Heavy equipment shop adds Mitsubishi trucks
Washington Auto Carriage, a longtime Spokane Valley dealer of specialty truck equipment, has become a dealer for Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America Inc.'s commercial truck line.

Clif King, who is president of Washington Auto Carriage and owns the company with Mel Maki and a silent partner, says the 104-year-old company took on the Mitsubishi truck line knowing that economic conditions would continue to be difficult for awhile.

"We plan to use this time to train and prepare our sales force and mechanics. As the economy turns around, we'll be ready," King says. The company doesn't plan to add to its current 19 employees for now.

"The new Mitsubishi Fuso franchise is a perfect fit for us. Fuso trucks are complementary to everything we're doing now," King says.

Washington Auto Carriage also sells and services flatbeds, service bodies, snow plows, sanders, hoists, cranes, and other truck equipment. The Mitsubishi Fuso line is its only line of trucks.

Washington Auto Carriage opened for business in downtown Spokane in 1906. At that time, it sold horse-drawn buggies, stagecoaches, and cargo wagons. In 1954, it moved to its current, 35,000-square-foot space.

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America is headquartered at Logan Township, N.J., and is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp., which is owned by Daimler AG, of Germany, and manufactures its trucks in Kawasaki, Japan.

April move planned for Swank Boutique
Swank Boutique, a Spokane specialty retail store, is moving from 915 E. Hawthorne to a larger and more prominent space in Northtown Square, at 4727 N. Division.

The boutique sells girls' and women's clothing, shoes, accessories, gifts, and home dcor, says Jody Jones, who owns the shop with Delori Furulie.

Furulie also sells a line of decorated products she creates, called DeLori Designs.

"To expand our business, we need to get more foot traffic," Jones says of the move, which she says will be completed by April 9.

The shop currently has two part-time employees in addition to Jones and Furulie. Jones says it will add another two part-time employees after the move. The new location is about 200 square feet larger than its current space, and Jones says they plan to add more home dcor items, shoes, and handbag displays.

Swank Boutique opened at its present location in March 2008. Jones says the shop's sales are up 15 percent this year compared with last year.

Body shop switches to eco-friendly paint
D&D Auto Body, located at 110 N. Park Road, in Spokane Valley, says it has switched to an eco-friendly paint product for its automobile finish repairs.

The body shop's owner, Doug Harding, says the new paint it's using, the Glasurit 90 Line, is manufactured by BASF The Chemical Company. It has a water base rather than a chemical solvent base, so the paint is less toxic.

"D&D Auto Body's goal is to protect the region's air, water, and soil by reducing hazardous waste and air pollution. We are repairing for today with tomorrow in mind," Harding says.

The body shop has been in business on Park Road since 1975, Harding says. It has seven full-time employees in its 4,500-square-foot shop.

Valley woman starts painted yoga mat home-based business


Megan Bidwell, a data entry clerk at a Spokane Valley business, has combined her love of painting with her interest in yoga to create a home-based business called Flow Yoga Mats.

Bidwell hand paints designs on mats and sells them through a Web site, www.flowyogamats.com. Customers can choose a mat with one of Bidwell's stock designs, or have her create a custom design for them.

She says she has sold about 25 mats at $53 each since she opened the business last fall. Besides yoga mats, she also offers Pilates mats, accessories, and paintings. She hopes to expand her business to sell mats at yoga studios and boutiques.

"I am constantly creating new mats and updating my Web site," she says. She draws attention to her Web site by handing out business cards and putting up flyers on bulletin boards and in yoga studios. She says she goes to her basement studio to paint whenever she has free time. She uses a non-toxic waterproof paint that won't peel off the mats.