After nearly a year of varying restrictions on social gatherings and business operations to stem the spread of COVID-19, business owners-and a growing number of politicians-say they've had enough of what they believe are heavy-handed mandates.

The owner of a Coeur d'Alene-based sporting goods retail store has acquired Silver Lake Mall through an affiliated company, according to documents on file with the Kootenai County Assessor's office.

LunchboxWax salon franchisees Brandi and Mike Chapman plan to open a salon on Spokane's South Hill, its second overall, either in late May or early June. The couple opened their first bikini and facial wax salon last July in 1,500 square feet of space

Work is underway on a new Old Navy retail store at the Franklin Park Commons shopping center, on Spokane's North Side. In a prepared statement, a Gap Inc. spokesperson says the Franklin Park store, at 5628 N. Division, will open at the end of April.

Custom art designer and framer Treasure Dragseth says her mobile business, Treasure It? Frame It!, is quickly gaining traction. For several years, Dragseth has run her own art and frame shop out of her home on Long Lake in the Suncrest neighborhood

The COVID-19 pandemic dominated news headlines in 2020 and served as the subtext for many of the significant business decisions made in the Spokane area during the year. With that backdrop, the Inland Northwest business community experienced a number of