Big City Art Gallery, and the ongoing mural & neon sign project, Vintage Alley.

Front Room Art Gallery is the 14th new business that has opened in Downtown Spokane this year. Founded by Chels Cordova in partnership with Kelly Baker, the gallery represents a new chapter for Cordova, who has spent several years working in the arts industry, most recently with Art Spirit Gallery. After moving to Spokane, Cordova quickly became involved in the region's vibrant arts community and developed a vision for creating a professional contemporary gallery of her own.

For more information on the new Front Room Art Gallery, check out their website at https://www.frontroomartgallery.com/

ATC Manufacturing breaks ground on expansion in Post Falls

 

Towards the end of August 2026, ATC Manufacturing broke ground on a 57,635-square-foot expansion of its Post Falls facility. This was a milestone that builds on the company's recent contract award from the Air Force Research Laboratory for large-scale, high-rate, thermoplastic composite aircraft structures. 

Baker Construction is the general contractor for the expansion project with architectural design work being done by Bernardo Wills Architects. The expansion is currently scheduled to be completed by the Summer of 2027 with ATC indicating they already have a number of projects lined up expecting to fill up capacity of the expansion quickly. 

The expansion will create dozens of new jobs at ATC's Post Falls facility, including mechanical engineers, project engineering, entry and mid-skilled tradesman roles. View the open positions on ATC'S website at http://atcmanufacturing.com/careers

Spokane's First Comprehensive Breast Center to Open Its Doors in October

 

Inland Imaging has construction underway for a new state-of-the-art Breast Center at 799 S. Stevens St. centrally located in Downtown Spokane, which will open in October of this year. It will be the region's first facility to bring the full spectrum of breast imaging and diagnostic care (mammography, ultrasound, breast MRI, biopsies, risk assessment and future genetic testing) into a single, purpose-built location. Staffed by the same specialized radiologists Inland Northwest women have trusted for nearly three decades. 

Where a routine screening once meant a referral to a second location for follow-up imaging, the Breast Center will keep everything on-site. The space was designed around how it feels to be there: soft lighting, comfortable changing areas, a coffee bar, quiet consult rooms, and a dedicated patient navigator. Most screening mammograms require no referral, can be scheduled within minutes, and are covered at no cost under most insurance plans; appointments typically run under 30 minutes, and the center will offer free off-street parking.

The Breast Center opens to the public in October and is now accepting appointment requests. To book a mammogram or learn more visit http://inlandimaging.com/schedule or call 509-455-4455.

Sazia Pastry House coming to Coeur d' Alene

 

Sazia Pastry House, a locally owned and operated bakery that's known for its booth at the CdA Flea events and other appearances is working behind the scenes on a new brick and mortar bake shop of their very own, coming sometime before the end of this year (they are currently shooting for an opening date this fall).

The new Sazia Pastry House will be in an historic quaint yellow house at 1404 E. Sherman Ave. , a few blocks east of Downtown Coeur d' Alene. The shop will stock their freshly made baked goods likely with some gluten free and vegan options. Indoor dining will be available as will an espresso menu.

For more info, and their opening date announcements give them a follow-on Instagram and check out their new website at https://www.saziacda.com/

LT is a vertically integrated platform built for Spokane real estate.

 

Today, Inland Northwest Business Watch welcomes our newest sponsor. Founded in 2018 by Dallas Lightner and Ryan Towner, LT brings brokerage, property management, and in-house contracting together under one team, managing the ownership process from acquisition through disposition.

Since 2021, LT has brokered more than 70 apartment sales (5+ Units), more than twice the next most active firm in the Spokane area market. LT now manages 2,000+ units across the Inland Northwest and proudly employs dozens of local employees. 

Because LT operates what it sells, every transaction is backed by real operating experience: leasing, expense management, capital improvements, and long-term asset strategy. 

A few recent real estate transactions include:

84 Units for $18.25m - 3905 South Dishman Mica Road Spokane Valley, WA (32 units) & 15922 East Valleyway Avenue Spokane Valley, WA (52 units)

30 Units for $5.95m - 2513 North Regal Street Spokane, WA 

32 Units for $7.25m - 12608 East Nora Spokane Valley, WA

This experience is now expanding beyond Spokane through Athlete Real Estate Capital (ARC), LT's partnership with former Seattle Seahawks MVP Shaun Alexander, built to help professional athletes create long-term wealth through professionally managed real estate.

LT. Built to be more than a brokerage.

Learn more at www.ltrealestateco.com

Spokane City Credit Union breaks ground on North Monroe

Spokane City Credit Union is expanding its longtime N. Monroe St. location with a 2,700-square-foot administrative annex. The building will provide additional offices, a new break room, a covered patio and a multipurpose boardroom available for community use. Baker Construction is proud to partner with MMEC Architecture & Interiors to bring this investment in its employees, members, and neighborhood to life.

This project is located at 1914 N. Monroe St. adjacent to Spokane City Credit Union's existing branch. The site was formerly used for a new closed restaurant called Prohibition Gastropub that was demolished to make way for this project.

 Note- this write-up was originally created by staff at Baker Construction & Development and shared on Inland Northwest Business Watch with permission, we only added the site location.

Large mixed use projects on the horizon in Kendall Yards

 

Greenstone Homes' Kendall Yards development has been a hot neighborhood in Spokane for quite some time. But visitors to its business district area often notice among the neighborhood's local restaurants and boutiques is a decent sized vacant lot of dirt that apart from people occasionally parking on it, sits largely un-used. But in the near future that entire space will be home to at least one project bringing new residents, shoppers, diners and more to the far east end of Kendall Yards by the Monroe St. bridge.

Greenstone themselves recently applied to construct a new $70 million six story mixed use building at 1175 W. Summit Pkwy. . We reached out the Greenstone for comment, and we're told it was too early to comment on the project. The current plans for this development would include 200 new apartments on the upper floors and 52,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space on the ground floor. A two-story parking garage would be included in the basement of the new building. 

As they didn't want to comment on the project it's not known as to when construction might start on the development or an estimated completion date, we will do a more in-depth post about this project once more information is public knowledge. Originally in the pre-development phase of this project with the City of Spokane, this was mentioned to be housing for senior citizens but that was just not mentioned in the building permit filings.

While not an actual project yet, a bit to the east of Greenstone's site is another vacant lot at 1061 W. Summit Pkwy. which is owned by Premera Blue Cross and was intended for an office building for their company at one point. However, Premera has recently listed their parcels up for sale, currently marketing the site by themselves on popular commercial real estate sites like LoopNet (https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1061-Summit-Pkwy-Spokane-WA/40481441/)

This site is directly at the base of the Monroe St. Bridge and at the entrance of Kendall Yards greatly increasing its visibility. They say the site could be a range of uses including commercial, hotel and multi-family residential uses. The Premera land is 2.05 acres and currently being marketed at $7,650,000. 

Between Greenstone's new six story mixed use building and a possible redevelopment next door on Premera Blue Cross' land I think it goes without saying some big changes are on the horizon at Kendall Yards.

7 Brew Coffee coming to Spokane Valley

 

7 Brew Coffee has been eyeing the Inland Northwest for new locations for some time now. But recently the company filed for their first building permits for a location in Spokane Valley. The Springdale,AR based drive thru coffee chain has been rapidly growing nationwide and is often considered a competitor of Dutch Bros. Coffee. 

Commercial grading and building permits have been applied to place a new 7 Brew Coffee location at the now demolished Shari's Restaurant at 322 N. Sullivan. The site is in a highly travelled area, just north of the junction of Sprague & Sullivan. There is no confirmed opening date for this stand location at this point. 7 Brew Coffee uses a unique construction model where construction workers will prepare the site locally while the stand itself is built offsite and placed on the foundation with a crane once ready, usually relatively quickly.

It's thought there will be more 7 Brew Coffee locations coming to the Spokane / Coeur d' Alene area as there we're pre-development applications already done for another location elsewhere in Spokane Valley and for one in Spokane. The company reports having over 750 locations nationwide now open and operating, but with many more in the works. The company's name is derived from its original menu of seven coffee drinks, but that number has expanded. 7 Brew's menu also consists of coffee, energy drinks, fizz sodas, teas, chai & matcha's, lemonades, smoothies and shakes. For more information on 7 Brew Coffee, visit their website at https://7brew.com

Panda Express coming to the Hwy. 41 corridor in Post Falls

 

Courtesy rendering of the new Post Falls Panda Express and attached plaza provided by Jordan Wirsz of Corhaven Properties.

Panda Express, the quick service Asian food chain will soon have another location in North Idaho. The Rosemead,CA based chain will be the main tenant of a new small strip mall, immediately north of the new 7-11 and the intersection of Hwy 41 and Poleline Rd. in Post Falls. This would be the second Post Falls location for Panda Express as the company also operates a restaurant in front of the State Line Wal-Mart store on the opposite side of the city and like the others this new location will include an indoor dining area and drive through window.

Construction on the new Panda Express restaurant is currently estimated to start construction in September with Young Construction Group of Idaho acting as general contractor. It's also estimated that the restaurant will open in the late Q2 of 2027.  This will be to first of three tenants going into this new commercial building which is being developed by Jordan Wirsz of Corhaven Properties. One unit at 1,680 square feet and another at 3,360 square feet. Pad sites of land are also available within the same site, for more information on becoming a tenant of North Point Plaza contact Jeff Ottmar with NAI Black at 208-666-0659 or jeff.ottmar@naiblack.com

For information of the projects of the Hayden based Corhaven Properties, visit their website at https://corhaven.com/