Bluebird's Cottage opening soon in Spokane Valley

 

Courtesy photos - Bluebird's Cottage

A new locally owned and operated business with a unique mix is opening soon in Spokane Valley. That business is called Bluebird's Cottage and is a new cafe and floral shop that will take over the former Mangrove Cafe space at 18 N. Bowdish Rd.

The cafe side of Bluebird's Cottage will feature baked goods from Sweet Dreams Bakery. The owner indicated via email that his biggest passion is creating tasty and inventive new drinks including espresso-based drinks, Lotus, Red Bulls and fresh fruit smoothies. There will be a combination of house made syrups, Washington local syrups, and real fruit purees. The business will be the first in Spokane to use coffee from Santa Cruz Coffee Roasters of Santa Cruz,CA. where they owner spent his early years. They will also have breakfast and lunch options served in house or to go and all made in house.

The flower shop side of the new business will be boutique style with no two arrangements will be the same unless custom ordered to be. There will also be a build your own bouquet bar where customers can pick out their own individual flowers/greenery, choose your vase or wrapping, and then they can arrange it for you or you can do it yourself. 

Additionally, Bluebird's Cottage will have a variety of house plans to go with the arrangements. There will be two different seating rooms as well overlooking the cottage style garden. During the warmer months they plan to open up additional space on the patio and outdoor dining areas.

For more information on Bluebird's Cottage, give them a follow-on social media via Instagram , Facebook or TikTok

Solstice Advanced Materials breaks ground on expansion in Spokane Valley

Courtesy photos- Solstice Advanced Materials

 Formerly operating locally as Honeywell, Solstice Advanced Materials (Nastaq:SOLS), a leading pure-play specialty materials company recently announced they broke ground on a $200 million dollar investment to expand and modernize its electronic materials facility in Spokane Valley. By the end of 2029, the facility's current production capacity for sputtering targets is expected to double, helping meet customer demand amid rapid expansion across their industry. Physically the expansion will add +/- 110,000 square feet of new building space.

"This groundbreaking represents more than an investment in our Spokane operation - it's an investment in our customer and in the future of American semiconductor innovation," said Solstice President and CEO David Sewell. "As demand accelerates for artificial intelligence, high-speed computing and connected technologies, we are preparing the Spokane facility to deliver the quality, reliability and scale our customers need to drive innovation. The expansion project underscores our commitment to strengthening supply chain resilience, enhancing production efficiency and driving sustainable manufacturing innovation in the exciting growth market."

The expansion at the Spokane Valley facility will also deliver significant benefits to the local and regional community. Of the $200 million investment, approximately $80 million is expected to be spent with Washington-based suppliers. In addition, the company plans to add over 80 new positions and make critical investments to upskill technicians. The Spokane site is located at corner of N. Sullivan Rd and Euclid Ave. adjacent to the Spokane Business & Industrial Park. For more information about Solstice Advanced Materials, including how to apply for open positions visit their website at https://www.solstice.com/us/en

Tokyo Sushi & Asian Cuisine now open in Spokane Valley

 

Courtesy photos

A new locally owned and operated Sushi restaurant has opened off of N. Sullivan Rd. in Spokane Valley. The new restaurant goes by the name Tokyo Sushi & Asian Cuisine and is located at 328 N. Sullivan Rd. Suite 5 in a space that was previously used for a new closed sushi restaurant called Toro Sushi. Despite the similar cuisines, Tokyo is a brand-new restaurant with different ownership however.

Tokyo Sushi & Asian Cuisine offers fresh hand rolls (i.e. Walla Walla Roll, Blue Mountain Roll) , assorted sashimi, hibachi teppanyaki, Japanese curry, Katsu and more. The new restaurant is open daily (hours listed on their website below) and offers indoor dining, carry out orders and delivery via Door Dash and Uber Eats. 

For more information on Tokyo Sushi & Asian Cuisine, including to place an order online, visit their website at https://tokyospokanevalley.com/ 

Lucky Asian Market now open in North Spokane

 

If you're looking for quality Asian grocery items on the north side of Spokane, it's your lucky day as Lucky Asian Market just celebrated their grand opening late last week at 8915 N. Division, nearby The Y. The store is fairly small being converted out of a 1970's style gas station but packed full of merchandise and an excellent re-use of a historic building.

The store carries various Asian products from snacks, drinks, ice cream, dim sum, produce, seasonings, noodles and more that they bring over from Seattle every Thursday night. They plan to use the restocking on Thursday nights as a night market, usually from 7-9pm depending on the conditions on the commute back from Seattle. Info on the market and what they carry can be found on their social media pages via Facebook

Part bookstore and part listening lounge coming on 2nd in Downtown Spokane

 

Work has been underway for a while now for a unique new locally owned and operated business coming to 301 W. 2nd Ave in Downtown Spokane. During the daytime hours the space will operate as Good Medicine Apothecary doing teas and herbs, books, records and more. The business owner says this will be Spokane's first Black-Owned/Igneous-Owned bookstore.

At night that same space will transition over to a business called Culture. Culture will be a listening lounge where they plan to give education about the albums they are featuring and listening to them on a HiFi system to experience them like never before. They also plan to serve coffee and tea drinks, Americano, latte, espresso and matcha.

The business comes from Deekon Jones, who also founded and operates the local behavioral health agency, New Developed Nations which has offices at 3026 E. 5th Ave. in East Central Spokane. There is no opening date announced for the new business, but more info will likely be posted eventually on their Instagram page

Small Business Saturday sales and events this weekend!

 It's that time again where we show some extra love to our local small businesses, Small Business Saturday is tomorrow Saturday, November 29th and many Spokane and Coeur d' Alene area businesses are making big plans. For those heading to Downtown Spokane, the Downtown Spokane Partnership has arranged the third year of its Small Business Saturday Swag Bag Giveaway event presented by STCU. On the morning of November 29th, the first 200 shoppers to enter Auntie's Bookstore will receive a free "swag bag" filled with goodies, coupons, gift cards and other fun items from a myriad of downtown businesses. An additional 25 bags each will be given away the same morning at Indaba Coffee (Riverside Ave.), Twenty-Seventh Heaven Bakery, People's Waffle and Shawn O'Donnell's Irish Pub. 

Following the swag bag giveaway event, Auntie's Bookstore will host a day full of Small Business Saturday celebrations, including local author book signings, pop-up shops, giveaways and more. For more information on these events and other events happening in Downtown Spokane throughout the holiday season, visit http://merrymagicaldowntown.org . So far in 2025, 27 new retail businesses have opened their doors in the Downtown Spokane Business Improvement District. Visit https://downtownspokane.org/celebrating-new-business-openings-in-2025/ for a list of new businesses that have joined Downtown Spokane this year. 

Elsewhere in the Inland Northwest, the Scale House Market has announced their first ever Winter Market at the Quarry. A two-day indoor/outdoor holiday shopping experience featuring local vendors, multicultural foods, Santa photos and festive activities. This new market will take place from November 29th-30th from 8:00am-4:00pm at 4422 E. 8th Ave. in Spokane Valley . Visitors can explore dozens of local vendors, offering handcrafted good, artisanal foods, gifts, decor and unique products made across the Inland Northwest.

Guests will also find their usual shopping needs conveniently available at Scale House Market, including locally produced food and grocery items, as well as a curate selection of beer, wine, cider, and more - making holiday shopping both festive and practical. To add a festive touch, 300 shoppers will have access to Charlie Brown- style Christmas trees, a nostalgic holiday favorite perfect for brightening any space.

This is just a sampling of the Small Business Saturday events planned this weekend around the Inland Northwest. For instance, Twenty-Seventh Heaven Bakery in Downtown Spokane is planning their own small market from 8:00am-1:00pm at their store which can be found at 105 S. Madison. Inland Cider Mill at 1020 W. Francis Suite A in North Spokane is planning an all-ages craft & vendor show from 11:00am-4:00pm and many more. And even if they aren't doing anything special, be sure to patronize your favorite small businesses in the Spokane and Coeur d' Alene area sometime this weekend if able.

Adams Tractor to build new dealership on the West Plains

 

A new tractor and equipment dealership is coming soon to the West Plains, well a relocation of one at least. Coeur d' Alene Tractor Co. which does business in the Spokane market as Adams Tractor has purchased an almost 9 acre parcel along US 2, a bit Northeast of the Spokane International Airport, at 8123 W. US 2 with the goal of building there.

The plans call for construction of a new full-service dealership to start work soon, with a potential opening during the Fall of 2026. The US 2 location will replace their existing dealership on Trent Ave. in Spokane that the company says they have outgrown. The new place will have a new construction 14,000 square foot building with indoor, outdoor and a covered display area for customers to view equipment. The new facility will include a showroom, parts department, diesel and small engine service shops, and much more.

The project is in permitting with the design phase not yet wrapped up so there are no renderings available just yet for the project. On the permitting records the architect is shown as ISG of Bloomington,MN. with the general contractor on the project being Hayden based Stancraft Construction Group. The project is estimated to cost $3.5 million. For more information on Adams Tractor, visit their website at https://www.adamstractor.com/

Golden Rule Brake expanding to Coeur d' Alene

 

Spokane based Golden Rule Brake is already well-known for being a trusted name in auto repair and for their cleaver and often humorous signs in front of their four locations. And now the company is working on a fifth store and second location in Idaho coming soon to Coeur d' Alene. The new shop will be conveniently located at 3627 N. Government Way, just north of Costco. Architect Paul Harrington of Romr Architects and Ginno Construction are leading the project. The Coeur d' Alene location reinforces the company's mission to make brake and suspension repairs easy, convenient and trustworthy.

"We're excited to bring the Golden Rule Brake promise -- honest repairs at a fair price -- to Coeur d' Alene," said Dallas Low, owner of Golden Rule Brake. "This new shop marks another milestone for our family business, and I'm especially proud to be working on the expansion with my son, Jeremiah Low, who has become an invaluable part of our team." 

Customers of the new Coeur d' Alene Golden Rule Brake location can expect free brake inspections and upfront, honest quotes with photos, expert technicians trained in the latest brake and suspension technology, family-friendly service built on trust and transparency and convenient service options, including drop-off and financing. Operating on the principle of the Golden Rule -- treat others the way you want to be treated -- Golden Rule Brake provides expert brake, shocks, struts, CV joints, ball joints and tie rod repairs, as well as alignments. The company continues to explore opportunities to expand its honest, integrity-driven service throughout the Inland Northwest.

For more information on Golden Rule Brake, visit their website at http://www.goldenrulebrake.com

Sahara Pizza is back in Hayden

 

Courtsey photo

At one-point Western Washington based, Sahara Pizza had locations in Post Falls and Hayden,ID but both locations were closed some time ago. But a different Sahara Pizza franchise owner who has says they have been with the company for over 20 years has brought the brand back to North Idaho, with a new location that opened this week in Hayden.

The new Hayden Sahara Pizza is located in the new construction "City Center Plaza" at 9627 N. Government Way Suite C, joining Jersey Mike's Subs as the first tenants to open in the new shopping center. The new Sahara Pizza offers pick up, delivery and some indoor dining. It will serve the menu of the Sahara Pizza chain including many specialty pizzas, salads, pastas, chicken wings, grinders, appetizers, desserts and Pepsi products. Gluten free and vegetarian options are also available. 

Sahara Pizza lists 18 other locations already open in Washington, Oregon and two in the nation of Bolivia. For more information on Sahara Pizza visit their website at https://saharapizzahayden.com/ and give the new Hayden location a follow-on social media via Facebook or Instagram

A Bird's Place is now open in North Spokane

 

Courtesy photo

Bird lovers will want to check out a new retail store that opened just last weekend in North Spokane. The new store is called A Bird's Place and is the latest new business to open in the Primer Pet Mall development about a block away from the corner of Francis and Monroe at 1028 W. Rosewood Ave. The business owner told me via email the shop is a pet store for exotic birds.

The new store carries avian supplies, food, toys, treats, cages and more. They also plan to include boarding and trimming of birds and will likely soon carry baby birds while primarily focusing on rescue birds. The shop joins a collection of pet related businesses in the pet mall, including Kraken Coral & Coffee, Priest River Pets, Sittin' Pretty Pet Spa and Mother Bear's Bakery all of which are locally owned and operated businesses that have all opened in recent months as the building was formerly an office building that new owners converted to the new use. 

For more information on A Bird's Place, give them a follow on social media via Facebook

Top Golf applies for building permit in Liberty Lake

 

In August of 2024, Dallas,TX based Top Golf, certainly a well-known name in golf, first expressed interest in coming to the Spokane area with government meetings over the land and site lighting. Now over a year later it looks like actual construction on a new Top Golf location is moving forward with the company filing earlier this week for building permits to start construction at the planned site in Liberty Lake.

The company itself has not yet confirmed the new location but permits we're applied for on Wednesday, Nov. 12th in the company's name at the site. The site is located at the corner of Country Vista Blvd. and Kramer Pkwy. nearby I-90 on the western edge of the City of Liberty Lake. As this news does not come directly from Top Golf there is no news about the construction timeline or estimated opening date just yet.

The public records on the building permit filing show that Top Golf plans to construct a 35,000 square foot "golf entertainment facility" with full-service restaurant and bar. The general contractor for the project is listed as ARCO/Murray who has offices all over the United States including one in Bellevue,WA. A quick look at their website show they have partnered to build Top Golf locations in the past. Top Golf has about 80 locations but has been growing and developing several new locations recently and already has operating locations in Renton,WA and Boise,ID. For more information on Top Golf, visit their website at https://www.topgolf.com

Building permit applied for new Trader Joe's in Spokane Valley

 

We've heard rumors for some time, but today's commercial building permit filing basically confirms that the grocery store chain Trader Joe's is coming to Spokane Valley. The company has filed for a commercial tenant improvement permit to build out a new store at 13414 E. Sprague Ave, Suite 101.

This is the building that was formerly a Shopko department store. A Tractor Supply retail store opened a portion of the building earlier this year. According the permit filings the Spokane Valley Trader Joe's will be store number 296 and it will occupy a little more than 21,500 square feet of space with the general contractor still listed as TBD.

No opening date or construction timeline is available as of my writing this as it is a developing story.