Garage makeover business opens here

Garage Renovations NW Inc., a company that specializes in organizing garages, has opened in Spokane Valley.

Founded in May, the business has leased a 2,400-square-foot space at 2721 N. Van Marter Drive, says co-owner and president Todd Mears. He and David Olsen own the business, which he says also has two part-time employees.

The company’s backbone is Garage Tek, an organization system from the East Coast that utilizes PVC paneling to decorate the walls of the garage. The paneling includes slots where cabinets, shelves, bins, and brackets can attach to garage walls. That enables cluttering items to hang on the walls rather than taking up floor space.

However, once items and bins are hooked to the wall, they don’t need to be permanently stationed there; Mears says the wall components can be moved and rearranged when a customer chooses to do so.

Mears says the paneling is Underwritten Laboratory Inc. certified for safety, is industrial strength, and comes with a lifetime warranty through Garage Tek.

Garage Renovations NW also offers flooring, ceiling storage, and garage lighting products. The company also uses subcontractors for services such as painting or dry walling.

The process for garage organization includes a company representative going to a customer’s home, identifying the needs and concerns of the customer, measuring the garage’s dimensions, and generating a 3-D rendering of what the changes will look like, Mears says. It also includes installing the flooring and paneling, and setting up the storage items, he says. 

—Samantha Howard

Two businesswomen start diet coaching

Bozzi Media editor Stephanie Regalado and Rainmaker Creative principal Billie Gaura have partnered to launch 100 Year Body LLC, a coaching enterprise geared toward helping its clients eat healthier and increase longevity. 

Regalado and Gaura say the company is influenced heavily by Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s work and the “Nutritarian” lifestyle, which values foods with the highest concentration of nutrients per calorie.

Neither are dieticians but are acting on their personal experience.

Currently, Regalado and Gaura are the company’s only two employees. Both split their time between 100 Year Body and Bozzi Media and Rainmaker Creative.

The 100 Year Body works with clients in three phases, Regalado and Gaura say.

The first phase involves helping a client remove sugar, salt, and fat from their diet. It lasts for a month, and the client is connected to Regalado and Gaura through text messaging or phone calls. 

In the next phase, a client is asked to change eating habits in a way that is healthy and nutrient dense. 

The final phase is transitioning the acquired skills into everyday life to maintain a healthy lifestyle, says Regalado and Gaura. This includes reintroducing exercise and learning ways to consume alcohol without gaining weight into day-to-day life, they say. 

100 Year Body acquired its business license in July, but the two already have helped 18 clients, who have lost 2,000 cumulative pounds, Regalado asserts.

Although the company’s official address is the same as Rainmaker Creative, at 107 S. Cedar, 100 Year Body doesn’t have a designated location, say Regalado and Gaura.

 “I want other women to feel this amazing and empowered and unleashed,” says Regalado. 

100YearBody.com is set to launch this week. 

 

—Samantha Howard

Longtime hairstylist opens new art studio

Hairstylist and artist Debbie McCulley has opened Debbie McCulley Designs, a hair salon and art gallery at the Willow and Branch Independent Salon Suites, at 9222 E. Valleyway. 

McCulley has been a stylist for 35 years. After owning her own salon for 21 years, she worked at Shear Illusions Ltd. in Spokane Valley. She moved to her current 250-square-foot location on June 1, she says. 

“I just grew out of my old office,” says McCulley. She is the only employee of Debbie McCulley Designs and works full time. 

The salon offers hair coloring and cutting, along with an array of McCulley’s art. The space is split evenly between the salon and the art studio.

McCulley says she primarily works in acrylic and oil paint on canvas, but customers can purchase copies printed on other items. 

“I’ve got quite a few products that my art is on, so there’s a price point for everybody,” says McCulley. Products her art is printed on include mouse pads, greeting cards and cutting boards. 

McCulley describes her art as fun, fresh, colorful, and whimsical. Starting Sept. 11, the salon and art gallery will hold “Second Friday at Willow and Branch” each month from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. to display her art as well as the art of few other artists she invites, she says. 

Debbie McCulley Designs typically is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The hours are flexible and might vary depending on appointments for the day.

 

—Samantha Howard

Boutique to open east of downtown

Certified aroma therapist Tracie Wenski plans to open Roots & Bloom Boutique in space it will share with Balance Eternelle Salon and Spa, at 141 S. Sherman, east of downtown.

Currently, Wenski is the only employee.

Roots & Bloom will carry merchandise that includes “boho” chic-style clothing, accessories, handmade jewelry, and natural body products, Wenski says. 

She says when many people think of boho chic, they think of bright colors and tie dye. The pieces Roots & Bloom will carry “aren’t bright, necessarily; they’re carefree and comfortable,” she says. A couple of the brands aren’t available anywhere else in Spokane, she asserts.

Many of the body products will be from Heaven Scent Bath & Body, a natural, handmade product brand that Wenski also owns. She says Roots & Bloom will carry Schmidt’s Deodorant in addition to Heaven Scent products.

Although Roots & Bloom will share space with Balance Eternelle Salon and Spa, the boutique is a separate business, says Wenski. She’s leasing 300 square feet of space from Sheila Lundberg, the salon and spa’s owner.

Roots & Bloom Boutique has scheduled its grand opening for Aug. 6, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The tentative normal store hours will be Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., says Wenski.

 

—Samantha Howard

Vinyl, vintage store, pub combo to debut

Spokane musician Shawn Cox and Seattle bartending veteran JJ Wandler plan to open a downtown business called Garageland, which will include a retail store and a restaurant and bar.

Garageland will be located in 3,300 square feet of leased space at 230 W. Riverside, the former site of a handful of music and drinking venues, including Washboard Willy’s, Henry’s, Mother’s Pub, and the B-Side.

Garageland will buy and sell vinyl records, antiques, and vintage items and serve food and drinks, Wandler says in an emailed response to a Journal inquiry regarding Garageland’s lease.

Wandler is returning to Spokane after 17 years. During that time, he owned and tended bar at a number of Seattle-area bars, among other entrepreneurial ventures.

He says he and Cox have an extensive background in the music, antiques, and hospitality businesses.

Garageland will open in stages with the music store opening in mid-August, the vintage shop opening in early September, and the bar and restaurant opening in early October, Wandler says.

Dallas Lightner, of NAI Black, handled the Garageland lease.

 

—Mike McLean