Lounge expands into former Prago space
The Lion's Lair bar, located in an about 1,400-square-foot space at 205 W. Riverside, has leased the similarly-sized adjacent space that formerly housed Prago Argentine Caf, and is using it to showcase live musical acts and DJs, says Jason Clark, lead bartender at the Lion's Lair.

He says the Lion's Lair will use the new space mostly on weekends, but also will open it for special events and groups.

The adjoining spaces feature a shared outdoor seating area in the front, and are connected through a hallway near the back of the establishment, Clark says.

He says renovation work to the newly leased space included painting, retiling, and installing kitchen equipment. No general contractor was hired for the work.

The Lion's Lair has operated for about three years and features pinball machines, a pool table, and specialty cocktails.

Snap Fitness to open new gym in Valley
Snap Fitness franchisee Jeff Spencer says he plans to open a gym in a 3,600-square-foot space at 13514 E. 32nd, in Spokane Valley. He says he expects to open the new facility on Aug. 1. It will be his fourth gym overall and his third in the Spokane area.

The gym will have treadmills, spinning bikes, recumbent and stationary bikes, circuit weights, free weights, a tanning bed, an automated massage table, and two Expresso Fitness bikes that will be equipped with monitors and Internet access, making it possible to engage other people in virtual races, Spencer says.

He says he already has hired a general manager for the gym and will look to hire some part-time employees once the business is up and running, adding that those who join the gym early will be considered charter members and will not have to pay an enrollment fee.

Vandervert Construction Inc., of Spokane, is building the structure that will house the gym, and that work should be completed in late June, says Spencer.

Spencer's other Snap Fitness outlets are at 3717 S. Grand Blvd., 8801 N. Indian Trail, and in Pullman, Wash. He says he employs about 15 people total.

Snap Fitness gyms are located throughout the U.S. and Canada, and operate in smaller spaces than more traditional gyms, its Web site says. Members can access the gym 24 hours a day by using a keycard. The franchisor, Snap Fitness Inc., is based in Chanhassen, Minn.

Downtown Kitchen & Design moves to home-based studio
Downtown Kitchen & Design, a boutique design studio specializing in full kitchen remodels and custom draperies, has closed its 3,000-square-foot showroom at 168 S. Division, says Kimberlee Melcher, who owns the business with her husband, Kevin. She says the business now operates from a studio in the couple's home northwest of downtown.

Melcher says that customer referrals are the driving force of the business, and the showroom had become somewhat unnecessary during the slower economic climate.

The Melchers had been co-owners of the building from 2003 until 2008, and began to lease the space their business occupied there after they sold their stake in the property. The business began operating there in 2001 as the Kimberlee Co.

KVC jewelry plans move to larger space
Kissinger Von Herr Co., a jewelry wholesaler and repair business that goes by the initials KVC, will move into an about 2,400-square-foot leased building at 9725 N. Division from its space at 220 E. Wellesley and will enter the retail jewelry market, says owner Scott Kissinger. He hopes to open the store there by early July.

The business, which has been housed in an about 650-square-foot space for 14 years, specializes in jewelry stone setting, polishing, and repair for retail jewelry stores that don't have their own design studios, Kissinger says. KVC's new location, however, will feature a retail area in addition to its design studio, which it hopes will help it attract a broader range of customers, he says.

Remodeling of the space has included tearing down some walls to create an open showroom in which the customer can view the design studio from the retail area, says Kissinger.

KVC employs six people, and Kissinger says he doesn't have any immediate plans to hire additional employees.

Spokandy closes two mall stores here
Spokandy Inc., a longtime candy-making business here, says it has closed its retail stores in NorthTown Mall and Spokane Valley Mall, leaving it with two locations in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area.

"All Spokane operations, including retail, will now originate from the Spokandy factory headquarters located downtown at 1412 W. Third," the company says in a press release. Spokandy also will continue to operate a store at 212 W. Ironwood Drive, in Coeur d'Alene.

The release says that Spokandy's wholesale business has increased over the past year, and its decision to let its NorthTown and Valley Mall leases lapse is part of an effort to focus on its wholesale operations.

Spokandy began operating here in 1913 and still uses some of its original recipes to make candy. The company's handmade products include huckleberry-almond bark, peppermint crunch, English almond toffee, pecan-caramel patties, and a large assortment of chocolate delicacies.

The business says it also recently launched a dessert line that includes ice cream toppings, dessert coffee, cocoas, sipping chocolate, and a Spokandy ice cream line.

CU*Northwest adds more member tools
CU*Northwest, a Liberty Lake-based credit union servicing organization (CUSO) that specializes in data processing, has launched an online feature that it says especially will help its member credit unions that manage business accounts.

The tool, called Teller Receipt Analysis, is available to all credit unions that use CU*Northwest's online e-Statement system, and provides summary totals and detail for common receipt-line items. That detail includes for such items as checks in, cash in, cash back, funds forwarded, deposits and payments, money orders, and the like.

CU*Northwest says it is especially useful for business accounts, but all member credit unions that sign up for e-Statements can now use the tool, which is provided at no additional charge.

The CUSO provides a wide variety of services to credit unions, including data processing systems, Internet product development, and online banking.