Regal Fabrics & Gifts opens on South Hill

Irene Fransk, an avid quilter and seamstress for more than 40 years, has opened Regal Fabrics & Gifts LLC, a new fabric and gift store, at 5620 S. Regal on Spokane’s South Hill. 

The store carries quilting fabrics and supplies, as well as handcrafted gifts and collectibles intended to appeal to those who sew and quilt.

With a total of 2,300 square feet of floor space, retail operations take up about 1,500 square feet while classrooms and storage space take up the remaining space. 

Fransk, who also works as a dental hygienist part time, has owned and operated an online sewing business called I & A Designs since 2005. She says she’ll continue working part time as a dental hygienist and part time at the store. She has hired five part-time employees and will add more employees as needed, she says.  

Fransk, who says she grew weary of driving 30 to 40 minutes from her home on the South Hill when she needed quality fabrics or sewing supplies, felt there was a need for another fabric store on the South Hill. 

“There is a growing trend for younger people who are learning to sew and quilt, and design their own clothing,” Fransk says. She will also offer classes at the store on quilting, purse construction, home décor projects, and sewing. “We will also be having wine nights with our sewing classes,” she says. 

Regal Fabrics & Gifts will be open Monday through Saturday and closed on Sundays.

—Judith Spitzer

Taco eatery pairs with Five Mile bar

Jonathan and Shalan Sorrentino have opened Ash St. Tacos in a retail center in the Five Mile area on Spokane’s North Side, and they are operating it in conjunction the adjacent Tonicx Bar & Patio, which they also own.

The restaurant is located in 1,700 square feet of space formerly occupied by a Pita Pit franchise, which the couple had owned, at 6314 N. Ash.

Jonathan Sorrentino says the owners wanted to switch from the franchise concept to an independent restaurant with a more “bar-friendly” menu.

“We were looking for a food alternative to complement the bar without having to put out a menu of high-dollar, knife-and-fork entrée items,” Sorrentino says.

They decided to put their own spin on the street-taco concept as an alternative to burger and pizza restaurants already established nearby.

Ash St. Tacos and the adjacent Tonicx Bar & Patio are connected and operate as one unit, he says.

The full menu is available in the restaurant, bar, and patio, and Ash St. Tacos also has a quick-service counter for to-go orders, Sorrentino says.

The Ash St. Tacos side of the business has eight employees, including servers and cooks, while the Tonicx side has six employees, he says.

Sorrentino says the street-style taco concept is inspired by traditional street vendors in Mexico who offer small tacos on freshly made tortillas.

The menu also includes internationally inspired tacos, salads, nachos, and quesadillas. Menu items range in price from $3 to $11, and Ash St. Tacos offers regular specials, Sorrentino says.

 

—Mike McLean

Salon brings urban styling trend to Cd’A

A hairstyling service popular in metropolitan areas has come to Coeur d’Alene. Stylebar LLC, a hair salon specializing in styling hair using a blow-dryer, is located at 3500 N. Government Way in a shopping center that includes a Costco store.

Stylebar was created by partners Sara Dalebout and Sarah Hess. The company held its grand opening last month after opening its doors in late May. According to Dalebout, the blow-dry styling trend started in California in 2009.

“People don’t really know what a blow-dry bar is,” Dalebout says. “We’re just giving them the final product of a full salon visit. A lot of people use the service in between haircuts. There just weren’t any in this area, and we saw that opportunity. Instead of opening another full-service salon, we decided to open a concept blow-dry bar.”

Excluding Dalebout and Hess, the salon has six employees and is still hiring. The salon space measures just under 1,000 square feet, which Dalebout says is the perfect size for the salon’s needs. 

The space was unimproved when Dalebout and Hess leased it, but they remodeled it into a functioning blow-dry bar with the help of Californian salon designers. Clients can sit at the bar while their hair is being styled and can charge their electronic devices at the USB ports at each seat. Complimentary drinks such as infused water, tea, and wine are available. 

Each style costs $30 regardless of hair length or thickness. Dalebout says. The stylists also cater to off-site parties and are available for special events such as weddings.

 

—Virginia Thomas

White Box restaurant expands space, menu

White Box Pies LLC is growing up to become Whitebox Café & Bakery, says Shirley Glodt, who co-owns the Spokane business with her husband John.

A renovation project currently under way at the retail structure at 1215 N. Ruby where White Box is located is expanding the restaurant space to include 2,700 square feet of floor space—more than double its current space, Glodt says.

The restaurant will remain open during construction, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of the month, she says.

Under its new name, Whitebox will open two hours earlier, at 7 a.m., and will serve a full breakfast menu, Glodt says. Whitebox also will serve lunches, dessert items, and offer bakery items, including cinnamon rolls, she says.

The Whitebox staff will be expanded to about 15 employees, up from its current staff of seven employees, she says.

The project will reconfigure Whitebox’s space to include a new kitchen and bakery and larger seating space.

The dining area will have a seating capacity of 80, up from its current capacity of 30, she says, adding that the restaurant also will have seasonal outdoor deck seating for about 15 people.

The main entrance to the restaurant will face Ruby, Glodt says. It currently faces Sharp Avenue.

Glodt says Whitebox will continue to offer a variety of gluten-free menu items.

—Mike McLean