Incubator Brewery to open on Madison

Chris Batten, owner of RenCorp Realty LLC, says his next venture, Incubator Brewery, is scheduled to open before the end of the year in the historic Luminaria building at 154 S. Madison in downtown Spokane. 

Incubator Brewery will occupy 3,400 square feet, with 1,200 square feet dedicated to a commercial grade, seven-barrel brew house on the first floor of the two-story building, Batten says.

The remaining 2,220 square feet—dubbed ‘The Steel Barrel”—will seat 86 people, have a liquor license, and serve food.

Batten says the final project cost has yet to be determined.

“We’ve got two breweries who have committed to brewing there, Little Spokane Brewery and Young Buck Brewing,” Batten says. “We’re hoping to bring on three more.”

Batten says the idea behind Incubator Brewery is not only to serve as another location for already established local breweries, but also to offer a chance and bigger platform for aspiring home breweries to test their beers before the public.

“It’s a pretty cool concept. To my knowledge, I just don’t know if there is anything like this in Spokane. It would be great to see other breweries emerge from Incubator,” Batten says.

Batten says a “beer district” is gradually beginning to take root in west downtown. “The Iron Goat at Adams and Second, River City and Orlison, us … a beer district is starting to emerge in Spokane,” Batten says.

—Kevin Blocker

New events center premiers downtown

Federal Way, Wash.-based Balli Road Spokane LLC has opened First Avenue Event Center at 1017 W. First, says Madeline Urquhart, manager. 

The event center, which is managed by Federal Way-based Power Property Consultants Inc., includes a 5,900-square-foot theater in what formerly was the location of Ella’s Supper Club, and a 5,200-square-foot ballroom known as the Metronome Ballroom, says Urquhart. A bar and billiards room can be used for smaller events as well, she says.

For now, Urquhart is the center’s only full-time employee, with another person working part time. 

The center rents out the space for private business parties, conferences, meetings, weddings, fundraisers, and other events, but the kitchen isn’t available for use yet, she says. Theater lighting is planned, which would work for concerts, performances, proms, and parties, she says.  

Although the events center has opened, Balli Road Spokane is making additional improvements. To the space Urquhart expects kitchen renovations to be completed by the end of the year, and expects theater lighting, some first floor bathrooms, and the center’s bar to be finished in the first quarter of next year. A bridal room also is planned, she says.

The venue offers a list of preferred caterers, but clients also can choose their own caterers separately, says Urquhart. The center also offers wedding packages and event layout assistance, she says.

Caterers listed on the center’s website include Beacon Hill Events, Mangia Catering, and Red Rock Catering.

First Avenue Event Center is open at varying hours, depending on event times, says Urquhart.

 

—Samantha Howard

Craftsman Cellars tasting room opens

Spokane couple Margo and Gregory Shelman have opened a tasting room in Kendall Yards for their winery, Craftsman Cellars.

The tasting room occupies 750 square feet of retail space at 1194 W. Summit Parkway, in the Kendall Lofts II building.

The 2013 vintage red wines are the first production from the winery, Margo Shelman says.

Craftsman Cellars’ wines include Syrah, pinot noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, a co-fermented red, and a blended red, she says.

Craftsman Cellars sources its grapes from the Wahluke Slope, which is a portion of the Columbia Valley within Grant County in Central Washington, Shelman says. The winery is located in the Nevada Lidgerwood neighborhood on Spokane’s North Side.

At the tasting room, wine prices range from $8 to $11 per glass and from $26 to $42 per bottle.

The tasting fee for all five varietals is $10, and the fee is waived for those who purchase a bottle of wine.

Craftsman Cellars’ top-end creation is a co-fermented wine made from 85 percent merlot grapes and 15 percent pinot noir grapes, Shelman says. The Winery’s most modestly priced wine is Mattawa Red, a blend of its Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah wines.

Craftsman Cellars tasting room has two part-time employees in addition to the owners, she says.

The tasting room is open from 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 2 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 to 6 p.m. Sundays.

 

—Mike McLean

‘Snow fluff’ shop slated at Five Mile

40 Below, a new specialty shop that sells a type of ice cream known as snow fluff, is set to open this week in North Spokane’s Five Mile Plaza. 

Owner Charlie Greer claims the shop is one of the first of its kind in the Northwest.

“I’m originally from Los Angeles, and down there, snow fluff is really popular,” he says. “In L.A., these shops are almost like coffee shops, they’re everywhere.” 

Originally a Taiwanese dessert, snow fluff is prepared by first freezing ice cream to temperatures well below zero and then shaving it into a powdered snow texture. Once the ice cream is prepared, toppings, such as fresh fruit, can be added.

“It’s sort of like ice cream or frozen yogurt, but more flavorful,” says Greer. “We use hemp milk rather than dairy or soy. It’s so light that it’s almost like eating cotton candy, there aren’t a whole lot of things like it.” 

In addition to snow fluff, the shop also plans to sell gourmet hot chocolates in different flavors. 

40 Below will occupy what was formerly Urban Apothecary, a 750-square-foot leased space located at 1902 W. Francis. The shop will begin operations with four employees.

Greer says the cost of remodeling the space is difficult to calculate, as he did most of the work himself. “I’ve helped out several downtown bars with small remodels or fix-up jobs, so I guess you could say I have a background in remodeling work,” he says.

Greer says he, along with two other investors, would eventually like to see 40 Below expand into a franchise.

“So far, snow fluff shops are all small, mom-and-pop type businesses. We’d like to get two or three more locations going and then start looking at becoming a franchise,” he says.

 

—LeAnn Bjerken

The Observatory bar launches downtown

Four business partners have opened The Observatory bar and restaurant in a longtime nightspot space at 15 S. Howard downtown.

Alicia Purvis-Lariviere owns the establishment with her husband, Isaac Lariviere, her sister-in-law, Esa Lariviere, and business partner, Tyson Sicilia. The 3,000-square-foot space previously housed Underground 15, and before that, Blue Spark. 

With a staff of 15 including the owners, The Observatory has the ability to seat 162 patrons. Purvis-Lariviere says she and her fellow partners had been discussing opening a restaurant and bar for more than a year.

 “We’re about a year ahead of where we hoped to be,” says Purvis-Lariviere. “This space kind of fell into our laps and it just became a good time to move forward.”

The restaurant and bar has an extensive selection of bourbons and is expanding its choices of Scotch, she says. 

Purvis-Lariviere says the restaurant’s menu is designed to cater to a business lunch crowd. 

“We’ve changed everything aesthetically,” she says. “We’ve redone the floor, it’s a completely different place.”

 

—Kevin Blocker