Construction underway for new cinema in Liberty Lake

 

Courtesy photo- NoLL / Greenstone Homes

The movies are coming to Liberty Lake! Locally based development firm, Greenstone Homes recently announced they plan to add a new cinema to their NoLL mixed use development by the corner of Harvard Rd. and Indiana on the north side of the city of the Liberty Lake.

Construction work has already started on the new project which will be locally owned and a small cinema experience "unlike anything else nearby". In the project renderings it's shown as being named New River Theater but that's not confirmed to be the final name. Plans call for four more intimate theaters with only 45 plush, reclined seats inside each of them.

They say the space could also be used for special screenings that highlight local filmmakers and artists. The building will include new leasable commercial spaces however I'm told it's too early to speculate on what will open there and when. There also isn't an opening date available for the new cinema but keep an eye here and on the NoLL website (linked below) for updates. NoLL is growing in other ways too with two mixed use buildings under construction in the development with apartments, a real estate office and a new locally owned and operated bookstore called Pages and Paragraphs all confirmed to be coming soon to the exciting development.

For more information on NoLL visit https://visitnoll.com/

New traditional fish & chip shop coming soon in Spokane

Early next year, Spokane will be home to a new traditional style fish and chip shop. Local resident Mark Twigg, who grew up in Manchester, England will open the new shop with the help of his family. The new restaurant will be named Twiggy's Fish and Chips and will be located in small building that was once a car dealership at 1505 N. Ash St, northwest of Downtown Spokane.

The new Twiggy's Fish and Chips is currently planned to open around Feb of March of 2026. The menu will consist of cod and chips made with homemade batter, hand cut chips, sausages, traditional mushy peas, curry sauce and more. Currently there is no website or social media pages for this new business, but we'll watch for more as they progress.

Construction starts for new Home2 Suites near Mirabeau Park in Spokane Valley

Courtesy photo- GL8 Hospitality

After years of planning, construction has officially commenced for a brand-new hotel, at 13515 E. Carlisle Ave in Spokane Valley, which will be branded as Home2 Suites. The official groundbreaking is planned for January at the hotel's site, which in itself is a selling point for the new hotel with nature areas nearby like Mirabeau Park, Centennial Trail and the Spokane River adjacent. The Spokane Valley Mall and even the new Dave & Buster's are also only a short distance away from this new Home2 Suites Hotel.

According to current plans the new hotel should open sometime around the second quarter of 2027. Some of the rooms at this hotel will even include river view balcony's, a feature that surprisingly no other Spokane Valley hotels offer. Otherwise, the property will have 4 stories and 109 suites, all with full kitchens. Amenities, include a fitness center, business center, indoor heated pool, on-site guest laundry, meeting room, complimentary breakfast, outdoor BBQ area, multiple outdoor firepits, EV charging stations and more. 

Plans also call for over 250 rooftop solar panels to help reduce the properties dependance on the energy grid. In fact, the Home2 Suites hotel brand is a multi-year winner of the J.D. Power North American Guest Satisfaction Index Study. Home2 Suites is a brand of the much larger Hilton hotels, and the new Spokane Valley Home2 Suites is a project of the locally owned GL8 Hospitality which also already operates the Spokane Valley Tru by Hilton that's only a short distance south of the new hotel's site at the corner of Mirabeau Pkwy. and Mansfield.

Baker Construction, also of Spokane is the general contractor for the new hotel. Website and social media will likely be coming as the property's construction progresses.

New 123 Laundry doing free laundry for opening of Spokane Valley location

Courtesy photo

A new laundromat is opening their doors in a couple of days in Spokane Valley, called 123 Laundry the new place is located at 110 S. Pines Rd., just south of the Sprague and Pines junction and is the second location for 123 Laundry as they also operate a location in Deer Park. To help celebrate the opening the business is planning on giving away free laundry for the first two days of operation. This will include two free loads, and they will also be doubling their customers money on the laundry cards.

This will only be on the first two days with the new business opening on Sunday, December 21st with hours from 9am-7pm. The business tells me they will also have a kids literacy area, free WiFi and the "best machines".

Atlas Building Group plans new flex space development in Coeur d' Alene

Courtesy photo- Atlas Building Group

The Coeur d' Alene based custom home builder Atlas Building Group is in the planning stages for a new flex space development in Coeur d' Alene. The company says they are working on the planning of the project now with actual construction possible in the Spring of 2026. They also indicated they haven't opened the spaces up for leasing just yet but are taking interest by contacting Atlas directly.

The development will be located on Schrieber Way in Coeur d' Alene and will offer six separate spaces, with one planned to be used directly by Atlas Building Group. The spaces will be located in two separate buildings and will offer approximately 2,000 to 2,300 square feet of space with the majority being shop space and a small office area in each unit.

For more information, reach out to Atlas Building Group directly via their website http://atlasbuildinggroup.com

New Club Pilates studio to open in Post Falls

 

Club Pilates, the World's largest premium boutique Pilates brand recently announced the opening of its newest studio in Post Falls,ID on Friday, January 2nd 2026. An international brand designed with the vision of making Pilates more accessible and welcoming to everyone. Club Pilates is a low-impact, effective fitness modality loved by people of all backgrounds and ages. The full-body workouts strengthen muscles, improve posture, and correct muscle imbalances, helping members feel their best while offering a low-impact workout that can accommodate everyone.

The new Post Falls Club Pilates is located at 900 N. ID Hwy 41 Suite 8 in the River City Center shopping center. In anticipation the new studio opening they are currently offering 20% off the first three months of membership and no enrollment fee for their new members. For members that join now before the studio opens, they will also have early access to complimentary member and guest classes from December 20-31, 2025. The new studio will then celebrate its soft opening on January 2nd and 3rd, 2026 and an official grand opening on February 13th and 14th, 2026.

The new Post Falls Club Pilates studio is locally owned and operated by Salubre,LLC which also owns Club Pilates South Spokane, North Spokane, Spokane Valley and Hayden. The bright studio will welcome member into an inclusive and supportive atmosphere where they can choose a class type designed for every body. From high-intensity and strength training to mobility and recovery.

For more information on the new Post Falls Club Pilates studio visit their website at http://clubpilates.com/postfalls or call 208-626-2163

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.