Business owners Tyson and Shelayna Skidmore have opened Bijou coffee shop and craft bar, at 1945 W. Fourth in Spokane’s Browne’s Addition neighborhood, west of downtown.

In 277 square feet of space, the Bijou serves coffee in the morning and into the afternoon before morphing into craft cocktail bar by evening.

“The idea is that we can be that coffee place for college students in Browne’s Addition who need a cup before going out to SFCC,” Tyson Skidmore said.

The Skidmores also plan to serve an array of smoothies and acai bowls to morning and afternoon customers.

“There won’t be a full-blown menu but healthy appetizers to keep the hunger at bay,” he says.

The couple own another business – Skidmore Alchemy – which sells 12 flavors of their own handmade craft bitters that also will be used as ingredients for their craft cocktails.

He says the couple have a combined 25 years of experience in the hospitality business, and they’ve been together 10 years.

“It’s great to be able to have someone to bounce different ideas off,” he says. “We’ve always shared different ideas about things that we’d like to do if we got a chance to own our space.”

Formal hours of operation will be determined based on customer flow.

“If people want coffee at eight then it’s not going to pay to open at nine,” Skidmore says. “To start, I think we’ll be open for business at least 12 hours-a-day and adjust accordingly.”