Point-of-sale supplier moves to new office

Inland Data Services Inc., a point-of-sale system supplier for the hospitality industry, has moved to a 650-square-foot leased office space at 109 S. Scott.

Owner Dave Metzger says he started the business last April and was operating it out of his Spokane home until the beginning of this month, when he moved it to the location on Scott Street east of downtown.

The business sells and services point-of-sale systems, which are computer systems used in restaurants and other businesses in the hospitality industry to take orders and handle transactions. The two POS systems sold by Inland Data Services are Maitre'D POS, by Posera Inc., of Seattle, and Dinerware POS, by Dinerware Inc., also of Seattle.

Metzger says most of his customers are smaller, locally owned restaurants, such as Europa Pizzeria & Bakery, The Onion, Savory Restaurant & Lounge, and Frank's Diner.

Inland Data Services also sells and services digital video surveillance systems, handles computer repairs, and sets up small business networks, he says.

The company has three full-time employees, including Metzger, he says.

New coffee shop opens on Indiana


Chairs Coffee LLC has opened a new coffee shop in the former Coffee Social location at 113 W. Indiana, in north Spokane.

Chris Nichols, who owns the shop with Mitch Moczulski, says a private investor agreed to help them finance the venture. Moczulski also is a mechanical engineering student. Nichols has a degree in broadcast communications, but had been unemployed before starting the business.

Chairs Coffee opened with one employee and volunteers from the owners' families.

Chairs Coffee is furnished with an eclectic mix of chairs from various Spokane-area thrift stores, which gives the place its name. It serves coffee from Roast House, of Spokane, and bakery items from Chaps Coffee Co., also of Spokane. Besides coffee, it offers Italian sodas, shakes, and teas, and serves sandwiches, soups, salads, quiche, and yogurt, Nichols says.

The coffee shop is open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday.

"We wanted to cater to groups that would like a place to meet," Nichols says.

New audio store takes old J&D Stereo spot


Two real estate investors have bought the long-vacant Coeur d'Alene site of the former J&D Stereo, at 1024 N. Fourth, in Coeur d'Alene, and have opened a new consumer electronics store there named Coeur d'Alene Audio.

Coeur d'Alene Audio sells stereo and video equipment and security systems for cars, trucks, and boats.

The investors, Chris Bickel and Todd Walker, acquired two city lots with a house converted to retail use and three other buildings for $220,000, Walker says. They have been purchasing and remodeling commercial, residential, and waterfront properties in the Coeur d'Alene area for 18 months through a limited liability company, he says.

They hadn't planned to open a retail business in Coeur d'Alene, but decided to do so after numerous passers-by talked with them while they were remodeling the converted house there. Walker says people asked whether the electronics store would be reopening, and told them that Coeur d'Alene needed another business of that type. They decided to bring on Bickel's brother, Steve Bickel, as part-owner and manager of Coeur d'Alene Audio and opened the store in early February.

Walker says Coeur d'Alene Audio has three employees besides Steve Bickel and may increase that number to eight or 10 employees by the end of the year.

J&D Stereo closed in 2006 following the deaths of owners Dale and John Nelson in separate auto accidents several years apart, according to a report in the Coeur d'Alene Press.

Women's golf retailer moves to North Side

Fore! Women, a store specializing in women's golf apparel and accessories, has moved into 1,200 square feet of retail space at 5005 N. Division, from a 1,650-square-foot space at 122 S. Monroe downtown.

Co-owner Jeanette DeLisle, who owns the business with her daughters, Andria DeLisle and Angela Malone, says the second-floor downtown location wasn't working well for the business. When she and her daughters saw the Division Street location, they decided to relocate.

"We saw the space next to Wide World of Golf come up for lease. We're working together with them," DeLisle says. "We don't carry anything they carry, and they don't carry anything we carry. It's kind of a cooperative thing. I think it's going to be good for both of us."

Although the shop is smaller and has no storage room, Delisle says the location already gets a lot of walk-in customers, which the business wasn't getting downtown.

The space, formerly occupied by Chuck's Boots, has new dressing rooms and a new office. Fore! Women has the same part-time employee it had downtown, in addition to the three owners. It has added new lines of golf wear and Eco shoes.

Spokane company signs STA contract for bus advertising


Ooh Media LLC, of Spokane, has signed an interim agreement with the Spokane Transit Authority to manage its bus advertising for the remainder of 2011, say co-owner Ted Carroll and STA spokeswoman Molly Meyers.

Carroll is the former regional manager for Gateway Outdoor Advertising, of Hackettstown, N.J., which previously held the STA contract. Because of litigation, Meyer declines to say why Gateway no longer has the STA contract.

Carroll says he and Ooh Media co-owner Gregor Klante will be doing all of the ad sales for the interior and exterior of STA's buses. Ooh Media will sell advertising directly to clients, as well as work with advertising agencies and regional and national accounts, Carroll says. The company will use subcontractors for the production and installation of ads.

The Ooh Media contract with STA has "a monetary guarantee with potential revenue share," Carroll says, but he declines to divulge its dollar value.

New owners take over Metro Cafe downtown

Brian and Cami Hamilton have bought Metro Cafe, located downtown on the skywalk level at 510 W. Riverside, from longtime owner Andy Swanson.

Brian Hamilton declines to say how much the couple paid for the 25-year-old cafe.

"I've worked in restaurants since I was 18, and liked what I did," he says. "Working nights and weekends as a chef was hard for my family, though. I knew I wanted to own a business. Metro Cafe is open Monday through Friday for breakfast and lunch, so I'm home in the evenings, and weekends when I'm not catering." Before buying Metro Cafe, Hamilton had been chef of Spokane restaurants Italian Kitchen, Luna, and Rocky Rococo Pan Style Pizza.

The new owners added some bright red paint and new signage at the cafe, but Hamilton said they don't want to make drastic changes to the home-style menu. Hamilton says he plans to add "new specials and new twists on the traditional menu," which includes beef, turkey, and pork roasted daily.

Metro Cafe has one full-time and four part-time employees besides the owners. Cami Hamilton does administrative work for the business, but also works full time at Moloney O'Neill.

Chris Siemens, of NAI Black, handled the real estate transaction.

Klante is the former owner of Emerald Outdoor Advertising LLC, of Spokane Valley. Carroll says he and Klante have a combined 25 years of experience in outdoor advertising.Meyers says the transit authority will put out a request for proposals for a five-year advertising contract that would begin in 2012.

North Side quilt shop to move to larger space

The Cozy Quilt, a North Side quilt shop that has been in business for seven years, is moving to 7,000 square feet of leased space at 8108 N. Division, from 5,000 square feet of leased space at 9413 N. Newport Hwy.

"It was time to expand a little bit," says Carol Jones, who owns the business with her husband, Greg Jones.

The new location, which formerly housed the Double Dribble Tavern, is being remodeled to add a classroom, office space, and storage rooms, Jones says. The business plans to move there in early April.

The Cozy Quilt sells quilting fabrics, books, and patterns. It sells and rents specialty sewing machines, and has 33 different quilting classes scheduled over the next two months. It has four part-time employees besides Jones.