Spokane Boxing moves, sees gains

 

Rick Welliver, owner and operator of Spokane Boxing Club & Martial Arts, says he’s picked up more memberships since moving to the Jefferson Building, located at 115 S. Jefferson at the southwest corner of Jefferson Street and First Avenue downtown.

“I’m absolutely loving it down here,” says Welliver, who relocated the boxing club from 159 ½ S. Browne in mid-October. “The foot traffic is great. There are more people living downtown than I thought, and they’ve been coming in.”

He now has 60 club members, up from 50, since moving into the 3,300-square foot space.

Daniel Sanchez purchased both the Jefferson Building and adjoining Norman Building in June 2015. Sanchez approached Welliver after purchasing the buildings and asked him to consider relocating, Welliver says.

“It’s just got that classic, old-school gym look—high ceilings, hardwood floors, and exposed brick,” Welliver says.

As for Sanchez, he says he’s been developing the two buildings for multitenant use. The Jefferson and Norman buildings total 63,000 square feet. They include a total of nine residential condominiums, two of which recently sold, and Sanchez also is looking for tenants for eight retail spaces there.

The condos range from $250,000 to $300,000 per unit and have 2,500 to 3,000 square feet of living space, Sanchez says.

Sanchez says he always wanted to place a fitness club in the location.

As for Welliver, he says his space has the capability of being more than just a gym. Because of its size and feel, he says it’s possible for the space to be used to host other types of events beyond athletics, something both he and Sanchez have discussed.

—Kevin Blocker

 

Snack Attack vending service launches here

 

Cathy Nolte and her domestic and business partner, Jake Wood, have launched a new business specializing in healthy vending options. 

The two are operating the company, Spokane Snack Attack LLC, out of Nolte’s Liberty Lake home.

Snack Attack provides machines that it stocks with what it markets as healthier food and drink options. Such items might include whole grain versions of well-known snacks such as Rice Krispies treats or Cheez-It crackers, Nutri-Grain and Fiber One bars, and drinks such as iced tea, Gatorade, or Minute Maid Lite. 

So far, the business serves seven locations in Spokane Valley, including both the Central Valley and West Valley school districts. 

She says currently the company doesn’t require any formal contract or fee, and provides interested parties with a machine free of charge. 

Nolte says each machine also features AirVend technology, a kind of interactive touchscreen device that displays nutritional information, provides cashless purchase options, and sends real-time data and alerts. 

The technology enables her to track machine inventories for easy restocking, and to get a sense of popular items preferred at particular locations. It also gives customers the ability to contact the company right away with any issues. 

 “There’s a place to input your cell phone number or email address so you can message us about any miss-vending or charge, and we can contact you to fix the issue directly,” Nolte says. 

She says she and Wood are the business’s only employees for now, although she hopes to involve her children eventually. 

“I want to be able to teach them how to run a business, as well as inspire them to keep making healthy eating choices,” she says. 

—LeAnn Bjerken

 

Fitness gym opens in downtown space

 

Fitness trainer K.J. Davis has opened SCE Fitness in its own workout gym at the northwest corner of Third Avenue and Browne Street downtown.

The gym occupies 3,000 square feet of space in the former CSL Plasma building, at 104 W. Third.

SCE Fitness offers group and personalized training in American Ninja and Spartan-inspired workouts, which include obstacle training, Davis says, adding, “American Ninja is mainly upper body, and Spartan is more of a race-type course—a lot more lower-body work has to be developed.”

Davis says he started as a trainer at Oz Fitness and also worked at CoreFit Inc. before rolling out concepts under the SCE Fitness name nearly three years ago.

SCE stands for strength, core, and endurance. “Those are the building blocks,” Davis says. 

Core muscles, which include muscle groups of the trunk, support the back, spine, and shoulders, he says, adding, “Core stability can keep you from getting hurt.”

SCE Fitness has one other training coach, and Davis says he’s considering bringing on a third coach. 

—Mike McLean

 

Law firm opens near courthouse

 

Spokane defense attorney Brendan Kidd has started Kidd Defense PLLC at 901 N. Adams near the Spokane County Courthouse.

Kidd and veteran Spokane defense attorney Tim Note established what they call the Grace Law Center in the building on Adams, which is a former home they now are converting into office space, says Kidd’s wife, Crystal Kidd, who handles marketing and media inquiries.

Crystal Kidd says the building has a total of 2,700 square feet, and Note and Kidd will operate their respective practices in separate space on the building’s first floor. The upper level will have room for three offices that Note and Kidd plan to offer for lease. Work on the building is expected to be completed this month.

Kidd emphasizes all aspects of criminal defense, including DUI, felonies, domestic violence, post-sentencing, drug, property, and sex crimes, Crystal Kidd says.

Kidd, who is 34, graduated from Gonzaga University’s School of Law in 2008 and worked for Cooney Law Offices PS after graduating, before starting Kidd Defense last December, his wife says.

Recently, he was selected for the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 under 40 listing. 

—Kevin Blocker