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Monday, January 30, 2017

Vandervert Construction to relocate their HQ to Downtown Spokane

Vandervert Construction, is surely a name you know if you read this blog often because of my postings about their many commercial construction projects. But this time Vandervert is embarking on a project for themselves, a relocation of their corporate headquarters.

Vandervert Construction will join in on the revitalization of the western side of Downtown Spokane with this move. That's because the company will soon have it's HQ in the former Spokane Home Healthcare building at 1309 W. 1st Ave. ( a block west of KHQ on 1st ) . The company hopes to be operational in the new building sometime this Summer and will use the entire building.

They are moving from their long time headquarters at 608 E. Holland Ave. in North Spokane which they now have up for sale. Vandervert Construction offers both commercial general contracting and design-build services and their completed projects dot the landscape of the entire Inland Northwest region. Their projects range from retail to hotels to office space and much more.

For more information on Vandervert Construction, visit-

http://www.vandervertconstruction.com

Friday, January 27, 2017

Wet Seal closing all stores, two in Spokane

It's not a good time for retailers, especially the largely mall based chains. Yet another clothing chain, Wet Seal , has announced they will close all remaining stores. They had been operating over 170 stores in 42 states, all employees will be laid off. Their stores are mostly teen driven with clothing and accessories.

In the Spokane area Wet Seal has two stores, one in Spokane Valley Mall and the other in Northtown Mall . It is assumed the stores will host some sort of going out of business sales. And, there is no mention of a last day of operation just yet.


Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Work may start soon for a new shopping center on Regal, across from Target

S. Regal from 46th Ave southward to 57th Ave. is in a time of transition. Within the last couple of years we've seen the new Target / PetSmart anchored Regal Plaza shopping center open. And, likely within the next few months we'll hear who will be going into the Commons on Regal commercial development near 55th & Regal and when construction will start there. But, that's not all in this commercial corridor as KXLY ( yes, the TV & radio company KXLY ) and a couple of real estate brokers are now going full steam ahead for another new shopping center. Their planned center would be directly across S. Regal from the Target center and even utilize an entry point via the S. Regal / Palouse Hwy intersection.

The new KXLY shopping center , which is currently going by the name KXLY South Complex is hoping to start construction this Spring. And, once the full build out of the project is reached it will contain 180,550 square feet of retail / restaurant space and over 800 parking spaces in the surface parking lots that will be mostly placed behind the buildings in an effort to make the shopping center more pedestrian friendly.

Currently one tenant is already signed onto opening a store at the shopping center. The name of that tenant has not been released but it is said to be a 48,000 sq. foot regional grocery store chain. The chain is not new to Spokane, and there is a rumor of this being a new Yoke's Fresh Market but it is not confirmed. Several other national and local tenants are also considering leasing space in the development and we expect to hear of at least a couple more planned tenants before construction gets underway.

We don't have a rendering of what the new shopping center might look like just yet as they will go before the City of Spokane's design review board later tonight to help hammer out a design that meets all of the city's needs and wants. The current plans call for 2 multi tenant in-line buildings along Regal south from Palouse, a smaller building behind one of the inline buildings ( maybe a bank ? ) and the building for the regional grocery store chain also right along Regal on the southern section of the project site. Several more buildings would also be built on the back half of the site, but these will be included in a future phase.

As part of the project KXLY will actually acquire a piece of the Southeast Sports Complex from the city of Spokane to allow an entry road to the enter the shopping center from the corner of Palouse Rd. & Regal , where the Sports Complex currently has it's parking lot. As part of that sale KXLY will construct a new soccer field on the back half of the their land and the parking lot will be re-configured. The $300,000 the city will receive from KXLY for the land acquisition will go towards future trail development within the Southgate neighborhood.

Marketing of space within the new KXLY shopping center but will certainly be done by Kimele & Hagood of Spokane. Keep watching for more...

Question:

What businesses would you like to see open at this new KXLY South Complex?

Tell us in the comments to this story on our Facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/inlandnorthwestbusinesswatch

Two more mixed use buildings being planned in Kendall Yards

Kendall Yards has many many construction projects in the works right now from new apartments to a new medical office building and even a grocery store and more. But as if that wasn't enough happening in the trendy development, I've uncovered documents from a City of Spokane pre-development conference that we may see construction start soon on two more mixed use buildings.

The developers are working on two buildings side by side on the south side of W. Summit Pkwy. ( the main road in Kendall Yards ) . This is on the vacant lots just east of The Inlander's office space and west of N. Monroe. Plans are for the building further west to be a six story building with retail space below and " residential " above but it doesn't mention if the residential is to be apartments or condos.

The further east of the two buildings will be a smaller building with four stories, still with retail space on the ground floor and in this case office space above . Both buildings would share a underground parking structure which plans call for between 250-300 parking spaces.

Not much is known about these new buildings but given Kendall Yards history of growth this will likely happen. The only questions are when it will be built and what it will contain, condos or apartments, what kinds of stores / restaurants ? There is mention that construction should start this Summer.

We'll keep an eye on this development and the rest of Kendall Yards. But, first a quick question  " what would you like to see come to Kendall Yards? " Comment to this articles post of Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/inlandnorthwestbusinesswatch

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

STCU / Rocket Bakery's new shared space downtown opens this morning

Usually I don't schedule posts so early in the morning, but right now ( 6:00 am ) is the opening time for the newest Rocket Bakery in a hip new storefront Downtown. And, it's not just Rocket Bakery it's also STCU ( Spokane Teacher's Credit Union ) who will share the new space.

The joint location is in a 2900 square foot, two story space located on N. Wall St. ( 207 N. Wall ) behind the new Urban Outfitters store and immediately to the east of River Park Square. Rocket Bakery will be entirely on the ground floor and will be basically the same as other Rocket Bakery locations in terms of drinks, pastries and a small lunch selection. The items will be the same but the look of the space will be different and we expect it to be pretty cool.

We've also been told local artists Cain & Todd Benson are actively working on a mural within the new space. The mural will be large filling an interior wall, going up the stairs and will be " face-filled " and depict familiar downtown landmarks with sly nods to both Rocket Bakery and STCU. We'll hopefully be checking that out soon along with the excellent coffee's of The Rocket.

In addition to Rocket Bakery, STCU will open a branch in the space. This new branch will also open today and is a more modern and efficient location. It is to replace the STCU location that was on the second floor ( skywalk level ) of the Crescent Court building less then a block away from this new location. STCU CEO Tom Johnson had said the credit union and Rocket Bakery chose to join together in the same location due to their cultural similarities. Both have also been perennial favorites in The Inlander's annual Best of the Inland Northwest contest.

STCU is a growing locally owned and operated credit union that isn't stopping the expansion here as they are also planning to open their 21st location later this year in Airway Heights. Founded by educators in 1934 they are a not for profit cooperative with 161,000 members.

Rocket Bakery is also locally owned and operated and has been in business since 1992. Today they own a handful of locations around Spokane including their original on N. Argonne in the small town of Millwood. The business owners , Jeff & Julia Postlewait also co-own the popular Rocket Market on the South Hill that is a community hub for local food, wine and art.

For more information on STCU , visit- http://www.stcu.org

And, for more information on Rocket Bakery, visit- http://www.rocketspokane.com 

Friday, January 20, 2017

O'Doherty's Irish Pub to close north side location

Poor sales is claiming yet another local restaurant. O'Doherty's Irish Pub's North side location at 10208 N. Division will close this Saturday Jan 21st. This location had only been in business for about 6 years , much less than the original O'Doherty's in Downtown Spokane. Both the Downtown and Valley locations will remain open for business.



Also, disappointing is it looks like most if not all of the closing locations employees will be let go and they were just told this week of the impending closure.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Mixed use building purposed in CdA near Sherman Ave.

An exciting new five story building is about to become a reality in a somewhat distressed part of the City of Coeur d' Alene. The building will rise along Coeur d' Alene Lake Dr. just a couple of blocks south of Sherman adjacent to the O'Shay's Irish Pub.


The building will be modern with mostly apartments. All upper floors will be divided into rental residences , 30 apartments in all. The ground floor of the building will be commercial with 2500 square feet total of space, currently being marketed for lease geared towards coffee shops / quick service restaurants. The commercial space is divisible and a drive though and patio dining area is available. This space leases for $18.00 per square foot.

Details on the apartments, including their rental rates are not yet available. The location, while near some less then ideal properties is still great. The new building will have direct access onto the Centennial Trail and is only an couple of blocks from I-90 for commuters. It is also thought that this new development may spark other projects in the area with several other vacant parcels up for sale along the same roadway.

The project is being developed by local business person Ben Widmyer who is also acting as the leasing agent for the project. More information can be found on http://cbcsr.com or by contacting Mr. Widmyer directly at 208-292-3770 . If construction goes as planned groundbreaking will be in the next few months and a completion date of next Jan or before.

Monday, January 16, 2017

Papa John's Pizza adding new Inland Northwest locations

The well known Kentucky based Papa John's Pizza chain is expanding it's presence in the Inland Northwest. One of the chain's franchisees for this area has brought the pizza place back to North Idaho and another location is in the works for North Spokane. Here is the details-

Papa John's is now open in Hayden,ID

One of your more common email questions of me lately has been when is the new Papa John's in Hayden going to open? And, unfortunately the wait was a bit longer then we all expected but I am happy to report the Papa John's Pizza in Hayden has opened for business.

The location offers both carry out and delivery and can be found in the same shopping center as Super 1 Foods . Their address is 240 W. Hayden Ave Suite A , near the Hayden Ave. / US 95 intersection. To place and order call 208-772-5341

A new Papa John's coming soon to North Spokane

As one franchise location finishes and opens their doors the next new location is announced. Ryan Towner and Dallas Lightner of the commercial brokerage NAI Black have secured a lease for a new Papa John's in the Northpointe Plaza area.

We don't know exactly when this location will open, although it will be a bit since they just leased the space. But it is said to be at 9600 N. Newport Hwy. which is somewhere either in or around the Northpointe Plaza itself. We'll likely have more on this soon...


As of today Papa John's operates 6 locations in the Spokane area and the new one in Hayden. This comes after a franchisee who owned all of the area locations folded in 2011 leaving the Inland Northwest without any open locations.

The company is the third largest take out and delivery chain in the world being in operation since 1984. The company however has been highly controversial with CEO John Schanatter being a vocal opponent of the Affordable Care Act. Also, the company has been in legal trouble at times including for a class action lawsuit for underpaying some 19,000 delivery drivers.

For more information or to begin an online order, visit their website at-

http://papajohns.com 




North 40 Outfitters looks to be nearing construction for a new Airway Heights store

It's been a rumor for years, but in fact it is actually true that North 40 Outfitters ( formerly known as Big R Stores ) is planning on opening a store in Airway Heights. The plans have been on hold and the location has been moved around but there is a plan.

And, now finally it looks like 2017 will be the year North 40 finally builds their store. Actually there is a chance we'll see dirt being turned within the next 3 or 4 months.

This is because the land owners have filed to do a pre-development conference with the City of Spokane ( site technically falls in Spokane city limits, but near Airway ) . The conference is for a new big box store at the northeast corner of US 2 and Deer Heights Rd. near where the new Dairy Queen just opened. In the application it mentions actual construction starting in the Spring.

The only thing about this is that the included site plan never actually mentions what business this plan is for. However everything about the plan matches North 40 Outfitters store plans, in fact the contractor ( Young Construction Group ) and architect ( h2a Architects, PA ) are the exact same two who we're involved with the recent expansion of the North 40's major remodel / expansion of their store in Coeur d' Alene.

The plan, as it stands today calls for a store of 85,000 square feet " ag and outdoor retailer " with a garden center and areas designated in the new surface parking lot for outdoor stock / display , much like North 40 Outfitters stores usually have. The store would face US 2 but be set back a bit with lots of parking in the front.

Along the front of the property, right along US 2's right of way it shows 3 pad sites likely to be sold / leased to other businesses. Although example buildings are shown, no business names or exact plans are included.

We'll keep an eye on this project as it's clearly not a done deal, but it's looks extremely positive that this is North 40 and that they will be building this new Airway Heights store soon. Orginaly North 40 Outfitters had mentioned using some land nearby this site for a new distribution center also to serve their other stores in our region, this seems to not be part of the plan just yet.

Stay tuned...


Thursday, January 12, 2017

Chronicle Apartments open house to highlight Downtown's newest place to live.

In case you haven't heard, The Chronicle Building, the Downtown building that was once home to Spokane's afternoon newspaper, the Spokane Chronicle is being converted into Downtown Spokane's hottest new place to live.

The upper floors are being converted from office space into 32 apartments of various sizes and floor plans. The bottom two floors will remain commercial however with Nodland Cellars occuping a portion of that space.

And if you're interested in leasing one of these new residences you'll want to take note that the building owners, Centennial Properties will be hosting a open house tonight ( Friday Jan.13th) from 5p-8p at the building which is located at 926 W Sprague.

If you're not able to make it they also a website at-
http://www.thechronicleapartments.com/

And, here is a look at a flyer for the new Chronicle Apartments-




Eastern Washington University brings in a new on campus eatery and coffee shop

With approximately 13,500 students ( some at the smaller Spokane campus ) and hundreds of staff members it's important for Eastern Washington University's main campus in Cheney to offer dining options to keep everyone happy. This is part of the reason behind a couple of new openings that are located on the campus...

Thomas Hammer Coffee has opened a new small location inside the JFK library.

Einstein Bros. Bagels has expanded it's Inland Northwest presence with EWU getting the area's 4th location of the chain. Einstein Bros. can now be found inside Tawanka Hall. This new location will even have a grand opening to be held Jan 19th - 20th .

Also...
While they are not new businesses exactly, Eastern Washington University is working on creating their own food truck pod of sorts with a small row of food trucks now setting up on campus. Currently three Spokane based trucks set up and are open for lunch from 10a - 2p Mon-Fri. The trucks there currently are Soup's On , Crate and Mac Daddy's Gourmet Grub.

Community Pint, beer bar / bottle shop to open near Downtown Spokane

Many local craft beer drinkers will recognize the location of 120 E. Sprague for it's stint as the small but cool Jones Radiator a largely beer driven establishment the folded last April. But it looks like the beers will be flowing once more in the coming months as the building will soon undergo renovations.


The space, which is just a couple of blocks east of the Downtown core will undergo a full remodel and re-open as Community Pint . The new business will still be a locally owned and operated establishment and be very beer driven. Community Pint will be a combination taphouse, bottle shop and growler filling station. Ciders and wines will also be available but they will not have a full liquor license so no spirits.

The new Community Pint is to open sometime this Summer. Wither or not the they will offer a food menu has not yet been decided so stay tuned.

For more information on Community Pint, they can be found on Facebook at-

http://www.facebook.com/communitypint

A website at http://communitypint.com is also in the works.

Monday, January 9, 2017

Planet Fitness working on new location in Coeur d' Alene

Although it's not final just yet it looks extremely positive that the New Hampshire based Planet Fitness chain will be opening a location in Coeur d' Alene. A franchisee who operates other locations in Idaho & Utah is negotiating for a space in the Coeur d' Alene Town Center shopping center, corner of Best Ave & N. Government Way .


Plans are for the new Coeur d' Alene Planet Fitness to open as early as the second quarter of 2017. Exact size and location ( in the plaza.. ) of the fitness center is still be worked on so we will re-post when the time gets closer with all of those details.

This will be the first Planet Fitness in North Idaho but the third in the Inland Northwest. One location is already open at 13112 E. Sprague in Spokane Valley and another should be open before this one in the former Albertson's store on Northwest Blvd in Northwest Spokane. And, to answer everyone's questions we don't have the opening date for the Northwest Blvd. location just yet...

Planet Fitness is a unique, more laid back format of fitness center that has made it one of the largest and most popular spots to get fit in the US. The chain today has over 1000 locations nationwide and even began an international expansion with locations in Canada and the Dominican Republic. Planet Fitness locations are large with many kinds of machines , gym access and staff available 24 hours a day and memberships that much cheaper then most of the other fitness centers out there.

We'll likely have more on this new fitness center in the near future so stay tunes to this site. And, for more information on the company itself visit their website at-

http://www.planetfitness.com

Albertson's to close 2 Spokane stores

The Albertson's grocery store chain has announced they plan to shutter two more stores in the Spokane area. The 2 stores affected will be:

Albertson's Wanderemere - 12312 N. Division Spokane

Comstock Neighborhood Albertson's - 510 E. 37th Ave Spokane

At this point all other Albertson' stores in our area will remain open and employees of these two stores will be offered positions within those stores and potentially Safeway stores as the two grocery store chains merged about 2 years ago.

The closures are due to lower then desired sales at the stores. Both will close on Feb. 25th however this may change for the Wandermere location as it has also been in today's news for flooding after the fire sprinkler systems malfunctioned flooding much of the store overnight last night ( possibly due to recent poor weather ) .

Also today Albertson's announced the closure of a store in Yakima on 40th Ave for the same reason. These three closure announcements however appear to be the only ones included at this time for Eastern Washington.

Friday, January 6, 2017

Hissho Sushi coming to Spokane

Hissho Sushi , a North Carolina based chain of quick service Sushi establishments is now just days away from opening their first location in Spokane. Hissho will open on the campus of Gonzaga University at the John G. Hemmingson Center , the new location is currently set to open on Jan. 16th .

Hissho Sushi is a unique kind of business in that they are a large national chain but they focus on locations in upscale supermarkets, hospitals, university campuses and corporate food service locations. Their products are made fresh daily and they have hundreds of locations. In fact Hissho Sushi is already open to our south on the campus of the University of Idaho in Moscow.

The sushi selection is decent at Hissho with the traditional rolls like spring rolls and California rolls up to eel, tuna, shrimp , crab and more . Those not so comfortable with sushi will even find that Hissho offers something for them with tamer options available.

The Hissho Sushi location at Gonzaga will be the only local location as there are no others known to be being planned. For more information, visit their website at-

http://www.hisshosushi.com




Thursday, January 5, 2017

Macy's , Kmart and Sears all announced more store closings, will any of them be in Spokane / Coeur d Alene?

It's been the talk of the internet recently regarding all the store closing announcements effecting some once popular retail store chains. The Limited was one that recently closed ( or is closing, I could be wrong as to where they are in the process ) but they didn't have stores in our area. WetSeal and Aeropostale are in the Spokane area and have struggled financially in recent months but appear to be staying open at this point in time .

But the biggest store closure announcements lately have been surrounding Macy's , Sears and K-Mart all 3 of which actually operate multiple stores in the Spokane / Coeur d' Alene area. So naturally the question keeps being asked, " will any of the store closures effect our area's stores " ?
The answer is NO.

Looks like this round we'll just be watching the news stories of stores closing in other parts of the country, as none of the stores for these 3 chains list their locations around here. Now do keep in mind this can change and stores can be added or are being hidden from the currently released lists but it appears very positive for us.

Some stores in the Northwest will be effected however as Macy's in Salem,OR , Nampa,ID , the Downtown Portland Macy's , a Kmart in Tacoma,WA and a Sears in Lynwood, WA are all among the new store closure lists.

Have any tips of stores in the Spokane / Coeur d' Alene area that will be closing ( or opening ) let us know- inlandbusiness@yahoo.com

Stella's Cafe to close, combine with Ruins

One of the more well known restaurants in Spokane has sadly announced they will be closing their doors. Stella's Café has chosen not to renew their lease at their current space ( 917 W. Broadway ) and end the run of Stella's as it's own establishment. But don't worry to heavily as much of what Stella's Café offered will continue on.

This is because Stella's is owned by Steve , Marti and Tony Brown also own and operate Ruins another awesome restaurant a short distance away at 825 N. Monroe St. . Stella's menu and employees will actually transition over to Ruins . This in addition to everything Ruins already offers.

Ruins is actually a pretty unique restaurant that also offers a full liquor license. Ruins menu rotates offerings by region / style ,etc... . The food is fresh and you never know what you'll find. The addition of Stella's who was mainly a sandwich place will help make Ruins a good lunch spot.

Stella's Café final day will be Jan 31st . During it's existence the restaurant built a pretty good following and was even one of the restaurants that got paid a visit by Chef Alton Brown when he brought his tour through Spokane back in 2015. No word on if anyone is signed up to open in the business's space on Broadway but with the close proximity to the Courthouse and Arena we may see something exciting and new open for business there. We'll keep and eye out...

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Providence Express Care opens at Lincoln Heights Shopping Center

Providence Health Care, one of the most recognizable company names in Spokane has expanded it's new Express Care branding of retail clinics to Spokane. With the first Providence Express Care location in Spokane opening for business earlier this week at the Lincoln Heights Shopping Center on the South Hill.


The new medical clinic occupies 1600 square feet of space in the plaza at 2923 E. 29th Ave. .  The new clinic is not the same as the Providence Urgent Care Clinic's and specializes in being a fast , easy and more cost effective way to treat common illnesses and injuries . The services offered require no appointment and are available longer hours then most other primary care physicians offices.

The new clinic will offer 2 exam rooms and exam space where customers will be treated for colds, flu's , animal bites , sprains , respiratory issues, uti and so much more. If the sickness requires it referrals can even be made to more specialized Doctor's offices.

This is currently the only Providence Express Care location in the Spokane area. Although the locations have proven to be quite popular in other areas so we'd assume we'll see more in the near future. The Lincoln Heights location is open 8am - 8pm seven days a week and for more information , visit-

http://providenceexpresscare.org

Spokane County Library District opening a Spokane Valley Mall " Express Branch "

The Spokane County Library District is expanding it's Spokane Valley presence with a new so called " express " branch at the Spokane Valley Mall. This new Library within the mall would likely open sometime around the end of Spring, first part of Summer this year in leased space. The Library will occupy the space that was last used as a store called Red Fox on the second floor nearby the Macy's store.

The Library District has also been in and out the news lately for their plans to replace the current main Spokane Valley Library on E. Main, just west of Pines, with a new library campus along Sprague nearby from where crews are constructing a new city hall for the City of Spokane Valley. The Library District says this new express branch does not replace their desire to build that new building and talks are ongoing on just how to do it.

The new express library at Spokane Valley Mall would stock a smaller selection of books, likely only the more popular and would allow patrons to download books onto tablets and e-readers. Computers will also be available to allow guests to browse the internet and participate in the library's computer based programs. Just like other library's a limited number of staff ( no mention of how many ) will be available for questions / help.

For more information on the Spokane County Library District and the main Spokane Valley Library visit-

http://www.scld.org

Sunday, January 1, 2017

New Business & Development Map!


On this site you'll still find posts about new businesses & developments coming to Spokane / Coeur d' Alene. But, after a short time these posts disappear into the endless pages of " previous posts" , but now if your coming here to find out about a particular construction site you can use this handy dandy Google Map of most everything I've posted about recently....

Note: not all of the construction project or new business locations will be listed on here but I will do my best to keep it up to date and add new projects as I know of them.