Send all business inquires & press releases to matt.behringer@inlandnwbusiness.com

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

New Business needs your help...

I just saw this post on my Facebook page and figured i'd re-post it for my readers,it's in regards to the newly opened Cali's Coffee Stop which opened recently at 406 W 3rd in Downtown Spokane....

Cali's Coffee Stop at 406 W. 3rd, which opened on the 7th had finally given me a sense of purpose and hope during my literal worst nightmare. My business partner received a vacate notice today, and is walking away. The space is only $400 a month, and was literally about to become my home. I am asking for help, prayers, w...hatever you can do. I will be there at ten am tomorrow hoping I can pull this miracle off with your help. I have a business license that this can continue operating under- and I feel we were doing too many amazing things for this community to give up without a fight. I have nothing left anyway, had been looking for a job for over two years. I'm not ready to be homeless and go back to feeling helpless. Even if all you can do is share my story and hug me-- I will be there tomorrow from ten on- please show some support. However this goes, I am grateful to have had this opportunity, and am even more grateful for all of your support. Tara Williamson -- let's support this lady -- 1 cup of coffee at a time!

You can also find her business,Cali's Coffee Stop on Facebook at...
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Calis-Coffee-Stop/164635476973000?sk=wall

Update Jan 31st 2012

Sweet Stems is opening in Coeur d Alene's Silver Lake Mall.Sweet Stems is,as the name would imply a flower shop that incorporates candies and such.

Better Built Pet Furniture is the new name for the Cat Furniture and Cat Condo vendor who recently moved into the Spokane Public Market.They can be found on Facebook at... http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Better-Built-Pet-Furniture/130003397094861

Damon Orthodintics opened their new office recently on the South Hill in Spokane at 4102 S Regal St Suite 104.

Traditions at Mill Road is the name of the new senior citizen apartments that are under construction in North Spokane nearby Mead High School.The apartment complex will have 150 apartments and be located at 12710 N. Mill Rd.

Wild Dawgs which was a hot dog and sausage resturant in Downtown Spokane next to the Parkade is closed.

Gina's Design Corner which is a interior design retailer in Downtown Spokane has moved into a new space at 811 W 2nd Ave,still downtown.

Let it Ride Board Shop in North Spokane's Wandermere area has moved,they can now be found at 426 E. Hastings Rd Suite B.

The Spokane Tribe is hiring for and will open an Arby's resturant in Airway Heights in March.The new Arby's location will be next to their Spokofuel gas station on Highway 2 heading west out of Airway Heights.The site is the same spot the tribe hopes to build a new destination casino on,more on that project soon...

Iron Goat Brewing Co. is opening in Spokane soon.The brewery is to be located at 2204 E. Mallon Suite B and the companies logo is based on the famous garbage sucking goat in Riverfront Park.

Sweet Lou's Resturant which is in Hope,ID is opening a second location this time in Ponderay near Sandpoint.The resturant will take the space vacated by Slates Sports Bar at 477272 Hwy 95.Sweet Lou's will be a full service resturant with a full bar,steaks and burgers all on the menu.

Navy Week coming to Spokane

It may seem a bit odd for the Navy to come to landlocked Spokane but that is what will happen on May 14th thru the 20th this year.Spokane was chosen among 15 US cities to recive a Navy Week celebration this year,other cities getting the event include Phoenix,Chicago,Boston,Toledo,Detroit and many more.Navy Week in Spokane should be exciting for business as it should bring an untold amount of cashflow in from both the Sailors and those coming in from other areas to take adantage of this unique event.Navy Week consists of...
-The Leap Frogs Parachute Team
-The Navy Band
-A Navy simulator and displays
-Visits to schools and veterans
As well as many Naval Officers becoming directly involved with local non-profit and government projects around Spokane.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Update Jan 30th 2012

Edible Arrangements moved their Spokane location recently to a store next to Subway at 41 W 3rd Ave by Browne Ave. Edible Arrangements sells edible floral arrangements using mostly fruit and was previously on Division next to Crazy G's Burgers.

Sunday was the last day open for Kokopelli a new age gift and clothing store that was in Northtown Mall on the 1st floor by the center court area.

Stewart's Hardware which has been a Spokane fixture since it's opening in 1912 is going out of business,Stewart's is located at 1905 N Monroe.

Junk is a new flea market style business in Midtown Coeur d Alene at 802 N 4th.Junk is a new style of business because the goal of Junk is to create a shopping experience by using select vendors and only being open the 3rd weekend of the month.

Double Eagle Pawn Shop is opening a 3rd location,this time in North Spokane.They will be on Francis Ave across from Fred Meyer.

Kootenai County Fire and Rescue is now fully moved into their new admin building at the corner of Seltice Way and Bay St. by Trading Company in Post Falls.

Servatron which is a contract manufacturer in Spokane Valley is downsizing and saving some money and hopefully some jobs by moving into 50,000 sq feet at 12825 E. Mirabeau Pkwy in Spokane Valley.Servatron
had been in a bit larger older building by The Spokane Industrial Park.

The Dog House,a hot dog restaurant across from The Satellite Diner on Sprague in Downtown Spokane has closed.They however do hope to re-open at some point.

Perala's Hair Design has moved and is now open at 12926 E. Indiana in Spokane Valley.Perala's had been downtown on Spokane Falls Blvd.

Eastpoint Church in Spokane Valley has opened their new auditorium in the old dollar store space next to their church which is located at 15303 E. Sprague Ave Suite A.

Coeur d Alene will soon get a Cafe Rio Mexican Grill,The store appears to be hiring and will be located in the same building as Fred Meyer along Hwy 95 near Kathleen Ave.Cafe Rio is a chain of mexican restaurants from Utah.

Barrel Room Number 6 wine bar is closing in their location in Downtown Coeur d Alene.Barrel Room Number 6 is owned by Coeur d Alene Cellars Winery and plans to move the wine bar in with the winery at 3890 N Schreiber Way in Coeur d Alene off of Kathleen Ave.The Wine Bar will re-open in the spring.

Luxe Salon and Spa is now open in their new home at 3313 W Welview Dr in Spokane.

This spring and summer look for a new food truck coming to Downtown Coeur d Alene,Street Meat is to open selling burgers,fries,onion rings and mozzarella sticks.I can't find their exact location but will be on the look out.

Mr. Tux has a new home in Downtown Spokane at 904 W. 1st Ave.The store had been at 2nd and Browne.

For years Meals on Wheels has operated restaurants called Silver Cafe in certain senior citizen communities around the nation.Now the Spokane Meals on Wheels is going to be the first to open a Silver Cafe that is open to the public and will open it soon.The new Spokane Silver Cafe will be located 4803 N Nevada in North Spokane.

Catholic Charites to build low income apartments

The new, 51-unit Valor Haven building is slated to be constructed at 32 W. Pacific, next to the House of Charity homeless men's shelter at the east end of downtown Spokane.

Catholic Charities of Spokane announced recently their plans to build a new low income apartment complex in Downtown Spokane and a spot which has been in need of such housing projects.Catholic Charities will build the new building at 108 S. State St. with Catholic Charities House of Charities men's homeless shelter closeby which is located at 32 W. Pacific.The parcel currently has a small warehouse building which will be torn down when construction begins.The new apartment complex will be a 4-story building with 51 apartments and cost Catholic Charities about 8 million to build.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Update Jan 27th 2012

Fairlane Resturant is a new restaurant serving classic diner fare in Rosalia at 613 S. Whitman.

Look for construction starting this year on the anticipated Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County's new club home in Post Falls along Mullan Ave behind the Post Falls Library and across from the Post Falls Kindercenter.The new permanent club will be 8,800 sq. feet and include a gym,kitchen, technology area,teen area and open space for other programs the Boys and Girls Club offers.The plans are scaled back some from the original plan as they hope to one day open a second club home in Coeur d Alene.

Alpine Bistro and Bakery opened their second location last month inside the Downtown Spokane YMCA.

As I mentioned earlier on this blog,The Silver Creek Senior Apartments will begin work on a second phase soon.The second phase will be similar to the first with all of the same features but the new building will have 40 units instead of the 42 offered in the newly opened 1st building.

Grocery Boys will expand their grocery store adding on 2300 sq feet to their current store at 3430 N Crestline in Spokane.

Spokane's SRM Development is starting a new sister company called Pacificlean Enviromental.The goal of Pacificlean is to help governments and private sector firms with developing organic processing facilities.

Did you know?

Did you know Spokane is home to a unique museum called Carr's One of a Kind in the World.The museum is located at 5225 N Freya St in North Spokane.The museum has a bit of everything that;s one of a kind including cars owned by Elvis, Jackie Gleason and JFK. The museum could be an interesting visit for a slow afternoon,for info on everything at Carr's One of Kind in the World Museum take a look on this page..
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/17573

Giving Back



If you live in the Eastern Washington chances are good you've traveled I-90 west out of Spokane towards Seattle,in fact everyday 17,000 vehicles pass thru the stretch of I-90 in between Spokane and Ritzville but what most don't think about is what could happen as they travel this largely rural freeway passing by tiny towns like Sprague and Fishtrap.Lincoln County Fire District 1's first responder team would respond should anything happen. However they do all that they can without having a 24 hour emergency response center.So now after a try on the ballot Lincoln County Fire District 1 is heading to you for donations on this much needed 2.4 million dollar project.The new emergency responce center will have 3 bedrooms for firefighters staying on site,a law enforcement room for use by police/sheriff,etc.. and a safe room for women and children in harm's way .The project is big for such a remote county but will be needed in the coming years and will stand up much better then their small existing building.If your interested in donating contact the Lincoln County Fire District 1 directly by visiting their website at http://www.lcfd1firstresponders.com or by calling 509-257-2926

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Update Jan 25th 2012

North Idaho College has started a Esthetician Clinic at their Workforce Training Center off in the Riversbend Commerce Park in Post Falls.The NIC clinic offers skin care,facials,waxing and make-up all in a student run clinic.For more info visit www.nic.edu/skincare.

Devries Moving Packing and Storage who is the Spokane area agent for Atlas Van Lines is moving themselves,moving from their current home into the former Columbia Paint.They will take 38,900 sq feet in the building at 112 N Haven and 23,450 sq feet in the building at 25 N. Friske.

The 2 Coldwell Banker Offices that serve Spokane,Coldwell Banker Tomlinson and Coldwell Banker Northwest Group have merged together.They will now only use the Tomlinson name.

Commercial Flooring Supplier,Ibex Flooring is moving into space at 2925 N. Martin in Spokane.

Inland Mobile Recycling has opened a new location in Coeur d Alene,they recycle many things including copper,batteries and motors.They are now open at 6303 N Government Way,Near Hanley.

Marshall Mend Realty of Coeur d Alene has merged in with Hope Realty also of Coeur d Alene.Mr. Mend will move his company into Hope Realty's offices at Lincoln Way and Harrison in Coeur d Alene.

Vision Haus Optometry is now open in Cheney,They are at 1867 1st St. near the Cheney Trading Company store.

Miller Paint is opening in Coeur d Alene.Their new 6,000 sq. foot store will be located in the same plaza as Fred's Appliance and Tuesday Morning at 245 W. Appleway.

Las Palmitas which is a mexican resturant in Coeur d Alene is closing.They had been at 201 N. 3rd St in Downtown Coeur d Alene.

Meridian Construction is building a new medical office building in Spokane Valley based on speculation.The new office building will be 5,000 sq. feet and is now under construction at 12104 E. Main.

Just as a reminder i'm always taking your tips and idea,my e-mail address is mjbehri@gmail.com or inlandbusiness@yahoo.com.And don't forget to like us on Facebook just type in Inland Northwest Business Watch in the search bar. 

Company Profile-South Lake Promotions,Inc. and southlakecda.com

Today's company profile is of South Lake Promotions which is owned and operated by North Idaho resident Estar Holmes who also publishes a guide book to the Trail of the Coeur d' Alene's.That book is called The Trail of the Coeur d' Alene's Unofficial Guidebook including the 300k Bitterroot Loop. The book is a comprehensive and well written guide to the bike trail itself as well as the area that surrounds the bike trails as they meander thru some of the most scenic territory North Idaho has to offer.And the 2012 edition includes for the first time info on The Bitterroot Loop which is an area that The Friends of the Friends of the Coeur d Alene Trails along with the Rail to Trail Conservancy created to link the Trail of the Coeur d Alene's and the Route of the Hiawatha bike trails.The Bitterroot Loop is made up of 2 multi-use trails and a short stretch of state highway. The guidebook for the trails is published by Grey Dog Press of Spokane can be found at some area bookstores,like Hastings. But Estar decided a book was not enough to promote the area around the Bitterroot Loop she also operates a web site which can be found at http://www.southlakecda.com  .The website provides info and polls for people with an interest in the southern half of Lake Coeur d' Alene,an area which sometimes gets forgotten by some heading for the Coeur d' Alene  or Spokane only.She also has her own facebook page which can be found at  http://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Idahos-Historic-Bitterroot-Loop/293340897374868?ref=ts&sk=wall  .The facebook page is all about the Bitterroot Loop and happenings in the area.Please support Estar and her South Lake Promotions it's always wonderful to see individuals taking the step foward and promoting this area.
South Lake Promotions
E-mail: estarslp@gmail.com
web: www.southlakecda.com
phone:208-582-2407

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Update Jan 24th 2012

Joey T's Taste of Chicago is opening soon in Rathdrum.The resturant will have Sauages,gyros and more and will be located within Stein's Family Foods grocery store at the corner of hwy 41 and 53.

Design Works Interior Design has moved thier retail store into a 3,000 sq. foot space at 2504 N Division St nearby The General Store.

In June watch for Beignets,a new euro-style  Creperie going into Downtown Spokane.Beignets will take 3800 sq feet of the Cresent Court Building located at 707 W. Main .They will be in the space behind Madeline's Cafe.

As I reported would happen,Camp Subaru has now relocated to the former home of Empire Ford at 423 W. 3rd in Downtown Spokane(sodo district).With the move Camp Subaru has been renamed Subaru of Spokane.

I can't located exactly when they moved in but I notice Legacy Mixed Marshall Arts Academy who has been in Post Falls since 2006 is now located in the new building along Primrose Ln. next to Divco and near 41 and Mullan.

Rockwood Clinic is now open in at their Liberty Lake clinic.The clinic is located at 1326 N Stanford Ln and has 11,990 sq. feet.Rockwood offers Family Med.,Pediatrics and Physical Therepy from the new office.They also have an on-site lab and radiology services.For info call 509-755-6760

Greenstone,the developer of the long anticipated Kendall Yards development north of Downtown Spokane has began the process of building the first of many commercial buildings in Kendall Yards. The Building is to be called, Cedar Park Commercial Building and will be 5,200 sq feet and will be located along the south side of Summit Pkwy.No word on tenants as of this point.

Emergency Pet Care in Post Falls has moved just down the street into a building at 3406 E. Seltice Way.The building had been Kids World child care center.

Due to the chain filing chapter 11 both Spokane locations of Old Country Buffet have closed.The locations had been at 12205 E. Sprague Ave and 5504 N. Division St.

Glanville Family Chiropractic and Wellness is now open in North Spokane at 1203 W. Francis.

Also in North Spokane,The Five Guys Burgers and Fries location at 9502 N Newport Hwy is now open.

Cafe Chulo in Coeur d Alene is now closed,Cafe Chulo had been near the intersection of Hwy 95 and Neiter Ave. in front of K-Mart.

Jackson Hewitt Tax Services have now opened their seasonal tax prep. offices in the front end of most area Wal-Mart Stores.

West Coast Weiner Company which was a food truck that had been in Spokane including at the Freya Outdoor Food Court has moved to Nampa,Id.

Another food truck Taza has changed their name to Daev's Burgers and Gyros.The truck had been over the summer at the Spokane Public Market.Last I knew their food truck had been parked in the parking lot for Eastpoint Church on Sprague near Sullivan in Spokane Valley.

A1 Nail Salon is now providing nail services from their new home within the 5th Ave. Salon along 5th Ave. near Sherman in Downtown Coeur d Alene.

CdA on youtube

I figured i'd take a moment to share these videos from youtube,I have no affliation with the makers of them but they are interesting and show Coeur d Alene and the business climate of the Coeur d Alene area.However they are a bit old now but still worth a look...

Coeur d Alene-Secret emerging economy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGHqO2A96rg

Coeur d Alene,ID and Spokane,Wa-US growth areas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTPK3UWsPtk&feature=relmfu

E. Washington and North Idaho =low cost of living and plentiful jobs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6ZQ4c7gCxo&feature=relmfu

....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix4_1T7JQ3o&feature=relmfu

R.I.P Post Falls Theather

After a couple weeks of hearing a rumor that the Post Falls Theather
was closing soon.I sadly can now offically report that the cinema will
close with this Sunday as their last day and discounted
concessions.The theather owner wrote in a long post on Facebook that
the theather was forced to close due to a lack of support from the
residents of Post Falls making it impossible to compete with such
theather's as the Regal Cinema in Riverstone.The Post Falls Theather
has already been sold after being for sale for some time,the property
has been purchased by a un-named local church and will soon be
remodeled for the churches use.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Update Jan 19th 2012-Continued

First off I messed up one previous post a bit as it was reported to me wrong,The Hair Zoo in Post Falls is only moving and not completely closing.The Hair Zoo beginning in Feb will be in the same neighborhood but in The Whistle Stop Plaza at 2700 E. Seltice Way suite 3.My apology's to The Hair Zoo for the error. 

The Liberty Lake Papa Murphy's will be open in a new home come mid-february.But you won't have to drive far as they are moving just 3 doors down to the site that was Cycle Sports in the same strip mall as Albertson's at 1316 N. Liberty Lake Rd.

BeerCo is a new store located in North Spokane located at 1325 E. Francis Ave. BeerCo sells a number of beers as well as special order beers.On top of that they also have home brewing products for sale.

No official word as to where it will be yet but Life Flight,an air ambulance service has announced they plan to locate a base in Sandpoint and open it later this year.

Maverik which is a chain of gas station/c-stores has now opened it's first location in the Spokane market at 4206 E. Day Mt. Spokane Rd in Mead.Another Maverik location is now under construction in Cheney.

Whispering Pines at Ivy Court is open and is transitional care center.The center offers 23 beds and is located in Coeur d Alene at 2200 Ironwood Pl which would be in the same neighborhood as Kootenai Medical Center.

Eye Candy Antiques opening tomorrow,Jan. 20th in Spokane at 3017 N Monroe.

The Commercial Building which is the building located in Downtown Spokane at 1111 W 1st Ave is undergoing a remodel.The building was to be a blu-ray disc manufacturing facility but plans fell thru some time back.Now the building is being converted into 26 apartments with rent ranging from 340 to 420 per month and geared towards students.The 3rd floor of the building will become The University of Digital Technology to teach digital production skills and other digital technologies.The remaining space on the 1st floor will be a new but similar venture from the previous owner called BlueStar Technology . I'm not sure when the University will open but the apartments should be ready soon from what i'm told.

Adhara Tanning and Swimwear in Coeur d Alene has closed,They had been on Coeur d Alene Ave. near the Coeur d Alene Athletic Club.

Salon Capello is celebrating their grand opening after opening in late dec. at 21950 E. Country Vista Dr. Suite 300 in Liberty Lake.

LaRosa Cafe is a new Tapas Bar open in Sandpoint at 105 S. First Ave.

As I had reported would happen,The Albertsons Gas Station on Ironwood in Coeur d Alene has been converted over to a Tesoro gas station.Most area Albertson's gas stations are supposed to switch to Tesoro but I have not confimed any other locations as of yet.

Caruso's Sandwich Co. opened a new location in Spokane Valley at 2314 N Argonne.Caruso's had a store in a strip mall near the Spokane Industrial Park off of Sullivan,from what research i've done it looks like that one just moved here but I cannot confirm it.Caruso's also closed their Post Falls store late last year.

The Holley Rock Bar,which is a gay bar is open in Spokane Valley at the site of the former Hotteez Bar off of Raymond near Sprague Ave.

Mr Wok Chinese Resturant is re-opening in North Spokane at 9222 N Newport Hwy.

The apartment market is expanding in the Inland Northwest

While markets like the Seattle area are overbuilt with apartment communities prompting some to offer big discounts and offers to get people to rent the Spokane and Coeur d Alene market has thankfully apparently not yet that mark as this late winter/spring is proving to be prime time for new apartments to open or start construction.Several are in the works,here are just some...

Mill River Apartments-
These will be located along Seltice Way in Coeur d Alene but on your way to Post Falls.They are the large 4 story apartments going up next to another apartment complex that opened earlyer this year,Mill River Senior, which from what I understand is not affiliated with this project.  The project is under construction and will be some time before leasing begins.But what I do know is Mill River will be 120 units with a clubhouse/office and from what I can see,4 apartment buildings.I'll post more when I know more...

Riverstone West Family Apartments-
These are basicly done and located along W. John Lp within the Riverstone Development in Coeur d Alene.More can be found on Riverstone West on a previous post I did at... http://inlandbusiness.blogspot.com/2011/12/riverstone-west-family-apartments.html
The only change since I posted that is the phone number to contact Riverstone West has changed with the opening of the leasing office,Now for info call 208-446-3210 .

Agnes Kehoe Place-
Agnes Kehoe Place is a project of the Spokane Housing Authority which does mean that income restrictions will apply but leasing has begun on this long awaited apartment home community located at 5313 N Regal in Spokane.The building was once a school and has now been converted to house 51 units with rents ranging from 325-625 per month.The community offers a laundry center,library,community room and computer lab with internet.For more info on Agnes Kehoe Place call 509-484-7105 .A grand opening of the apartment is planned for March 14th.

Copper Hill Apartments-
Copper Hill is a new apartment community that is now open on the South Hill at 3210 E. 44th Ave.Rent at Copper Hill starts at 575 a month for 1 bed and ends at 810 per month for the largest of the units,the 3 bed.Copper Hill also offers a clubhouse,Internet room,playground,swimming pool and fitness center on site.These new apartments also claim to be pet friendly but I would assume with an extra deposit.For more info on the Copper Hill Apartments call 509-448-6100 .

Silver Creek Senior Apartments-
Silver Creek is brand new and now leasing in Post Falls,The address is 3720 Tayjan Ln but Tayjan Ln. is basicly just the driveway into the apartments.They can be found along Idahline Rd. just about a block south of Seltice Way.The apartments are all in one building but have heard a rumor of a second phase to be built sometime in 2012,i'll look into that more.Silver Creek is a 42 unit complex for people over 55,They too have 1,2 and 3 bedroom units with a community room,computer room and exercise room.For more info on Silver Creek Senior Apartments call 208-457-0727 .

Update Jan 19th 2012

Just a brief update today...

Northwest Center for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery which had been located in the Valley Mission Professional Building in Spokane Valley when it caught fire due to an explosion in another office.Re-opened in their new temp. location until their old office is done being re-built.The new location is at 2510 N Pines Rd suite 206 still in Spokane Valley.No word on when the old office will be ready.

Design Collabritive is creating a co-working space for design and building professional to work in the same office for less.The space will be located in Spokane at 204 N. Division St.

The South Hill Spokane Cottages are nearing completetion of their first phase and are almost all rented out last I heard.They are planning to build 24 cottages in 3400 block of Cook St near SouthEast Blvd.

Coeur d Alene Cycling and Fitness has closed,They had been at 2402 N Government Way in Coeur d Alene.

Allinol Truck and Auto Repair is now open in the small town of Hauser.They do all kinds of repairs including oil changes and tune ups from their location at 25829 W. Highway 53.For more info on Allinol call 208-704-2114.

More to come,Be careful out there today as the snow is making travel rather difficult,but unless you live under a rock you probably know that by now:)

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Silver Express

Keeping the Silver Valley connected and filling a void left behind by the N.I.C.E bus service which was closed in 2010 is the job of The Silver Express. The Silver Express is a free shuttle service that began on Jan 5th to provide service from Mullan to Kingston with twice daily service.The service runs starting at 10 am everyday by the Kingston Post Office and ends the day back close to where it began around 4pm(full bus schedule here- http://www.shoshonecounty.org/images/stories/silver%20express%20bus%20schedule.pdf ) .The funding for the bus service comes from a 185,000 federal grant that will expire March 2013 which may be renewed.Drivers will be provided by Northwest Medical Transport of Coeur d Alene .

These Boots we're made for walking...

These Boots we're made for walking...right over to a new Coffee and Bakery that will be in place in Downtown Spokane this May.The new business will be located in the site of the Rocket Bakery on Main at 24 W. Main which is in the same block as Main Market Co-op,Magic Lantern Theater,KYRS Radio and many like minded businesses. Boots owner is not new to Downtown as owner Alison Collins is former bartender from Mizuna .Alison plans to incorporate her bartending experience in with Boots by also offering mixed drinks right along side the coffee and baked goods.Boots should also prove an exciting trip with each booth in the shop being a different theme.While i'm sad to see The Rocket on it's way out I think Boots maybe worth a try later on this year and i'll try to include it in an update post on here when it opens.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Coeur d' Alene Resort Remodeling

01122012416.jpg

If you've been to the Coeur d' Alene Resort in last couple of weeks, you'll notice one thing. Everything is torn up and out of place as the Hagadone Hospitiality Company has started a full interior remodel of the property, which is something that was much needed in the popular resort.The Hagadone owned Coeur d' Alene Resort has embarked on a 2.5 million dollar remodel project. The project has most of the lobby and store area near the main entrance off of Front Ave. and Second St. closed off to the public.  Guests now use employee corridors, and it forces departments such as Human Resources to temporarily be moved into the vacant spaces in The Resort Plaza Shops across Front Ave. from the main resort.We will have to watch for the finshed product of the remodel. It should be interesting because I do know the area that was formerly the Shore Lounge will be converted over to a conference center with kitchen upgrades and space for events up to 240 people.And the lounge,Whispers overlooking Lake Coeur d Alene  is also to be remodeled as well as remodeling and expanding the hotel check in area. And I would assume the look and feel of the lobby and stores lining the lobby.Like the lobby Starbucks,Coeur d Alene Art Gallery,Marie's Boutique,Resort Logo Shop and resort business center.The Hagadone Hospitality Company has also been working on other projects in and near the resort.The first being the opening of the Hagadone Event Center at the Coeur d' Alene Resort Golf Course, which allows weddings and many other events in a event center overlooking Lake Coeur d Alene in a brand new 11,000 square feet facility.as well a remodel of the pool area overlooking the lake on the 3rd floor, into an area for weddings and other events with a pleasant view of Lake Coeur d' Alene. And a elevator to the floor for  the special events.The Coeur d' Alene Resort is doing much of the updates because the resort is celebrating it's 25th anniversary this year.This  is something that we will have to watch as the resort is being rather secretive about exact details of this project so once the new areas are open, which from what I hear will happen in march.I will try to get pictures and more news at that point but for now it's exciting news of a new life for parts of the popular Coeur d Alene Resort.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Company Profile-Spokane Cheescakes

Today,I'm starting a new feature of randomly selected local company profiles to help some of the small business in the Inland Northwest become even more sucessful then they already are.The first is Spokane Cheesecakes and here is more on their company.....


Spokane Cheesecakes is the team of Thomas & Gillian Speight, which started September 2011. We specialize in miniature cheesecakes, about 26 flavors(might grow) that we rotate throughout the year.  Our flavors can be roughly placed into the categories of chocolate, fruit  and liqueurs. All our crust are done from scratch, and we try to stay with local with ingredients. We also bake large 9inch or 10 inch cheesecakes for personal orders. Our business number is 509-279-1612, emails are thomass@spokanecheesecakes.com or gillians@spokanecheesecakes.com. We are located in the New Spokane Public Market @24 W. 2nd Avenue, hours are 10am-6pm, Thursdays-Saturdays.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Breaking News: Chipotle Mexican Grill is coming!

I don't know much but was just informed the City of Spokane has issued a building permit for a new Chipotle Mexican Grill at a site near the Gonzaga University Campus,922 N Division to be exact which is the former Hollywood Video site just north of downtown.My guess would be it will need a lot of work to turn it in to a Chipotle so don't expect it open for a while yet but defiantly exciting news as Chipotle currently has no Inland Northwest locations.Chipotle Mexican Grill are famous for being a more healthy alternitive to traditional fast food restaurants.They have several burritos on the menu as well as tacos and salads,For more info on Chipotle Mexican Grill visit their website at http://www.chipotle.com

Resource Fair in Wallace

Following on the heals of the announcement that Hecla Mining's Lucky Friday Mine will be forced to be closed for up to a year several agencies have banded together to hold a resource fair in Wallace this Thursday from 2:30 till 5pm at the Wallace High School at 1 Miners Alley.The resource fair will help the miners affected as many in Silver Valley rely on the mines for income,many making as much as 100,000 a year,not a nice figure to suddenly lose.The fair will have rep's from the Idaho Dept. of Labor,Panhandle State Bank,Shoshone County Free Health Clinic,Community Action Program,Idaho Dept. of Health and Welfare as well as North Idaho College to answer questions about furthering one's education and training.

Coeur d Alene Wedding Plaza follow-up

In December I made a post on here about the new Coeur d Alene Wedding Plaza at 1510 N Northwest Blvd in Coeur d Alene which is to be all wedding themed business.But mentioned in the post that 2 business remain in the plaza that are not wedding themed and asked the question of will they remain? Apperently my question has been answered as both Inked Envy Tattoo and Ryder's Collectibles are now gone.I did a little research and found Inked Envy is still open but now in a town in California and Ryder's Collectibles is a bit more of a mystery as my research has it looking like Ryder's Collectibles has gone completely online only.While this is sad to see these 2 shops go i'm sure the landlords have good plans for the site,I'll be watching this one more and post when I know....

Update Jan. 15th 2012

Another new Weight Watchers office has opened in North Spokane at 814 W. Francis Ave Suite 4.The Weight Watchers clinic also sells their own branded food and a place to check in and get info,etc...

Rusty's Detailing in Post Falls has made a move,but only 2 door down to the building at the corner of Seltice Way and Idahline Rd. in former site of a auto body shop and before that Soupy Sales car sales.

Speaking of car sales,Unique Auto Sales that was on Seltice Way next to Frontier Grocery has gone out of business.

Doc Holiday's Saloon and Grill is now open in Hayden located at 9510 N. Government Way and features liquor,beer and wine as well as burgers,breakfast and sandwiches.

Speaking of sandwiches a 3rd Jimmy John's s opening this spring within the former Curves at the Lincoln Heights Shopping Center 2931 E. 29th Ave.

Rocket Bakery is closing their location at  24 W. Main Ave. in Downtown Spokane this spring.As far as I know other Rocket Bakeries will remain open.However I do have other news on this so stay tuned....

Goodwill has closed it's low income child care center called ABC Discovery Child Care off of 3rd near Division in Downtown Spokane.This is a serious hit because of the lack of low income child care options remaining in Spokane area.

Layoffs at Sykes

Sykes Enterprises has notified the State of Washington of their plans to layoff 167 workers at their Spokane Valley call center which is located at 2818 N Sullivan Rd. .Sykes took over the call center after taking over ICT Group and their call center in the now nearly dead U-City Shopping Center on Sprague also in Spokane Valley.The layoffs by Sykes take effect in March.

Did you know?

From the did you know files...Did you know The Inland Northwest Rail Museum is a new museum now under construction along US Route 2 near the town of Reardan. The museum is all about rail history and is currently located at the Spokane County Fairgrounds and operated by The Inland Empire Railway Historical Society.The museum is dedicated to railroad history mostly of the Inland Northwest including some train cars with engine and a depot.I'm not sure what all is planned at the new museum in Reardan but I would guess it would be mostly the same as the site at the Fairgrounds.The Museum is well worth a visit .For more info contact the Inland Northwest Rail Museum on Facebook at...
http://www.facebook.com/InlandNorthwestRailMuseum?sk=wall

Friday, January 13, 2012

The Globe Bar and Grille closing

Another one sadly bites the dust as Downtown Spokane's Globe Bar and
Grille located in the same spot for the last 14 years,204 N. Division
has announced Saturday will be their "last call" .The bar is closing
due mostly to the current economy but also just like with the Snakepit
the owners have some health issues to deal with.The Globe's building
started it's life in 1908 as The Globe Hotel,a Globe Hotel sign can
still to this day be seen on the buildings wall.

Coeur d Alene subdivision gets new life.

Like the mining ghost towns of Nevada when the economy of an area
takes a turn for the worse people pack up and leave,so has been the
case for a couple of Inland Northwest subdivisions earning the
nickname "ghost subdivision".One such subdivision,Cottage Grove had
everything infrastucture wise in but because of it being sold as a
luxury home,gated community nothing more ever happened.But now it's
owner Merrit Properties,the same people who built the Merritt Creek
Office Park near Riverstone,has decided to scale it down and start
over with Cottage Grove as a townhome community,new homes in Cottage
Grove start at 220,000 which is higher then some on the market in
Coeur d Alene but still better then it was.And each unit is 1601
square feet,Hopfully we see construction again soon at Cottage Grove
which is on Pinegrove just north of Canfield in North Coeur d
Alene.For more info contact Pam Harmon at 208-659-6678. Now let's hope
for progress at the nearby Orchard Lands subdivision but in today's
ecomomy we take what we can get.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Centerplace Event Center

Looking for meeting space? This Thursday Jan 12th is your chance to check out Centerplace Regional Event Center on 2426 N Discovery Pl near the Spokane Valley YMCA and Mirabeau Park,Will host a free open house from 4-7pm .This is a prime time to tour their large and newer facilities including the Great Room that seats 500,an auditorium which seats 100 and several meeting rooms.For more info on Centerplace Regional Event Center contact the City of Spokane Valley at 509-720-5405 .

Lucky Friday Mine shut down

Coeur d Alene based Hecla Mining announced today that the Mine Safety and Health Administration has order the closure of the silver shaft at their Lucky Friday Mine in Mullan,Id. for the removal of built up material within the shaft which will take till early 2013 when production can once again begin.The closure is major hit to small town of Mullan where many residents work at the Lucky Friday as well as Hecla Mining who's stock price took a major hit because Hecla has dropped production estimates for 2012 to just 7 million ounces of silver down from 9.2 million.Hecla's Lucky Friday has been in the news a lot lately after a fatal accident earlyer in the year and a injury accident just recently.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Update Jan 10th 2012

Spokane Grapevine a Spokane based website about events and business in Spokane and their sister company,Social Media 13 have moved into their new home in the Hillyard neighborhood at 5210 1/2 N Market St.

Pedals2People which is a bike shop offering a place to learn about bikes and how to fix them is open in a new bigger location at 1527 E. 16th Ave Just 2 blocks east of Perry.

The Northpointe Target store is undergoing a remodel,the remodel will include many interior updates as well as expanding the store's grocery section,the permit on record calls for adding a freezer so one can assume a frozen food department will be included as well.The Northpointe Target is located at 9770 N Newport Hwy in Spokane and near The Y.

Open since only Aug. but enjoying growth is Coeur d Alene's Highpoint Medical. Highpoint Medical employs 16 and offers support services to doctors offices and clinics.They are located in about 6,000 sq feet of space at 693 W. Canfield .

Cattales Zoological Park at 17020 N Newport Hwy recently opened a new gift shop.

Design Source Solutions is moving into Liberty Lake's Meadowood  Tech Center at 24001 E. Mission.Design Source solutions offers product development and support,they will 1800 sq. ft for office space and 3300 sq ft for manufacturing.

The Spokane Waldorf Education Association has moved their offices into space at 4225 W. Fremont on the site of Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute.The Association is developing a school called The Windsong School.

Open for a little while now is the Habitat For Humanity Re-use store at 709 Main in Smelterville.

The Masters Touch Salon is now open in Spokane Valley at 14124 E. Sprague Ave. behind Walker's Furniture.

Valhalla Soap has moved out of the Spokane Public Market to a new retail home at 2015 N Division above the Fresh Abundance store.


I am in need of tips, especially from North Idaho if you can help e-mail me at mjbehri@gmail.com or inlandbusiness@yahoo.com .Thank you for reading my blog! 

Enaville Resort aka The Snakepit

Bad news for North Idaho as health issues are forcing the closure of iconic Enaville Resort which is more commonly known as The Snakepit at 1480 Coeur d Alene River Rd. .Current owners Joe and Mary Peak are both battling cancer and simply cannot keep up with the illness and the Resort.The Enaville Resort has been a landmark for locals and visitors alike using the Silver Valley and Coeur d Alene River since it was started in 1880 and offers such menu items as Rocky Mountian Oysters.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Long awaited work on I-90 Beck Rd. interchange will happen this year.

Exciting news for the west end of Post Falls as work will finally start on the interchange of I-90 and Beck Rd. which will serve as the main access to the 200 acre Pointe at Post Falls commerical development currently being built by Foursquare Properties of Carlsbad,Ca. .The project is right now home to the Post Falls Cabela's store,a Wal-Mart supercenter and the Sysco food service distribution center.Lowe's also began planning a store in the project in 2009,last I had heard that project was to also start in 2012 but have not heard anything official,I had also heard the project was to have a strip mall area with a San Francisco Sourdough Eatery but i'm assuming since I haven't heard of that now in a couple years that plan is off.The freeway interchange is now in the design stages by a company called Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction Co. out of Utah.The project will not only link in The Pointe at Post Falls but also the nearly dead North Idaho Outlet Mall on Riversbend Ave. because as of the last plan I personally saw;the south end of the interchange is to merge in with the end of Riversbend in a round-a-bout style allowing traffic to use Riversbend past Greyhound Park and the Simplot Co. site to connect to the new Beck Rd. which would be built up south of Seltice Way and head north to Cabela's and eventually Seltice Way and Stateline.A move that will hopefully help the North Idaho Outlets as the entire property is nearly vacant and with the new traffic,some of which visitors and tourists who are trying to access the Cabela's store,should help lease out at least some of the mall's 180,000 square feet.But the new interchange will also help with The Pointe at Post Falls as it too has struggled a bit in the last couple of years. Foursquare Properties already has said they think the interchange will help to restart the project hinting of possible retailers,resturants and hotels that have already expressed interest but cannot confirm any at this time,although one of those possible retailers may be Target which I had heard but never confirmed was interested.Foursquare is paying to build the interchange and will once it is done they will hand it over to the Idaho Transportation Department.The construction companies contract is for 21 million dollars and the involved parties confirm the construction will happen in 2012 a move that Post Falls and the entire Inland Northwest has been waiting for.Now if we could only get that Greensferry interchange,but that's a whole other post for a different day....

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Pacinian

In case you didn't notice it in Sunday's Spokesman Review here is an interesting article on Spokane based Pacinian...

Did you know?

Did you know? that for a time in the 70's and 80's the Spokane region was called the Keyboard Valley following on the success of California's Silicon Valley and 3 computer keyboard producers in the area.The name was dropped because most of the keyboard production shifted to Asian nations.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Posting

Quick question to all my readers,what do you want to see on this blog? I just post anything and everything I can think of so if you'd like me to focus on something more then others please let me know eather in the comments on this post or by e-mail at mjbehri@gmail.com or inlandbusiness@yahoo.com  .And on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inland-Northwest-Business-Watch/163064547117641

I'm also always looking for tips,I do this just by my knowledge and despite my outrageously high IQ(haha) I don't know everything in fact with covering such a large area I think I miss most so please contact me with anything you may know.

Update Jan. 7th 2012

The Hair Zoo on Seltice Way in the same strip mall as Upscale Mail is closing.

Also closed recently was the Northstar store by TacoTime in Coeur d Alene's Silver Lake Mall

After being in the Spokane Public Market for a time,Zaki Organics has moved into their new storefront at 3309 N. Argonne Rd in Spokane Valley.Zaki Organics sells organic skin and hair care products.

A new auto repair shop,Save More Automotive is celebrating their opening in Coeur d Alene at 1425 E. Sherman Ave.

Mount St. Michaels which is the landmark Jesuit church overlooking Spokane from a bluff near the Hillyard neighborhood  has opened a museum and heritage center to tell the story of the historic church that was built in 1916.They are located directly outside of Spokane at 8500 N St. Michaels Rd.

Chocolate Myracles has opened their own retail store in Spokane Valley after 6 years of distributing their products.They are now open at 11616 E. Montgomery Suite 23 .

The Hallmark Coach House Gifts store that had been in the Silver Lake Mall in Coeur d Alene has now closed.The Hallmark store on Ironwood however is still open.

And last but not least while driving to Coeur d Alene I noticed it appears the walk-in retail portion of Pacific Wireless is closed in Post Falls at Seltice and Hwy 41.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Ecova to aquire LPB Energy Management

Ecova,a Spokane based firm that was formerly known as AdvantageIQ and is a subsidiary of Avista and provides energy and sustainability management has announced they will aquire LPB Energy Management who is also an energy management firm and based in Dallas,TX. The sale is the close by Jan. 31st,2012 and as of this moment I cannot locate any costs affiliated.

OurTownZip

A Liberty Lake based web firm called OurTownZip that allows companies to have an online storefront and market themselves is having a launch party on January 25th 2012 at George Gee Automotive on George Gee Ave. in Liberty Lake,OurTownZip will host booths from many local business including my local food options.The event will be from 5:30pm till 8:00 pm.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Update Jan 5th 2012

Warpath Trading Post in Plummer on the Coeur d Alene Indian Reservation has opened a new store on their site,Four Shells Regalia Supply and Bead Store.

Coeur d Alene historian Robert Singletary decided against retirement and instead opened a newish business called Heritage Unlimited,located at 213 W. Appleway Suite 5 in Coeur d Alene .The store is several parts,one offering classes on history,culture and music.One of the others Heritage Decor is a home decor service using historic photos,etc. to decorate your home or office and Heritage Mercantile which is actually located next door in Suite 4 along with Myrle's Custom Framing and that is a antique store.I don't recommend any companies on this blog but if you ever do get a chance to hear Mr. Singletary do a history lecture I will say it is very informative,it's amazing the knowledge of one person.

Taking over the site by the Montvale Hotel in Downtown Spokane that once was the popular Far West Billiards is a new resturant called Scout.They are located at 1001 W. 1st Ave they are a bar and grill and are open for breakfast,lunch and dinner.

Edge Fitness which is a gym in Post Falls has opened a new second gym in Coeur d Alene located at 5648 N Government Way.

North Idaho Family Physicians is expanding their support services offices and moving into 1110 W Park Pl in Coeur d Alene,off of Lakewood.

On-Top Realty in is expanding into 900 additional sq feet in Downtown Spokane at their office which is located at 611 E. 2nd Ave.

Cooper Fab is now open in Post Falls at 5250 E. Seltice Way,which is the old Idaho Fence office.They do welding services and custom bending.

Spokane Valley's "Current"

Peridot Publishing who is based in Liberty Lake and publishes the community based Liberty Lake Splash as well as a annual visitor booklet on the city of Liberty Lake as announced their plans to expand into the rest of Spokane Valley with a new monthly newspaper called The Current.The Current will be similar to the Liberty Lake Splash offering community news,business news and community events in Spokane Valley.The Current will launch in Feb. and will be distributed throughout the Valley at several high traffic locations.

Reclaimed Spaces to be featured on "Hoarders" on A&E

Professional organizer,Cindy VanHoff and her firm Reclaimed Spaces which is based in Spokane Valley will be featured on the popular A&E reality show Hoarders offering their help to an un-identified Inland Northwest Family who struggles with hoarding in their home.Reclaimed Spaces offers many organization services including complete relocation for you home or office.Reclaimed Spaces can be contacted at 509-710-9853 ,There is no date as of yet for the air date.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Midtown Coeur d Alene affordable housing project could start in 2012

Orginally proposed back in 2007 by LCDC and a company called The Housing Company,An affordable housing structure in Midtown Coeur d Alene is back on the table and could be begin construction as early as this fall.Some things have changed with the project as THC points out that the market has shifted greatly since 2007 so while the housing was to be in low priced condo's,now we know that the project will be apartments,45 units in all with 90 parking spaces and ground floor retail space,9,000 sq feet in the newly redesigned Midtown Coeur d Alene district.THC is asking LCDC for 447,000 additional dollars as a pledge to assure a grant from the state.The apartments are to be built directly on 4th st on land LCDC already owns and is currently occupied by Paris Flea Market and a bargin grocery store by 4th St. and Roosevelt Ave.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Golden City Gold Buyers

A famous face is back in Coeur d` Alene.Clint Robertson who was the runner up on last year on Donald Trump's The Apprentice tv show has returned to his home territory of North Idaho to buy the City Loan and Pawn store on N. 4th in Midtown Coeur d` Alene.Since taking over the pawn shop he has changed somethings around with the most obvious being the name,The business is now called Golden City Gold Buyers and specializes in buying gold and silver.The Pawn shop part of the business is still there but Clint said he hopes to move the pawn shop elsewhere in the future.The new business can be seen in many ads now being ran on cable tv thru Coeur d` Alene and Post Falls.Mr. Robertson recently purchased a home in Post Falls and plans to stay in the area and bulid his new business,While he didn't win the job on The Apprentice he has done many speaking engagements as a result of the show.

Update Jan. 2nd 2012

The first item today happened a little while back but I somehow skipped it on my list,Post Falls based Ground Force Manufacturing who is also building a new sister company called Underground Force located across Seltice Way from their current factory.Has entered into agreement to take over the Berg Company main plant in Plummer after they lost a goverment contract for Air Force fuel blatters.Ground Force will lease the plant for 5 years and hire around 50.

Kootenai Prosthetics & Orthotics of Coeur d` Alene is growing with their new office open in Spokane Valley at 1424 N McDonald Rd. Suite 201.They will also open soon in Post Falls on Polston near Super 1.

Spalding Auto Parts is also growing,They recently opened a new pull n save used auto part yard in Mead,They will employ 24 at the new location at 11125 N Market in Mead,Wa

Kristi and Charli's Salon has opened recently in Hayden,They are located in a new office building at 1130 W. Hayden Ave Suite 101

Moody Aviation which is a division of Moody Bible Institute at Spokane is expanding into a 2nd hanger at Spokane's Felts Field.The hanger was a National Guard hanger.

GoFroyo opened not long ago in Spokane Valley along Broadway in front of Wal-Mart.The owners of the frozen yogurt store plan more stores in the near future as well.They plan to open in the Nevada Towers and in The Lincoln Heights area of the South Hill.

Mike's Mechanical Repair opened recently in Post Falls at 4470 W. Seltice Way.They had been located on Cedar St. in Post Falls and they offer many kinds of auto repair including full antique auto restoration .

More to come.....

Greater Spokane Inc. studying creating a port district

A city as far inland as Spokane is may not be the first place one would think of for a port district but that is what Greater Spokane Incorporated is now doing a study on siteing  that a port district can also be built near an airport as well,The idea to have a port in Spokane has been tried before but didn't make it very far but now GSI leaders feel the Port may be a good boost to the economy of Spokane.Work on the idea is well underway however GSI says it will have to go to a public vote and in which case will not hit the ballot tile 2013.Other then Spokane,Yakima is the only other city in Washington state without a port.This is still in very early phases so we will have to watch this closely.

Coeur d Alene Wedding Plaza

The existing strip mall located a 1510 N Northwest Blvd. in Coeur d` Alene has a new name and theme geared towards attracting people in the Coeur d Alene area who are having a wedding.The plaza is now known as The Coeur d` Alene Wedding Plaza with the recent addition of Storybook Bridal and their sister business Cameo Events who moved out of The Coeur d` Alene Resort Shops in favor of the new location only a few blocks outside of downtown,and i'm sure with a lower rent price. In the near future a high end full service salon called Flawless Salon will also open.The plaza is to have all wedding themed retail stores with the 2 already in place, Cheryl Burchell Goldsmith Jewelry and Hansen's Florist and Gifts.The thing we will have to watch with this change is the plaza holds 2 non wedding themed business,Inked Envy Tattoo Parlor and Ryder's Collectables both to best of my knowledge opened in 2011 so they should have at least a couple more months on their leases but once the lease ends we will have to watch to see if they move out to make way for more wedding themed stores.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year from Inland Business Watch! And now that we are in Jan. many of the states in the Northwest  now have higher minimum wages with the exception of Idaho where the minimum wage remains at 7.25 an hour.However Washington State increases to 9.04,Oregon increases to 8.80 per hour and Montana increases just 30 cents to 7.65 per hour.