The Spokane franchisee of Grease Monkey, who opened an outlet of the auto-service chain in a strip-mall adjacent to Wandermere Mall two weeks ago, says he hopes to open four to five more outlets here in the next few years.


The franchisee, Steve Vance, opened Eastern Washingtons first Grease Monkey outlet in a 3,400-square-foot space in the auto-related strip mall, which is adjacent to the Wandermere Mall. The three-bay, quick-lube center employs five people full time plus some part-time employees.


The strip mall was developed by Wandermere Investments LLC, a company headed by Spokane developer Dick Vandervert. Grease Monkey is the first tenant in the 60,000-square-foot development.


Vance, who owns the franchise outlet here with his wife, Jeanne, says that Denver-based Grease Monkey International Inc., the franchisor, wants to have as many as six outlets here, and that he and his wife plan to be the franchisee for those outlets.


He says he currently is looking at a possible location for a second outlet in the Spokane Valley. Vance says hes also eyeing the South Hill and the Airway Heights area for future outlets. Plans, he says, call for a controlled expansion, with one new outlet opening per year.


Were not going to flood the market with it, by any sense, Vance says. We believe in quality over quantity.


Grease Monkey outlets cost between $250,000 and $500,000 to open, and typically employ between five and 12 people, he says. Grease Monkey doesnt affiliate itself with an oil company or distributor.