New Mexican eatery opening in Cheney

El Portalito, a new Mexican restaurant, was expected to open in late November, at 24 W. First, in Cheney. The space formerly was occupied by 1st Street International Market. El Portalito's owners, Jose and Juana Cervantes, have been remodeling the space, at a cost of about $50,000, and have received a liquor license from the state.

"I've been in construction so many years, but I'm getting a little old. Construction is getting harder for me, so I needed to get a different way to survive," says Jose Cervantes.

He says El Portalito will seat 49 patrons and will have one part-time and three full-time employees. Cervantes has hired a cook that he says worked in another Mexican restaurant for 10 years. He plans to serve traditional Mexican dishes.

Massage school moves to newly finished space

Inland Massage Institute Inc., a longtime massage school here, has moved from 111 E. Magnesium to 775 E. Holland, both on Spokane's North Side.

The new leased space is in a building owned by Dr. Rodney Braun, of Braun & Jarvis Family Dentistry PS, which has occupied space on the second floor for about seven years, says Inland Massage Institute owner Patty McNulty. Dr. Timothy Sweatman, an endodontist, is the only other occupant of the 12,000-square-foot building, also on the second floor.

McNulty says the massage school's new space, which previously had been unoccupied, was designed and built to the institute's specifications. It's only 500 square feet larger, at 4,500 square feet, but "more functional," than its previous space, says McNulty. She says the business moved because "we wanted to design our own space." It now has two separate sides, one for its massage school, which enrolls 60 students a year, and the other for its clinic, which has four licensed massage therapists.

Haines Architectural Services, of Spokane, designed the new space, and Wells Construction Inc., of Mead, built it.

Inland Massage Institute has operated since 1986. It has two full-time and 11 part-time employees, besides McNulty.

New fly-fishing shop opens at Riverwalk

Westslope Fly Shop LLC has opened in the Riverwalk building, at 1003 E. Trent, east of downtown.

The new shop sells fly rods, reels, clothing, flies, and fly-tying materials, says co-owner John Clark. It offers guided fishing trips, and will begin holding fly-tying classes in January, he says.

"We've been building a fly shop in our minds and hearts for over a year. We had our hearts set on this space from the get-go," says Clark.

He says he and his father, Jesse Clark, applied for a loan through the Small Business Administration in May, but their application was denied in June.

"We decided we weren't willing to give up that easy," Clark says. He and his father applied again, and a $100,000 SBA loan was approved in September, he says.

Jesse Clark then approached Riverwalk's owner, MGD At GU LLC, about opening a fly-fishing shop in underutilized space at Riverwalk.

"They were excited about the opportunity. It's a great addition to what they have here already," Clark says. Other Riverwalk tenants include Dry Fly Distilling, Northern Lights Brewing Co., and Bankok Thai Restaurant.

Both father and son previously had worked in construction trades all of their adult lives, but always have been avid fly-fishermen, John Clark says.

Westslope Fly Shop plans to increase its customer base through word-of-mouth and contact with Spokane-area fly fishing clubs, Clark says. Also, Dry Fly Distilling plans to sell gift bags with flies from Westslope, he says.

Valley law practice adds a new partner

Spokane Valley attorney Ryan McNeice has added a partner, Becki Wheeler, and their practice, located at 11404 E. Sprague, is now called McNeice Wheeler Law Office PLLC.

Wheeler says she and McNeice attended Gonzaga University School of Law together. She has worked as an associate with the firm for two years, and became a partner on Nov. 1.

McNeice Wheeler practices law in the areas of business; employment and labor; estates, wills, probate, and trusts; health care; personal injury and insurance; family; and real estate and construction.

McNeice opened the law practice in the 2,400-square-foot building, which is located behind Halpin's Pharmacy, in 2005. He also is part-owner of Intermountain Leasing LLC, also at that location.

Wheeler says that through the recession, the law firm has "had some ups and downs, but we've stayed pretty busy."

McNeice says that besides the two attorneys, the firm employs a second-year Gonzaga law student as a paid intern. It has no other employees.

Charter flight service opens in Sandpoint
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Air Idaho Charters LLC, a Sandpoint charter flight service, has opened at the Sandpoint Airport, in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Owner Andrew Berrey says he started Air Idaho because he believes demand exists in the Inland Northwest for such a service.

Air Idaho operates a five-passenger, pressurized twin-engine Beechcraft Baron aircraft, Berrey says. So far, it has charter flights lined up to Seattle; Billings, Mont.; and Palm Springs, Calif., he says. It charges $650 per hour for the plane, which can travel from Coeur d'Alene to Seattle in about one hour and 20 minutes, he says. The service is certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly throughout the lower 48 states.

Berry says advantages to using a charter service are that passengers can be in the air 10 minutes after arriving at the airport, and their plane can fly to many smaller airports, enabling passengers to arrive closer to their final destination than if they're limited to flying to major airports, which airlines serve.

Berrey also owns a commercial real estate development company, which has built hangars at the Sandpoint Airport and warehouses in Portland, Ore. Although he has a pilot's license, Berrey has hired a commercial pilot to fly the company's charter plane, he says. The business has no other employees.