Plant Wizard store on South Hill closing

The Plant Wizard, a South Hill concern that sold specialty foliage and home decor, is slated to close at the end of this month.

Karen Boyett has owned the business, located in a leased 1,000-square-foot space at 3103 S. Grand Blvd., for six years. She will have a closeout sale through the last day of business, Oct. 29, to get rid of two years' worth of back stock, she says.

The Plant Wizard offers a variety of orchids, home decor, plant stands and containers, and pottery, Boyett says.

She says profits fell when the economy retracted in 2008, and she continued to see a decline in sales when Grand Boulevard was closed for construction for two months, blocking the entrance to her business.

Boyett, originally from Los Angeles, Calif., has owned her own business since she was 18 years old. She says she has no plans to open another business in Spokane.

Toy-building concern releases new rover kit

Minds-i Inc., a toy construction system company in Liberty Lake, has added a two-in-one Super Rover Kit to its product inventory.

The kit contains parts to build a 4x4 Super Crawler or a 6x6 Rover Chassis, says a Minds-i press release. The miniature vehicles are designed for use in all-terrain, autonomous unmanned vehicle competitions.

"AUV competitions, such as Robo-Magellan, are the most exciting and relevant, because of their outdoor all-terrain unpredictable nature, which is a lot like reality," Minds-i co-founder Mike Marzetta says.

In contrast, he says, many of today's more popular robot competitions take place on tabletops and gymnasium floors.

"I have never seen a photo on the surface of Mars with a flat paved surface waiting patiently for NASA to explore," Marzetta says.

Minds-i, which is located at 22819 E. Appleway and employs three people, specifically designs its products for outdoor use, Marzetta says. The Super Rover Kit includes space in the chassis to include micro-controllers, sensors, and cameras needed for competition.

Podiatrist opens store next to South Hill clinic

Spokane podiatrist Dr. Borys Markewych has opened a retail shoe store that's attached to his practice, South Hill Foot & Ankle Clinic, in the recently built Grand Corner Professional Building, at 3707 S. Grand Blvd.

Named The Walk Shoppe, the store features casual footwear, dress shoes, hiking shoes, and athletic shoes. It also sells handbags and accessories, manager Carrie Ingham says. She and another employee staff the retail store.

ARCH-101, of Spokane, finished construction of the Grand Corner Professional Building in July, and the project cost between $1.5 million and $2 million, Markewych says. He and Stanley Sergent, of Grand Corner Dental, own the building. The Walk Shoppe and South Hill Foot & Ankle occupy 3,600 square feet on the main floor of the building.

The focus of the concern is to provide comfortable, stylish footwear, Ingham says. The brands currently in stock include New Balance, Klogs, Smartwool, Dansko, Keen, and Clarks.

Most shoes in the store have built-in supports or removable arch supports to provide space for custom orthotics, Ingham says.


Couple opens cupcake concern on South Hill

The Parisian Cupcake, a specialty bakery, has opened on Spokane's South Hill.

Located at 2403 S. Grand Blvd., the concern is owned and operated by Steven and Melody Pugh.

Parisian Cupcake bakes and sells gourmet cupcakes on a to-go basis three days a week. It also fills specialty orders with a two-dozen cupcake minimum, Melody Pugh says.

The cupcakes are baked in a Spokane Valley commercial kitchen the couple rents by the hour and then sold out of the lower level of the couple's home, which Steve remodeled into a retail space, Melody Pugh says.

The Pughs decided to start a business out of their home to create a sense of community in their neighborhood, Melody Pugh says.

"Communities come together when there are services (people) can walk to and meet up with others. We already feel a great sense of community in our neighborhood and are enjoying meeting people who have lived around the corner from us for years," she says.

Coffee stand bought; to become Spocoffee

A Spokane couple has bought the assets of coffee-stand operation Grind Finale and will begin doing business later this month as Spocoffee LLC, co-owner Paisha Johnson says.

The stand, located in the parking lot of Momentum Physical Therapy & Industrial Rehab, at 5305 1/2 E. Trent, has been in business for eight years, Johnson says.

Johnson and her husband, Aaron, bought the business assets from former owner Ed Ardis in September. They decided to go into business together after Aaron Johnson injured himself at his former job as a commercial diver. The coffee stand's manager is the only other employee, Johnson says.

The Johnsons plan to do some remodeling and landscaping around the 500-square-foot leased space, as well as change the business signs and update the coffee stand. In addition to selling traditional coffee items, they have expanded the menu to include fruit smoothies, fresh fruit, bottled water, and whole wheat wraps.

The Johnsons plan to open another Spocoffee stand in Deer Park in the future, Johnson says.

Office supply company adds new print services

ABC Office Equipment Co., a longtime office supply company located at 7322 E. Broadway in Spokane Valley, has begun offering printer-repair services.

ABC President and CEO Mike Brandon says the company has hired Jeremy Bertrand as a printer-repair technician. Bertrand formerly worked in that capacity at Spokane-based Accurate Data Services Inc.

"We had been referring people to ADS, but now we can just take care of them," Brandon says.

In addition to hiring Bertrand, he says, the company now is offering its customers managed print services.

"The concept is that you put under contract the repair and supplies for all of a customer's printing needs, or whatever they choose to contract," he says.

He says that a company with multiple network printers could benefit from that type of service contract because ABC would be able to monitor its clients' printers remotely for needed servicing or supplies.

Clients who opt to use ABC's managed print services would receive a bill for the same amount each month, regardless of the number of repairs or the quantity of supplies they use. The fee would be based on how much printing the clients do.

ABC Office Equipment was founded here in 1952 and currently has 14 full-time employees.