Former employee starts own business doing excavation


Larry Miller says he has started his own company, Larry Miller Excavating, which so far has done mostly residential sewer hookups, thanks to help from Worksource and Community Colleges of Spokane.

The Spokane man worked under other contractors here for 20 years before he was laid off last winter. He went to Worksource, a division of the Washington state Employment Security Department that provides services to job seekers and employers, which enrolled him in business classes.

"Worksource sent me to college. I fit their criteria. I could create jobs with a little education under my belt," Miller says.

The excavator started his business while still in college, he says. He took the agency's advice and started by renting, rather than purchasing, equipment so he could diversify his services.

So far, Miller has two full-time employees and works out of two home offices. Since starting in April 2009, he has done sewer hookups, septic systems, repair work, street excavation, and site improvements. He says contractors he used to work for are now hiring him to do jobs for them.

Miller says the business recently purchased a Bobcat compact tractor and trailer for its site work.

Couple wins contract for barber shop at Fairchild exchange
Bruce and Linda MacIntosh, of Spokane, have been awarded a $736,000 contract to run the 630-square-foot Fairchild Barber Shop in the exchange, a mall-like complex near the main gate at Fairchild Air Force Base. The contract is for two years, with a possible three-year extension.

The couple also owns BC Mac's Barbershop, which they opened in February 2007. It is located in a 120-square-foot leased space in the Petro Stopping Center, at 10506 W. Areo Road, on the West Plains. Previously, Linda cut hair for 15 years at Fairchild, and Bruce cut hair there for eight years.

The Fairchild Barber Shop also has a 150-square-foot satellite space at the USAF Survival School at Fairchild, located in Bldg 1252, room 151.

Linda will run the base shops with six chairs and approximately seven part-time employees. The contract is for 1,000 haircuts a week.

"The base is growing, so that will increase," Bruce says.

Bruce will continue to run BC Mac's Barber Shop at the Areo Road location without employees. He says one-third of his customers there are truck drivers, and the rest are military men or local residents.

Thrift boutique store opens in remodeled North Monroe space


Colleen Corkery has opened a business named The Bag Lady Thrift Boutique in a 1,000-square-foot leased space at 3111 N. Monroe.

Corkery says she gave the retail space a major facelift by taking out the carpet, redoing the floors, and painting the walls before opening her shop.

The Bag Lady offers used furniture, lamps, antique pictures, vintage jewelry, crystal, china, carpets and dolls, among other items, Corkery says.

"We do look for things for people—we watch for things," she says.

Corkery moved to Spokane from Calgary, Alberta, two years ago. She had spent 20 years working for law firms and had been selling collectibles at craft fairs on weekends before deciding to go full time into her own retail business, she says.

"I want to keep prices reasonable. We're not an antique shop. Everybody can shop here," Corkery says. She has one full-time employee working with her.

Jim Orcutt, of NAI Black, handled the lease.

New coffee bar opens in West Central spot
Three college friends have opened Indaba Coffee Bar in 1700 square feet of shared leased space at 1425 W. Broadway, in Spokane.

Bobby Enslow, Ben Doornink, and Jimmy Addington, who became friends while attending Washington State University and who all graduated within the past two years, are sharing the commercial space located in a new low-income housing development with The Book Parlor and with Katie's Table, a nonprofit deli and grocery store.

"We didn't see any other cool hangout for West Central residents to gather in a social kind of way," Doornink says. "Our goal is to provide a place where local residents, the homeless, lawyers, and artisans can rub shoulders and experience the things we all share as people."

Indaba is starting with one full-time and two part-time employees, but Doornink says it will probably add more part-time employees. The trio say they took the coffee shop's name from an African word meaning a gathering of tribal leaders to discuss important matters, share resources, and collaborate ideas.

Enslow recently was hired to manage the Target store in Kalispel, Mont., Doornink recently was hired by the Far West Agribusiness Association as its business manager here, and Addington is working at the Barnes & Noble Inc. store at 4750 N. Division, in Spokane, but they all plan to remain partners in Indaba Coffee LLC, Doornink says.

Two Spokane women buy Jump-n-Party
Marie Rickards and Jennie Wellman, of Spokane, have bought Jump-n-Party LLC, located in a leased 6,000-square-foot building at 1605 E. Lyons, from Erica Layton and Michelle Farrow.

Jump-n-Party consists of five inflatable play structures for children ages one to 10. The business books up to 14 two-hour parties each weekend, and offers open play times on weekdays.

Rickards says the business hosts mostly birthday parties, but also has youth sports team celebrations, and recently held an anniversary party so grandparents could watch their grandkids play.

The indoor playground underwent a seamless transition of ownership in September. Rickards says she and Wellman signed the paperwork on a Wednesday, when the business is normally closed, and were open for business the next day. Rickards was formerly an administrative assistant at Life Center North, in Spokane, and her next-door neighbor Wellman ran an At Home America home party business.