Lalo's Pizza moves from South Perry to South Grand
Brett and Teresa Wyatt have opened a Lalo's Pizza & Calzone outlet, at 909 S. Grand, on Spokane's South Hill, and have phased out their eatery of the same name inside the Hico Market, at 819 S. Perry, Brett Wyatt says.

Wyatt says the couple took over the 700square-foot leased space on Perry, formerly a Subway Express outlet, about 18 months ago.

"It was a quirky location. We needed our own place with walls," he says.

The new Lalo's has 1,200 square feet of floor space, and an inside door connects the restaurant with Press, a new coffee, chocolate, and cocktail bar at the same address. Wyatt says patrons purchase drinks from Press and pizza from Lalo's. The two businesses share an outside seating area, and both spaces have indoor seating, for a total seating capacity of about 90 patrons.

Lalo's currently has five employees, but Wyatt says "we're gearing up for more."

Carton manufacturer obtains certification of its green materials
Sonderen Packaging Inc., a Spokane folding-carton manufacturer, has obtained Forest Stewardship Council chain-of-custody certification for the materials used in the company's packaging products. The certification signifies that the paper used in the cartons can be traced back to well-managed forests.

Matt Sonderen, director of quality management and part-owner of the family business, says the certification will allow it to label its packaging with the FSC logo and trademark. He says prospective customers have been asking whether the company's cartons were FSC certified. The certification "allowed us to be qualified for more business," he says.

Sonderen Packaging owns a 180,000-square-foot production plant at 2906 N. Crestline and has 107 full-time employees, Sonderen says. The company was founded by his grandparents, Al and Mary Sonderen, in 1963.

The Forest Stewardship Council, with U.S. headquarters in Minneapolis, is an international organization of loggers, foresters, environmentalists, and sociologists dedicated to worldwide sustainable forestry practices, its Web site says.

Interior design grad starts decor business
Deanna Goguen, of Spokane, has launched a home-based interior decorating business here called Decorum Design.

A recent graduate of Washington State University Spokane with a master's degree in interior design, Goguen specializes in residential interior design, interior design for remodeling projects, and home staging. She currently is working on several projects including a whole-house remodel.

Goguen currently employs one part-time assistant, but hopes to hire more employees as the business grows.

She says she has been working on design projects on the side for about 10 years. Right now Decorum Design markets itself via word of mouth, but Goguen hopes to begin advertising locally soon, she says.

While Decorum Design is based in Spokane, Goguen says she will travel as necessary for clients' jobs.

Former Jaazz stylists open their own salon
Jill Stern and Heather Vandervert, both longtime employees of Jaazz Salon & Skin Care Center in downtown Spokane, have opened their own salon, Be Loved LLC, in 1,600 square feet of leased space at 2320 N. Atlantic here.

"We got to a point in our careers where we wanted to develop an atmosphere of our own. We wanted to create a peaceful environment for our clients," Stern says.

The two friends secured a loan from their leasing agent, Marshall Clark, of Clark Pacific Real Estate Co., to build a salon in what Stern describes as "completely bare space" at the location, a three-story brick building renovated by Clark. The new salon took three months to construct. It has six stations and a skin-care room, and is built with recycled and reused materials.

Be Loved currently has one other stylist in addition to Stern and Vandervert, and Stern says two other stylists and an esthetician are expected to start there this summer.

Purse-n-alities offers unique bag organizers
Suzan Helmhout, of Coeur d'Alene, recently started a home-based business called Purse-N-Alities that makes purse organizers.

A real estate agent by day for Century 21 Buetler & Associates, Helmhout came up with the idea to create insert organizers for purses to eliminate the frustration of searching for small items that are easily lost in the bottom of large purses. She says she also likes to match her handbag to her outfit, and the inserts make switching out bags much easier.

Purse-N-Alities began offering its organizers last November and so far has sold about 300, Helmhout says. The inserts sell for $39.99 for the 7-inch by 9-inch size and $49.99 for a 9-inch by 11-inch size. They are made from heavy-weight woven cotton and are reversible. Each insert has multiple pockets and pouches for organizing small items.

Helmhout's mother designed the pattern for the inserts which are made by an independent contractor, she says.

Purse-N-Alities organizers are available for sale online and at several businesses in Coeur d'Alene, including the Coeur d'Alene Resort. Helmhout says she recently received a patent for her design and is looking at selling her merchandise at businesses in Spokane. A marketing firm she hired also is seeking locations elsewhere across the country for retail, she says. Multiple designs and sizes of the organizers are available on the business's Web site, pursenalitiesbysuzan.com. Helmhout is the sole employee for now but hopes to add other employees later.

Chiropractor moves practice in Hayden


Kirk Parge has moved his Hayden, Idaho, chiropractic practice from temporary quarters at 157 W. Hayden Ave. to a 1,000-square-foot leased space at 9297 N. Government Way.

"It's a bigger spot to accommodate more people and give better service, and it's a better, more visible location," Parge says.

Besides chiropractic, Parge also performs blood tests, acupuncture, therapeutic deep-heat ultrasound, electric muscle stimulation, and traction, which chiropractors are allowed to do in Idaho, but not in Washington, he says.

"I didn't want to be your average 'back cracker'," Parge says.

Parge says he has practiced for 27 years, the first 12 years in California, and later in Priest River, Idaho. He is a sole practitioner with one employee.