Weinstein Beverage Co. of Spokane, the distributor here of Seven-Up and other beverages, has leased part of a warehouse building in the Spokane Valley and plans to move there in August from cramped space it occupies near the Rock Pointe office complex north of downtown.


Ivan Jenkins, general manager of the company, which does business as Seven-Up Bottling Co. of Spokane & Coeur dAlene, says Weinstein Beverage has agreed to lease about 36,000 square feet of warehouse space and 3,000 square feet of office space in the eastern end of the 52,500-square-foot Spokane Valley structure, which is located at 6815 E. Mission. The company also has leased about four acres of the 12-acre site that the building sits on, and will lease a 3,000-square-foot addition thats to be constructed on the buildings eastern end this summer.


E. 6815 Mission Associates LLC, a newly formed Spokane company, recently bought the warehouse building from Georgia-Pacific Corp., the big Atlanta-based forest products company, which closed its Spokane warehouse earlier this year. Dane Armstrong, managing member of E. 6815 Mission Associates, says the company is seeking a tenant for the remaining about 13,500 square feet of space in the building.


Weinstein Beverage has been searching for a larger location for its Seven-Up warehouse operations off and on for the last seven years.


Jenkins says the companys current 33,000-square-foot facility, located at 124 W. Boone, is too small and lacks adequate parking. He says the companys new location on Mission will provide the company with more space and parking and put the company closer to the bulk of its customers, many of which are located in the Valley and North Idaho.


The buildings owner recently began an about $400,000 remodeling and expansion project to prepare the building for Seven-Up Bottling. That project includes constructing six loading docks on the back of the building, installing a set of drive-through doors on the buildings northern and southern ends, and constructing the 3,000-square-foot addition. Seven-Up Bottling plans to use the addition for office space.


Additionally, Weinstein Beverage plans to construct a 3,200-square-foot truck service department on some of its leased land, says Jenkins. Most of the remodeling work is expected to be completed by the time the soft-drink distributor moves in August. Jenkins says the office addition probably wont be completed until September.


Baker Construction & Development Inc., of Spokane, is the general contractor on the remodeling and office expansion project. Seven-Up Bottling hasnt selected a contractor for its truck service department.


Seven-Up Bottling, which employs about 70 people, distributes such beverage brands as Seven-Up, Dr. Pepper, A&W, Squirt, Crush, Hires, Hawaiian Punch, Schweppes, and Crystal Light.


Armstrong says E. 6815 Mission Associates also is seeking tenants for two vacant buildings, both of which have 7,000 square feet of floor space and are located on a 1.5-acre parcel near the building Seven-Up Bottling has leased. In addition to those buildings, E. 6815 Mission Associates also will begin site preparations soon on a remaining 6.5-acre parcel. The company plans to market that land, which currently is undeveloped, to industrial users looking for 1.5- to two-acre lots.