A new franchisee plans to open a Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership in Coeur dAlene in the spring.


The dealership, to be called Lone Wolf Harley-Davidson, will be located at the former site of the Adventures N Fun family-entertainment facility, at 722 W. Appleway.


The franchise was awarded by Harley-Davidson Inc., of Milwaukee, Wis., to Greg and Beth Ernst, who recently moved to Coeur dAlene from St. Louis to operate the dealership.


It will be a family-run business, says Beth Ernst, adding that the couples two sons, Chris and Bill, will be involved in the operation.


Steve Johnson, permit coordinator with the city of Coeur dAlene, says a building permit application has been submitted to remodel the 20,000-square-foot Adventures N Fun building and add about 2,500 square feet of floor space to it. Adventures N Fun, which was owned by former Coeur dAlene Mayor Steve Judy, closed in 2003.


Polin & Young Construction Inc., of Coeur dAlene, is the contractor on the planned $700,000 renovation for the motorcycle dealership, and Miller Stauffer Architects PA, of Coeur dAlene, is the architect.


Dick Stauffer, of Miller Stauffer, says the construction job involves a showroom addition and a ground-up remodel that will be completed in time for a spring opening. Harley-Davidson Inc., the parent company of Harley-Davidson Motor Co., the Milwaukee-based motorcycle manufacturer, is involved in the project design, he adds.


Harley-Davidson is very involved with anyone it awards a franchise to, to ensure it is set up in a manner that agrees with its corporate culture, Stauffer says.


Ernst says the showroom addition will have a contemporary, cool look with a lot of windows.


The business also will have a full-line service area and will carry a large selection of Harley-Davidson clothing and accessories, she says.


Beth Ernst says the Lone Wolf franchise will be the first Harley-Davidson dealership in which she and her husband will be involved, although they have retail experience in the floor-covering business in St. Louis.


Greg has a passion for Harleys, she says. All of his energies were going that way, and we decided to make a total change.


Greg Ernst says Harley-Davidson selected Coeur dAlene as the location for the new franchise because of the communitys projected long-term growth.


Harley-Davidson selected the location, we went through the interview process, and were lucky enough to be awarded the franchise, he says.


The new outlet will be the second Harley-Davidson dealership in the Spokane-Coeur dAlene area. The other is Shumate Harley-Davidson, at 6815 E. Trent, in Spokane Valley. Michael Shumate, of Kennewick, bought that dealership and a Lewiston, Idaho, Harley dealership in 2004 from George Latus, who was the lone Harley dealer in this area for many years.


Contact Mike McLean at (509) 344-1266 or via e-mail at [email protected].