Downtown print shop relocates to Valley
Kevin Jacobs, owner of Allprint Inc., has moved the print shop to 9209 E. Trent in Spokane Valley from 8 N. Post downtown.

Allprint's services include large-format printing, promotional products, bookbinding, and invitations ranging in price from 12 cents each to $100 each, Jacobs says.

"We may explore a few other niches that aren't (available) in this area," he adds.

He says he moved the printing business because of increasing rent downtown and frustration with paying the city's Business Improvement District tax.

Allprint now occupies a 2,500-square-foot space, up from 1,000 square feet downtown. When it moved, the business trimmed its workforce to four employees, from 12.

Says Jacobs, "We lost over $40,000 this (past) year on people not paying for their work. That's devastating for a small company. We made some cuts, because we want to be sure we're here forever for our customers."

Allprint has been in business for six years, and the family has been involved in the printing industry for 20 years, Jacobs says.

Asian buffet opens in Valley Mall space
Long Feng Inc. has opened a restaurant called Hong Kong Buffet in 6,000 square feet of long-vacant space at the Spokane Valley Mall, on the lower level near Sears, Roebuck & Co.

Co-owner Vickie Zheng says Hong Kong Buffet offers sushi, pho, dim sum, and more than 100 Asian food items in all. She and her husband, Michael Lin, decided to open a restaurant at Spokane Valley Mall because, "It's a nice location, and there was no other Chinese food there," she says.

The restaurant seats up to 250 people, and has three full-time and two part-time employees, Zheng says.

She says her brother, Tommy Zheng, owns Hong Kong Express, at 2435 N. Division, where she previously worked part time.

Simply Northwest changes ownership


Denielle Waltermire has bought Spokane Valley gift shop Simply Northwest, located at 11806 E. Sprague, from De Scott for an undisclosed sum.

"De was ready to retire," Waltermire says. "She loved what she did but was ready for something different."

Simply Northwest sells regional gift items, specialty foods, and wines, as well as gift baskets containing those items. In addition to 3,500 square feet of retail space, it has 6,000 square feet of production space in the building's basement used to process orders from its website that are shipped throughout the U.S. and internationally, Waltermire says. The business also operates a 700-square-foot commercial kitchen where it produces soft peanut brittle.

Waltermire had worked as Simply Northwest's retail manager since 2006.

Scott started the professional gift service from her home in 1989. It has operated from the East Sprague location since 1994. Scott and Waltermire decided to close a second location, at 8 N. Post in downtown Spokane, on Jan. 1.

Waltermire purchased the business's assets and will lease the Valley space from Scott.

Simply Northwest has three full-time and five part-time employees.

Pet groomer buys enterprise, relocates
Pepper Olson has bought Soft Paws Pet Spa from Julie Bunch and moved it to a 600-square-foot space at 928 W. Spofford, in north central Spokane.

The cat and dog grooming business, formerly located at 2217 N. Monroe, also sells all-natural pet products, Olson says.

She says she bought the pet spa's assets for $20,000. She declines to disclose the cost of remodeling the new space, but says it was minimal because her husband did most of the work.

"I've worked on pets all my life," and was an employee of Soft Paws at an earlier location on Northwest Boulevard, Olson says.

Olson says she allows for two- to three-hour appointments, so she can have "quality, individual time" with each pet. The business currently has no other employees.

Elysian Spa opens north of downtown
Elysian Spa has opened at 1009 N. Washington, just north of downtown Spokane, in a 450-square-foot space that previously housed a political campaign office.

The spa provides facial treatments, chemical peels, body treatments, waxing, and makeup applications, says owner Crystal Jeffreys. It also sells skin care and cosmetic products, she says.

"It has always been a dream of mine to open a business," Jeffreys says. "Aesthetics is something I've always enjoyed doing. It seemed like the perfect time in my life."

Jeffreys says she chose the Greek mythological word elysian for the spa's name because of its meaning, which is "place of paradise and ideal state of bliss."

Jeffreys says she took business-management courses and trained as an aesthetician, then worked in several Spokane-area spas before deciding to open Elysian Spa.

Aspen Construction Group remodeled the space for the spa.

"Plans for a larger site with the addition of salon, nail, and massage services are in the works," Jeffreys says.

Jeffreys is the spa's only employee, but she says her mother, Kim Jeffreys, takes incoming calls and sets appointments from a home office.

Import business here changes ownership


Jeff Randall has bought Unitime Imports Inc. from Doug Huffman, who started the Spokane import business in 1979.

Unitime Imports wholesales sales-counter items such as sunglasses, lighters, gloves, energy drinks, and flashlights to convenience stores, supermarkets, and truck plazas.

Randall, previously a salesman and business manager with Microsoft Corp. for 18 years, says he heard about the business through a broker. He declines to disclose the purchase price, but says the company serves about 1,000 retail outlets in Washington and Idaho and has about $2 million in annual revenues.

Randall says he plans to grow the business by improving its presence online and by expanding into Oregon and Montana.

The company has 10 to 15 employees, depending on the season, he says.