February 16, 2017

Taphouse planned  on East Sprague

TJ and Sarah Wallin, of Spokane, have bought the former Jones Radiator building at 120 E. Sprague and plan to open a new bar there, called Community Pint. 

TJ Wallin says the couple purchased the 1,450-square-foot building in early January from Spokane businessman Mark Camp. 

“We’re working on remodeling the inside right now,” he says. “We’ll be repairing some of the original brick, adding a new cooler and a new bar, and updating the bathrooms.” 

Wallin says he’s doing most of the remodeling work himself and expects the project and cost of initial inventory to be around $20,000. 

He says Community Pint should be ready to open in June and likely will hire one or two people to help with operations.  

Wallin, who also owns an automotive machine shop in Newman Lake, is a member of Inland Brewers Unite, a home brew club.

Although his own beers won’t be available at Community Pint, Wallin says the new bar will serve other craft beers, ciders, and wine.

“We won’t have a full liquor license, so no spirits,” he says. “We do plan to have some food offerings, mostly small plates, appetizers.” 

Wallin says Community Pint will function both as a relaxing location where customers can grab a pint with friends and as a possible meeting venue for local clubs and nonprofits. 

—LeAnn Bjerken

Veterinary practice on Garland to move

Garland Animal Clinic co-owner Steve Boharski anticipates that the 50-year-old veterinary practice will be ready to move into a new location at the end of March.

The clinic won’t be going too far, however, with its operations relocating from 623 W. Garland to the building at 1022 W. Garland that once housed the Garland Liquor Store, just west of the intersection of Monroe Street and Garland Avenue. 

The clinic’s staff of 16 employees has been packed into 2,300 square feet of space for several years, Boharski says. The new location, which is almost finished being remodeled, has a total of 6,500 square feet. Boharski says the purchase of the new building, remodeling, and new equipment will total about $600,000.

“We’ve needrf more room for a long time,” says Boharski, who purchased the clinic in 1999 with his wife, April Weber-Boharski, who also is a veterinarian.

Including Boharski and his wife, the clinic has three additional veterinarians providing service to 6,500 to 7,000 clients for comprehensive surgical, medical, and dental care, Boharski says.

 “This is going to be a welcome move for everyone. I think it’ll be a tremendous thing in all aspects of the neighborhood,” he says.

—Kevin Blocker

Gonzaga partners with Hissho Sushi

Hissho Sushi, a North Carolina-based chain of quick-service Sushi establishments, has begun a new vendor partnership with Gonzaga University’s dining services. 

Patrick Clelland, resident district manager for the university’s Zag Dining Services by Sodexo, says the sushi company began providing the campus with sushi to use in its dining operations last month. 

“We used to offer premade sushi, similar to what you might find in area grocery stores,” says Clelland. “As our sushi partner, Hissho provides us with a certified product. Their sushi is made fresh daily in our main kitchen, packaged, labeled, and distributed throughout our retail operations on campus.” 

Clelland says sushi is available to order both in the campus’s Bulldog restaurant in the John J. Hemmingson Center, as well as once a week in its resident dining program. 

“We like to keep the dining services fresh and creative, so this is a nice addition,” he says. “So far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. People really like it.” 

Hissho Sushi is a large national chain that focuses on locations in upscale supermarkets, hospitals, university campuses, and corporate food service locations. 

The company’s sushi selection features traditional rolls such as spring and California rolls, as well as rolls featuring eel, tuna, shrimp, crab, and more.

Hissho has hundreds of locations nationwide, including providing services on the University of Idaho campus in Moscow.

—LeAnn Bjerken 

Giorgio’s Fitness receives upgrades

Randy Becker, general manager of Spokane Valley-based Giorgio’s Fitness, says the company has pumped $80,000 worth of improvements into the health club in the last six months.

Located at 7 N. Herald, on the northwest corner at the intersection of Herald Street and Sprague Avenue, Giorgio’s occupies 12,000 square feet of space.

Becker says the club’s owners, Giorgio Usai Sr. and Giorgio Usai Jr., recently put the finishing touches on a 2,000-square-foot room inside the club they call the “end zone.”

“It was an unused room until we put down high-end artificial turf and turned it into a full cross-fit training room,” Becker says.

There’s enough room in the end zone for personal trainers to conduct parachute resistance training with their clients. The end zone also includes a 130-pound tire made especially for working out, Becker says.

“It’s not a tractor tire or something that came from off the shelf at a Les Schwab,” he says. “Everything we do is purposeful with workout and safety in mind.”

Giorgio’s, which currently has 1,500 members, now is offering basic memberships at $19 per month, and a gold membership is $29 per month.

Gold membership includes unlimited access to tanning beds, Wi-Fi service, and access to the end zone, Becker says.

—Kevin Blocker