New website helps schools buy supplies

A new online business targeting schools that need to order supplies has launched in downtown Spokane.
Direct to Schools, at www.directtoschools.com, hopes to offer schools nationwide a one-stop shop for comparing vendors and ordering supplies, says Elizabeth Earin, the company’s marketing director.
Schools can log on to the website and compare volume pricing on items from different vendors, Earin says. Buyers also can purchase multiple items from multiple vendors while only paying once, she says. The order is sent to each involved vendor, which then ships directly to the school.
“We’re saving schools time by allowing them to shop for multiple products from multiple vendors in one place, and saving them money by allowing them to compare prices,” she says.
Darren King and CEO Dickie Walsh co-founded the business, which is leasing a 4,500-square-foot space at 19 W. Pacific.
King, Earin says, previously worked as a purchasing agent for schools and found the process to be slow and inefficient. A school would have to contact a vendor about a certain product, wait for a quote, then repeat the process with other vendors to find the best prices, she says.
“Obviously, this is not something that can be done quickly,” she says.
Direct to Schools’ vendors offer volume pricing on items as well. The business doesn’t stock items, but rather brings the purchaser and vendor together via its website.
 “If they want to order one stapler, they get one price. If they want to order 50 staplers, they get a volume price,” Earin says.
Direct to Schools currently has 10 employees and is hoping to add a few customer service representatives soon.
Guy Byrd, of Cornerstone Property Advisors LLC, negotiated Direct to Schools’ lease of the space on Pacific.  

Mobile dog groomer business starts here

Nine Mile Falls resident Levi Dean recently launched Spokane Mobile Dog Grooming as a business that brings a customized trailer to clients’ locations.
Dean says the business will groom all sizes of dogs inside of the trailer, which is equipped with grooming equipment. The business serves pet owners living in Spokane, Spokane Valley, and in outlying areas such as Nine Mile Falls, Deer Park, Suncrest, and Loon Lake.
Dean says the Spokane Mobile Dog Grooming trailer is similar to a closed utility trailer, and he estimates the size at about 10 feet by 6 feet.
“It’s been customized so that it has a water heater and water pump, a big shop vac, a large industrial blow dryer, and 60-gallon water tank,” he says.
Dean is the sole employee, and he also works part-time doing digital marketing as an employee of Spokane-based Alt29 Design Group.
Spokane Mobile Dog Grooming’s services for dog care include bathing, brushing out hair, nail clipping, pad and ear cleaning, and hair cutting. He says examples of prices include $15 for a nail trim and $40 for a bath and light trim. A full grooming service starts at $50.
“I’m trained to do between five and seven dog groomings a day,” Dean says. “I love dogs, and I’m nice and friendly to the dogs. There are a lot of dogs that are scared of getting into cars. When I come to their house, it seems to put them at ease.”

Specialty gift shop opens downtown

Spokane interior designer Sandra Lambdin has opened a new downtown home furnishings and gift shop called Decorum, she says.
The store, located in 2,000 square feet of leased space at 305 W. Second, sells a variety of gift and specialty items, including jewelry, stationery, food items, wine-themed accessories, and home furnishings.
Lambdin says she started the business to fill a perceived gap in Spokane.
“A lot of friends of mine who live here would say they didn’t see any small, unique gift shops,” she says.
Lambdin says she also was inspired by gift boutiques in Portland and Seattle, and makes an effort to support local artists and crafters with her business.
“I carry a lot of local Washington items,” she says. “I try to stay local with my purchasing,”
Currently, Lambdin, her teenage son and daughter, and two friends staff the store. This spring, Lambdin says, she probably will hire a full-time worker, because that’s when her interior design work starts to pick up.
Through that business, named Define Your Design, Lambdin says she does mostly interior staging for homes that are listed for sale, adding that she also used to sell designer fabric here. In February, she says, she plans to integrate designer upholstery and draperies into Decorum’s product lines as well.

Design firm relocates here from West Side

Interactive designer Jacob Greif says he has relocated his one-man design firm, Jacob Greif Creative, to Spokane from Seattle.
Jacob Greif Creative is occupying 250 square feet of leased office space in the Great Western Building, at 905 W. Riverside, downtown.
Greif offers interactive design, user interface, and illustration work, he says, mainly for mobile applications and websites. Right now, most of his work is done remotely, he says, for clients in the Seattle area.
“I’ve worked on a wide variety of design projects, but my focus right now is mobile and illustration,” he says.
Before relocating, Greif worked at Microsoft for about six years, he says, doing interactive design for the Xbox, Xbox 360, and mobile apps. About two years ago, he says, he decided to leave and start his own business.
Greif and his wife decided to relocate to Spokane because they both were born here, Greif says, adding, “This is where we want to buy a house and start a family.”
Some of his current projects, he says, include a soon-to-be-published e-book and some instructional video animations.