Bagel bakery opens on North Division

A new Einstein Bros. Bagel Co. franchise bakery has opened in the Logan Square retail center, the second such eatery in Spokane. 

Franchise owner Matt Schmidt, through a company he’s formed called MS3 WA LLC, is leasing about 2,600 square feet of floor space in the retail center at 1601 N. Division for the bakery. The store offers seated dining, drive-thru service, catering, and delivery.

Einstein Bros. is best known for its bagels, offering nearly two dozen choices, but also offers coffee and espresso drinks, bagel sandwiches, and snacks such as muffins and cookies.

A different Einstein Bros. franchise opened here about nine months ago on the Gonzaga University campus. The bakery chain’s second Spokane location is being managed by Schmidt’s brother Mark Schmidt, and currently has 26 employees. 

Matt Schmidt says he plans to expand to a few locations throughout Eastern Washington, Idaho, and Western Montana. 

“I should have several more in Spokane, maybe Coeur d’Alene, the Tri-Cities,” Schmidt said. “Those are all on our radar.” 

Schmidt currently also owns an Einstein Bros. bakery in Missoula, Mont., where his operations are based. 

Colorado-based Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Inc. is the franchiser for the Einstein Bros. chain. Its corporate website says the chain now includes more than 775 outlets in 39 states.

Spokane-based Cornerstone Property Advisors LLC negotiated the lease between MS3 WA LLC, with preliminary approval from Einstein Bros., and Logan Square LLC. Einstein Bros. occupies part of the space there that a Washington state liquor store formerly leased, and Cornerstone’s Guy Byrd says several businesses have shown an interest in leasing the rest of that space.

Other current tenants in the building include a Subway sandwich shop, a Cricket Communications store, a CustomFit Compression Garments retailer, and an H&R Block office.

—Virginia Thomas

Crafted Tap converts repair shop into bar

What was once a gas station and muffler repair shop at 523 E. Sherman in Coeur d’Alene is now Crafted Tap House & Kitchen.

Owner Rob Berger says transforming the 3,000-square-foot building and adding a 3,000-square-foot patio dining area took a great deal of renovation, including removing old gas tanks from the ground.

“It was a lot of work,” Berger says. “We kept the shell, and that’s it. It was a muffler shop since the ’70s, and we tried to pay homage to that. We have a few little automotive themes throughout the building.”

Crafted Tap House & Kitchen has 50 taps, all of which are craft beers or ciders. 

“They’re from a lot of local breweries, and we have beers from all over the world,” Berger says, adding that bottled domestic beers are also available. “When people think of good beer in Coeur d’Alene, we want people to think of us.”

Berger describes the food offered there as “gastropub,” and says the restaurant tries to buy local ingredients when possible.

“Our buns are made by a local grocery store. Our meat is sourced from a local butcher,” Berger says. The restaurant offers sandwiches, hamburgers, sweet potato fries, wings, spring rolls, and more. 

The tap room and restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

 

—Virginia Thomas

Sports apparel store plans second location

Spokane-based Fleet Feet Sports franchisees Wade and Julie Pannell say they will open a store in Spokane Valley, their second Spokane-area outlet. 

The new store, to be located in a 1,920-square-foot suite at 13910 E. Indiana, is scheduled to open Sept. 6.  It will employ five people, Wade Pannell says. 

The company’s first store, which opened in 2012, is located in a 2,500-square-feet space at 1303 N. Washington and employs 10 people.

Pannell says Fleet Feet’s current store is the fastest growing store in the 115-store franchise, headquartered in Carrboro, N.C. 

Fleet Feet Sports provides fitness training programs, offers education about health and fitness, and sells footwear and sports apparel.

Pannell says Fleet Feet Sports specializes in helping people reach their health and fitness goals.

“We work with our customers to fit them in the right footwear, apparel, sports bras, and accessories for a more active lifestyle,” he says. “Our core mission is to help make a more fit Spokane.”

Pannell says Fleet Feet Sports supports various running and walking events and races throughout the greater Spokane area, and is a sponsor of several events, including an American Heart Association-Spokane five-kilometer race in September.

 

—Judith Spitzer

Cd’A bar reopens with sports theme

Country Club LLC has reopened its downtown Coeur d’Alene bar as Rocker Room and converted it from a country-music theme to rock ‘n roll and sports. 

Dave Pulis bought the building at 216 E. Coeur d’Alene Ave. in February 2013 with the intent to make it into an authentic country bar and live music venue. 

“The country concept just didn’t work for us,” Pulis says. “We really have a great venue for sporting events. There was more of a need for that and a rock venue.” 

The bar featured country-style décor and live country music, as well as line dancing. Now, however, it has an atmosphere based on rock ‘n’ roll music and sports events. 

 “We’re really going to focus on football this fall,” Pulis says. “Come the end of August, so basically football season, we’ll be open at 9 a.m. We’ll have all the college games on but we’ll also have the NFL Sunday Ticket through DirecTV. We’ll also have a breakfast bar and a Bloody Mary bar.”

Pulis says only cosmetic changes, such as paint and sports memorabilia for decorations, were needed to make the transition in the establishment’s theme.

Rocker Room offers a full menu developed by Jason Rex of Scratch Restaurant, which has locations in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. 

“We’ve got an excellent what I call ‘gourmet sports bar’ menu,” Pulis says.

Rocker Room is open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

—Virginia Thomas

Entrepreneur starts dental businesses

Edie Higby, CEO of Tooth Fairy Inc., says she wants to change the world, one smile at a time. Voted Outstanding Student of the Year for 2014 through the Avista Integrated Business Entrepreneurship Program, Higby launched two dental-focused businesses this month. 

One of those businesses, Tooth Fairy Press, which operates as an independent contractor for Boise-based The Dental Press Inc., will provide newsletters and other communication tools for dentists. Higby is also director of marketing and communications for the Washington portion of the company’s region.

Higby’s other new business, Tooth Fairy Inc., will focus on providing outreach and education to children about dental care. The company also will publish Higby’s children’s books on dental health, as well as her recently patented dental passport, which is much like an immunization record.

Higby also plans to offer social media and consulting services for dentists.

“I really want to help dentists connect with patients,” Higby says.

Along with social media and consulting services, she says she hopes to produce educational webinars and podcasts focusing on dental health subjects. She says she eventually hopes to branch out into bullying-prevention programs in schools.

Higby has an associate degree in child development from North Idaho College and spent several years in education. She says she’s noticed through the years that nearly everybody, regardless of age, dreads going to the dentist. 

“The biggest problem dentists have is no-shows and cancellations. The biggest problem patients have is being afraid to go to the dentist,” Higby says.

Although she is currently both CEO and sole employee working through her home office in Deer Park, Higby hopes to be able to hire a marketer and possibly a few staff members in the coming years.

“It’ll be just me for now,” Higby says. “We might even open a little office in Spokane.” 

 

—Virginia Thomas