Deb and Bill Weisgerber’s latest business venture brings a new nightlife destination to the Indian Trail neighborhood. 

The real estate agents and former owners of the Garland Drinkery opened the 21-and-older nightclub, named Alibi, on Aug. 1, at 9025 N. Indian Trail Road.

Alibi Spokane LLC, which does business as Alibi, opened in a 1,400-square-foot space formerly occupied by Happy Trails to Brews tavern, in the Sundance Plaza commercial development next to Safeway and Subway.

“I love real estate, but I needed a creative outlet,” Deb Weisgerber says.

She says the outlet has exceeded her expectations.

“I would come (to Happy Trails to Brews) and wished there was food and liquor,” she says. “But I didn’t set out to do food here.” 

Originally, Weisgerber planned to open a nightclub that would operate five nights a week, possibly serve charcuterie, and be staffed only by herself.

“This is how I pitched (Bill) the idea,” she says.

But once the sandwich prep fridge arrived, she added a panini press, then a meat smoker.

“And then it turned into a full menu,” she says. “I’ve never made a food menu before, but people love it.”

The full menu includes appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and entrees with house-smoked meats, and desserts.

Favorites so far, she says, include smoked salmon dip, truffle tots, a smoked chicken quesadilla, and “drunken eggs,” which are eggs marinated in soy sauce and tossed with green onions and sesame seeds.

Weisgerber says everything is made from scratch using a small kitchen space they carved out from a storage room.

While she crafted the menu, Weisgerber says she is leaving the craft cocktails in the hands of the professionals.

“I hired two of the best craft cocktail bartenders in town,” she says. “They know everything there is to know about craft cocktails.”

Alibi features a variety of beer, wine, and specialty craft cocktails with spirits such as Suntory World Whisky AO, a blend of whiskies from five major whisky-making regions; Pisco, a distilled fermented grape juice; and an array of mezcals.

“There are a lot of specialty liquors,” Weisgerber says. “Liquors that aren’t very common in a regular bar.”  

The nightclub seats close to 50 guests and includes tables for dining and a small lounge area furnished with antiques and vintage velvet couches Weisgerber sourced from local antique shops and yard sales.

Blue crushed-velvet curtains open out to a patio that seats 20.

Beyond food and drinks, Alibi will offer a full calendar of events, including karaoke, trivia, bingo, DJs, and live music.

Guests can also book private events between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., free of charge for groups of 25 or more.

“There’s always going to be some sort of entertainment,” Weisgerber says. 

Alibi has hired 10 employees, including four kitchen staff, four bartenders, and two servers. 

Hours of operation are Monday through Sunday, 4 p.m. to midnight.

The Weisgerbers began their entrepreneurial adventures back in 2003 when Bill came across a coffee shop for sale on Craigslist.

Weisgerber says they painted the once brown café pink, renamed it Deb’s, and kicked off a 10-year-run in the coffee business, operating three shops before they ultimately sold them to employees.

In 2011, the couple opened their first bar, the Drinkery, at 828 W. Garland. After a brief pivot to another concept in the Gonzaga district, dubbed the Foxhole, the Weisgerbers returned to the Drinkery for a five-year run.

When people ask her for business advice, she tells them, “the business will tell you what it wants and needs, and that’s what dictates where it goes.”

In the short time Alibi has been open, she says the restaurant is packed by 4 p.m.

“I thought it would be late-night cocktails, but by 4 o’clock, we are packed,” she says. “Every seat is taken and everyone has ordered food. We’ve been so busy my head is spinning.” 

Small Bites

Petunia & Loomis has officially reopened its downtown Spokane store following months-long repairs. The oddities and antique shop, located at 224 N. Howard, closed in February 2025 due to damage caused by flooding. 

The store is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Supa! Authentic Japanese Kitchen announced on social media it will be opening its third location, at 117 N. Howard, in downtown Spokane. An exact opening date has not been provided. 

Supa currently operates in Cheney, at 321 First, and in Post Falls, at 3904 E. Mullan, Suite K. The restaurant serves sushi, poke bowls, ramen, and tea.