BECU planning new financial service center on the South Hill

 Spokane's South Hill will soon be getting a new BECU location as the credit union is expanding their member-focused financial services in the area. This will be BECU's fourth neighborhood financial center in the Spokane area with the new location planned to open in the first quarter of 2025.

"BECU has been a proud partner to the Spokane community for nearly two decades and expanded that commitment with our first financial center in 2016" said Jason Rudman, BECU's executive vice president and chief member and digital experience officer. "We are delighted to strengthen our presence in Spokane that gives us an opportunity to further understand and act on the community's unique and evolving needs as we strive to empower our members on their journeys to financial freedom"

Situated at the corner of Southeast Blvd. and E. 29th Ave., the Spokane South Hill BECU NFC will in an existing building and will be nearly 4,000 square feet. In addition to teller services, BECU employees at the Spokane South Hill NFC will provide members with financial advice and expertise, and one-on-one support for opening accounts and transactions.  Members will also have access to services such as mortgages and loans, business banking, trusts and investments.

BECU (Boeing Employees' Credit Union) is Washington's largest credit union that operates as not-for-profit co-op. The credit union is federally insured by NCUA and is a Equal Housing Opportunity Lender. For more information, visit their website at - https://www.becu.org

Blue Beacon Truck Wash chain to open a location on the West Plains.

 Based in Salina,KS. the Blue Beacon Truck Wash chain is coming to the Spokane area with a new location planned at 10414 W. Geiger Blvd. , nearby the Amazon GEG1 fulfillment center on the West Plains.

The plans for the new facility show a 10,639 square foot building valued at approximately $3 million per building permit public data. The general contractor for the public is listed as Walker Construction of Spokane.

Like all other Blue Beacon Truck Wash facilities, the new Spokane location will be open 24 hours a day providing two bays with truck washing services, RV washing, motorcoach washing and even exterior horse trailer washing. There is no mention of an opening date for new location as of yet.  Blue Beacon Truck Wash began in Kansas in 1973 and today the company has over 110 locations nationwide and is still growing.

For more information on Blue Beacon Truck Wash, visit their website at https://bluebeacon.com

Cheney Market to open tomorrow

 A new locally owned convenience store called Cheney Market is planned to open, tomorrow July 30th at 1902 1st Ave. (corner of 1st and Cheney-Spokane Rd.)  in Cheney. 

Courtesy photo

Going forward the store will be open 24 hours a day selling beer, wine, Icee's, grocery items, cigarettes, disposable vape and lottery tickets.

BTS look at what we’re working on!

 As the writer of a semi-successful business news blog I consider this to be one of my prize possessions, my blog reference book. In it I keep lists of all the area construction projects, new restaurants, people I need to follow up with for information and even projects / new places that I've heard of but need more info before confirming / creating a blog post on. 

Today I decided to deviate from my usual posting style and let my readers know some of the projects in it that I'm keeping track of. It's important to note this is a list of projects that seem to be early in the development process so some might not come to fruition. But, here we go...

- More places are likely coming to the already busy Pointe at Post Falls development. Nom Nom, Discount Tire, a Tru by Hilton hotel and Freddy's Steakburgers have all filed for pre-development meetings with the City of Post Falls in recent weeks.

- Speaking of Post Falls, Houston Hot Chicken is likely going to build a new restaurant near the corner of Hwy. 41 and Mullan Ave.

- Up at the corner of Hwy. 41 and Prairie Ave. in Post Falls work is progressing on a large new commercial development. The first place, a new Peak Fitness is under construction now but Metro Express car wash, Human Bean, McDonald's and an indoor trampoline park business are also likely.

-In Coeur d' Alene development is planned at the corner of US 95 and Neider by the At Home store. Marketing flyers show a building with Chipotle and a Sleep Number store going in there. There is also a big tenant I've heard of going there also but don't want to mention publicly yet.

-A predevelopment meeting was filed in the city center area of Post Falls for a project called "Horn Mixed Use" that would replace the former French Cleaners building on Spokane St. with a new 4 story mixed use building.

- A new Les Schwab tire store and a liquor store anchored strip mall are possible by the corner of Hwy. 41 and Poleline Ave. in Post Falls.

-Heading over to the Spokane area now, the abandoned former Lowe's store in the 6000 block of N. Division looks to be planned to be divided into three separate store spaces. Maybe something is finally coming there? A Floor & Decor store was planned there once but I've seen no movement on that for some time.

- Noticed the Premera Blue Cross office campus on E. Sprague is showing back up as for sale. This might mean we'll see actual construction happening on their large new replacement building in Kendall Yards soonish?

-In the same area as the existing Premera office campus is a filing for a new grocery store. Located at 3907 E. Sprague the new store would be 14,000 SF but little is known about a name or much more.

-The Northeast Spokane PDA has plans to construct a 40-unit apartment building with an on site daycare and PDA office space.

-A large mid-rise mixed-use building is being considered by Greenstone to go into the Kendall Yards business district. While not a full high rise it would be the largest building in the project to date.

-Greenstone is also planning a new mixed-use building coming soon to their NoLL development in Liberty Lake. I've heard it is in the design phase as of the moment.

-Speaking of Liberty Lake, it's basically all but confirmed that a new Costco and TopGolf are being planned to be built on the western edge of the city nearby the I-90 freeway.

-A new 65,000 SF warehouse and possibly a 100 room hotel is being developed near the corner of Country Vista Blvd and Liberty Lake Rd. , next door to the Liberty Lake Business Park development.

-Not far west of the City of Liberty Lake, predevelopment plans have been filed with the City of Spokane Valley for what appears to be a new food truck court called the "Barker Gourmet Hub". The site would be along Barker Rd. south of the I-90 freeway.

-A new Take 5 Oil Change / coffee shop combo similar the one at the corner of Sullivan and Broadway is likely coming to 4603 E. Sprague. The coffee shop name is not mentioned in the plan filings.

-A new 5 story 63 +/- unit apartment building is likely coming nearby the WSU Spokane campus at 643 N. Riverpoint Blvd. . If built it likely won't break ground until next year.

-After many delays The Falls, a 12 story building that will now be all condos is now set to break ground within the next month. This project is along Lincoln, south of the Spokane Arena.

-A project called The Depot at Millenium Monroe is being considered towards the back half of the new Millenium Monroe development in the 2000 block of N. Monroe St. . Plans show it similar to a food hall with 5000 SF and spaces for a few vendors.

-Speaking of the Millenium Monroe development, Uno Mas Taco Shop appears to be planning to open a new restaurant there also.

-Adams Tractor is considering a new $6 million dollar dealership on the West Plains at 8217 W. US 2

And, there's actually more but some I'm not going to mention on here as I will have enough info soon on those to do their own posts. I'm also always looking for tips on these items and any things I don't know about yet. Feel free to reach out to me anytime via email at matt.behringer@inlandnwbusiness.com and I do always respect requests to remain anonymous.

Tastea Coffee & Boba Lounge coming soon on Grand

 A new coffee shop and boba place is coming soon at 1314 S. Grand Blvd. #3 on the South Hill. The new locally owned and operated business will be called Tastea Coffee & Boba Lounge and is expected to open within the next few weeks and is owned by the same people as Gloss Nail Lounge which is adjacent to new place.

Coffee will be from a local roaster, and they will have a good selection of boba drinks on the menu. Additionally, they plan to sell small treats from other locally owned businesses, charcuterie boards, small sandwiches, yogurt parfaits and pastries. Affagato's served with local creamery ice cream and Vietnamese coffee will also be available.

For more info on Tastea Coffee & Boba Lounge, include to updates on their opening date give them a follow on social media via Instagram .

Emran Restaurant opens in Coeur d' Alene

 Emran was the first Afghan restaurant in Spokane when they opened Emran Restaurant & Market at 1817 N. Division earlier this year. But now they have also become the first Afghan restaurant to open in Coeur d' Alene with a new Emran Restaurant now open for business at 309 E. Lakeside Ave. in Downtown Coeur d' Alene.

The Coeur d' Alene location of Emran Restuarant serves the same menu as the Spokane location with a selection of delicious Middle Eastern dishes. A few curry dishes, kababs and a lot more, they are also working on being able to serve beer and wine in the Coeur d' Alene location but as of my writing this, have not yet been able to offer these.

Indoor dining and carry out orders are available. For more information on Emran Restaurant Coeur d' Alene visit their website at https://emranrestaurantcda.com and give them on a follow on social media via Instagram or Facebook

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience opens at new Exhibition Hub Art Center

 An exciting new immersive art exhibit is now open at a new venue in Spokane. The Exhibition Hub Art Center Spokane Art Center, located at 808 N. Ruby is one of several new art centers opened by the company across the country. And their first show Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience opened to the public just yesterday.

Courtesy photo by Jennifer IG :@spokanecurious

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is a 360-degree digital art exhibition that invites you to step into the universe of the Dutch genius, Vincent Van Gogh. The captivating experience, a previous winner of USA Today's 10 Best Readers Choice award is brought by the organizers of a collection of widely successful exhibitions presented in cities across Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Courtesy photos by Exhibition Hub.

Featured is a one-of-a-kind VR experience: travel through 8 works and their source of inspiration in "A Day in the life of the artist in Arles, France" (small additional fee). Digitial displays, sound effects, projection mapping and much more!

Inland Northwest Business Watch was able to check out the media preview of the Van Gogh experience and we're very impressed. The event and new venue will likely prove to be an asset to the Spokane community as the Exhibition Hub will likely also be home to future art events by the same company in the future. "When we open an art center we tend to stick around" said John Zaller, Executive producer for Exhibition Hub.

"Spokane is a growing market, very vibrant, in terms of its support of the arts" said Zaller when speaking on why to choose Spokane for the opening of the show and venue. "So, we knew there would be a good market for an art exhibition and immersive art experience"  

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience will also be a boon for the Spokane economy. Zaller noted " We get people from two, three, four hours away who are coming to Downtown Spokane. They're going to come to Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience as their destination. But, they're going to stay in a hotel. They're going to go to the restaurants, they're going to go to the bars, they're going go to the symphony or the Art Museum, as well. They're going to make it an overnight event. They're going to make a weekend of it" 

Exhibition Hub Art Center Spokane is open Mon & Thurs. 10-7, Friday 10-8, Sat. 9-8 and Sun. 9-6. Ticket prices are shown in the image below, with the group price being shown as per person. The facility also does offer ample free parking.

Courtesy photo by Jennifer IG: @spokanecurious

For more information on Exhibition Hub Art Center Spokane, visit their website at https://www.exhibitionhub.com or https://vangoghexpo.com/spokane also follow the Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience show's social media pages via Instagram , X or Facebook

Also, a huge thank to you to Jennifer of the @spokanecurious page on Instagram for your help in covering and contributing to this article. Be sure, to also give her page a follow via https://www.instagram.com/spokanecurious

New businesses join Mode Campus in Liberty Lake

 Spaces continue to fill up at the new Mode Campus in Liberty Lake. Located within the former Meadowwood Office Complex at 2110 N. Molter Rd. Mode opened in April and is intended to be a revolutionary community campus drawing off of creator Luke Kjar's Danish roots. The first part of Mode called Mode Work is a contemporary coworking space, after that a yoga business, Dance studio, a coffee shop called Grit & Grind and others have since joined the large campus. But now even more businesses are joining the new facility, including...

BioProformance Institute (BPi) joined the Mode Campus recently furthering its mission to empower individuals to live their best lives through innovative health and wellness services. BPi was founded in 1968 as North Idaho Physical Therapy and rebranded to BPi in 2020.

DT Training Systems opened their new location at the Mode Campus at the beginning of July. The fitness and performance center offers cutting edge facilities and diverse fitness offerings. Including a wide range of strength, conditioning and cardio sessions, including Crossfit.

Rock School NW moving from Coeur d' Alene the North Idaho Rock School has rebranded to Rock School NW and moved to the Mode Campus. Rock School NW offers music lessons and instruction.

More is still likely in store coming soon to Mode, with the facility also hosting several regular and special events. For more information, including links to the events and places there visit their website at https://findyourmode.com

West Plains Brewing to open in Airway Heights

 A new brewery will open soon in Airway Heights, called West Plains Brewing the business will open in a 3,600 square foot space at 12622 W. Sunset Hwy. Suite D, next to Domino's Pizza. The brewery is planning to open towards the end of July.

Courtesy photo of the new West Plains Brewing tap room in Airway Heights

Business owners recently told our colleges at the Spokane Journal of Business (J.O.B. article here) that they will have 14 taps with 10 of which being a rotating selection of beers brewed on site. A food menu will be coming in the future but as of opening day they will be limited to packaged snack items and free popcorn.

For more information on West Plains Brewing, visit their website at https://westplainsbrewing.com

Jupiter's Eye Book Cafe opening soon in Downtown Spokane

 An exciting new combination bookstore and coffee shop is coming soon to a storefront in Downtown Spokane. Called Jupiter's Eye Book Cafe the store is planning to open sometime in the 4th quarter of this year. But an exact date will be announced by the business later as the space is still under construction.

Jupiter's Eye Book Cafe will be located in the historic Wharton Building at 411 W. 1st. Ave. The bookstore portion of the business will be specialize in mystery, sci-fi and fantasy genres. The cafe side of the business will offer coffee, tea, beer, wine and likely will have a simple coffee shop type fare. 

For more information on Jupiter's Eye Book Cafe, check out their website at https://www.jupiterseyebookcafe.com/ (also still a work in progress) or give them a follow on Instagram

Discount Days coming soon to Post Falls

 Every day will likely be a discount day at a new store opening soon in Post Falls called Discount Days. Planned to open towards the end of July, Discount Days will be a bin/ retail store that will sell returned or overstock items from different stores. The store will be located within the Tedder Business Center (former North Idaho Outlets complex) along Riversbend Ave.

Discount Days is a family-owned business that will offer household items, electronics, toys, clothing, and any other items that come in on the truck loads. Item prices will change depending on the day, on Fri., everything is $14, Sat. $8, Sun $4, Mon $2, and Tuesday 2 for $1. The store will also have a retail section of more expensive items where everything is 30-60% off of the retail price.

For more information on Discount Days, including posts about their official opening follow their social media pages via Instagram or Facebook

Torra Tea to open in Spokane Valley

 A new restaurant is coming soon in Spokane Valley, where the Uno Mas Taco Shop once was at 11205 E. Dishman-Mica Rd Suite 104C, by Barney's Harvest Foods grocery store. The new place will be called Torra Tea and will have a large menu, which is tea and whiskey forward.

The tea menu will include extensive black, green, white and yellow loose-leaf teas as well as a wide assortment of herbals to sip hot or iced and tea infused lemonade, mocktails and cocktails. Offerings will include whiskeys and bourbons from the US, Canada, Ireland and Japan and scotch from Scotland.

Torra Tea will offer tea, spirits and bites with overtures of Scotland woven into everything. The nod comes from the business owner's Scottish heritage that she and her husband both share. Torra Tea will be part tea house with elements of traditional tea service but will also offer some unexpected tea services such as their night cap tea and Scottish High Tea, which is a supper and more of a 3-course offering. They will offer small bites for tea and appetizers specializing in savory pies and galettes (savory slab pies). Other entrees will also be available like bourbon maple beef short ribs and lighter meals like soups and salads.

Eventually Torra Tea also plans to host some events such as character teas for the younger crowd, educational evenings on topics like tea/whiskey with food parings, cultural tea classes and the like. The tell me they intend to make Torra Tea a social hub, a place to relax and unwind with friends and family. The space will offer sit down dining with wait staff as well as take out dining options through online ordering a drive up select menu.

As of my writing this, Torra Tea's website and social media pages are still coming soon. But watch the Inland Northwest Business Watch social media pages as I'll likely share some of their info as their new place progresses. Currently the new business is hoping to open sometime in July.