Mojo Cyclery opens in Spokane Valley

A new full-service bicycle shop called Mojo Cyclery has opened in Spokane Valley. Located just south of Interstate 90, at 1405 N. Argonne Road, the shop specializes in bike repairs, fits, and sales. 

Owner and operator Morgan Johnson says he’s leasing the 1,900-square-foot shop space there, which includes separate repair and retail areas, from Tombari Properties. 

He says prior to moving in, he made $5,000 worth of improvements to the space, replacing the floor and creating several workshop benches and counter space.

“We offer all-inclusive repair packages, as well as smaller, itemized services,” he says. “Generally, our most popular is the basic tune-up package.”  

Currently, the shop has just one employee in addition to Johnson, although he says it may hire more once the weather begins to warm up. 

“Bike season is all kind of dependent on weather,” he says. “As we start to see sunnier days, we may have need for another part-time mechanic.” 

Johnson has an extensive background in triathlons and road racing, having started in the cycling business nearly 14 years ago as a mechanic.

“I saw an ad in the paper for a mechanic, and just kept applying until they decided to hire me,” says Johnson. “The rest is history, I guess.” 

Johnson says despite starting out during a rather rainy spring season, the shop seems to be doing well so far.

—LeAnn Bjerken

 

Modern Tipi starts in Saranac space

A new shop called Modern Tipi has opened in the Saranac Commons, at 19 W. Main downtown. The shop, which features products handmade by Native American artists from the Pacific Northwest, is owned and operated by Lori Rothrock. 

Rothrock, a member of the Spokane Tribe of Indians, says she chose to open the shop as a way of helping Native artists in the area to display and sell their work. 

“I’m not really artistic myself, but I always wanted to have a little place where people could bring their beadwork, sewing, drawings, or photos,” she says. 

Rothrock says she assists both new and already established Native artists, offering them space to display their work, or purchasing and selling it herself within the shop. 

Modern Tipi currently shares its leased 450-square-foot space with nearby exotic plant shop Parrish & Grove, but Rothrock says she hopes to expand someday.

“We opened during that last big snowstorm, so things have been a bit slower with the cold and dreary weather,” she says. “I think now that the weather has changed, things will pick up a bit.”

Rothrock says she has several new vendors planned for the space this month, as well as offering freshly smoked meat samples for customers who stop by during monthly First Friday events downtown.

—LeAnn Bjerken

 

Career change leads to new Asian eatery

Kevin Phang has opened a new restaurant, Aji BBQ & Sushi, in a 2,700-square-foot building at 5204 N. Division that the Yutzen Japanese restaurant formerly occupied.

Aji is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and serves Japanese food with Asian-style barbecue and a full range of sushi dinners, Phang says.

“It was tough at the beginning, but thankfully, we’re getting good reviews and return customers. We haven’t advertised, so hopefully, people will keep talking to people,” he says of Aji, which opened Feb. 9, a week after Phang assumed Yutzen’s lease.

Phang says Aji is his first restaurant, and it currently employs about a half-dozen people including him.

“Like a lot of people, I love this industry, food, and talking to people, but this started for very personal reasons,” he says.

Phang worked for 17 years for a technology company here he declines to identify, but says his position was eliminated last year.

“I traveled across Asia setting up accounts for the majority of that time and then it ended,” he says. Then, he experienced what he characterized as “personal turmoil.”

“That’s when I realized I needed to do something meaningful with my life, to find my voice,” Phang says.

He received assistance from several people, including some of his former co-workers, for about six months last year as they helped him prepare to open the restaurant.

“It’s been a journey, for sure, but I believe that this has happened for a reason and that good things will come,” he says.

—Kevin Blocker

Old golf clubhouse to house restaurant 

Darrin Sander and business partner Tim Spragg say they hope to debut their new restaurant, called Craft & Gather, later this month in the former clubhouse of the defunct Painted Hills Golf Course.

Located at 4403 S. Dishman Mica, Craft & Gather will serve traditional American fare such as burgers, steaks, and pasta, Sander says.

Former Painted Hills Golf Course owners John and Linda McElhinny filed for bankruptcy, and the nine-hole course shut down after the 2012 season.

Sander and Spragg are leasing the 2,500-square-foot restaurant that will have seating for up to 75. A large patio, which they plan to open up when the weather gets warmer, would allow seating for another 60 to 80 people, Sander says.

Depending on business, he says he could foresee the two having to hire 15 to 20 employees.

“There’s definitely room to stretch out,” Sander says of the former clubhouse. “We’ve given some thought to installing a putting green off the patio as well.”

Sander and Spragg met while managing restaurants in Northern California. Spragg is a Spokane native, and most of his family lives here, Sander says.

“The goal is to be a nice, casual neighborhood restaurant where people and families can come and enjoy a good meal,” he says.

Operating hours will be seven days a week from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

 —Kevin Blocker