Floating food truck makes splash in Cd’A

Essex Prescott and business partners Corey Schneider and Gared Schneider have launched The Buoy, which Prescott describes as a floating food truck, on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Boaters on North Idaho’s most popular lake no longer have to leave the water for a fresh-cooked meal, he says.

The Buoy occupies the platform of a 31-foot houseboat. “It’s totally renovated and has a full-blown kitchen that’s Panhandle Health District-certified,” he says.

Entrees range from a $5 all beef hot dog with cheese, onions, and relish, to the $8 Three Amigos chicken tacos. Other items include chicken sandwiches and quesadillas and beef or meatless burgers.

Side orders include chips, soft beverages, and ice cream.

The boat, with a big red buoy painted on the side, is easy to spot on the north end of the lake, Prescott says.

For the lunch rush, it usually can be found in front of the North Idaho College beach near the Spokane River outlet. In the mid-afternoon, the boat usually is stationed in front of Independence Point where paddle boats, paddle boarders and swimmers tend to gather. The Buoy usually drifts near Tubbs Hill for the dinner rush.

“We try to do the same route every day,” Prescott says.

To receive the menu, customers can text the phone number, which is prominently displayed on the top deck of The Buoy. Then they call their orders in and wait for their names to be called over the loudspeaker to pick up their orders.

The Buoy will operate through August, Prescott says, adding, “We might do a couple of weeks in September as well.”

—Mike McLean

Party Enchantments plans to shut down

Anika Bryceson says she and her sister, Kelsey Bryceson, have decided to shut down their Spokane-based business Party Enchantments due to other career and academic pursuits.

Party Enchantments, which the Journal featured in a story in May, provides actors dressed as Disney-type characters for children’s birthday parties. The Brycesons began operating Party Enchantments two years ago.

“A lot of discussion has been put into this decision the past couple weeks,” Anika Bryceson says. “There are many reasons for closing, but the big ones are that my sister, as it turns out, wants to solely focus on school and not being a business owner when she returns to Spokane in August.”

Kelsey Bryceson currently is working towards an associate’s degree in hospitality from Disney College in Orlando, Fla.

Anika Bryceson says also that relying exclusively on college students to play the roles of Disney characters has affected staff resources.

“My manager’s and team’s availability have been dwindling due to school and job reasons,” Bryceson says. “And there are three other businesses in town doing this, so our market is getting harder to gain clientele, and I, too, would like to focus on my education because Party Enchantments is becoming a one-woman show. It’s sad, and I will miss it greatly, but I also don’t regret it,” she says.

Party Enchantments is booked through the end of August and will shut down after fulfilling those commitments, Bryceson says.

 

—Kevin Blocker

Inspirations studio expands its offerings

Inspirations Dance Studio, a nonprofit venture, has opened at 3621 E. Springfield and is expanding its offerings to include tumbling instructions and a special-needs summer camp, says part-owner Mikaela Ostrander.

Inspirations has two studio sections with a total of 3,000 square feet of leased space, Ostrander says.

The studio focuses on dance education and offers classes for people of all ages in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, and contemporary dance styles, Ostrander says. It soon will open floor gymnastics classes, she says.

Ostrander also has started Camp Friendship, a summer camp for children with special needs based at the studio. The camp includes arts and crafts and emphasizes social and friendships skills, she says.

Ostrander says she’s also looking to offer in-school dance programs for at-risk children.

Inspirations has four instructors.

Ostrander, who grew up in Spokane, says she’s been dancing for 15 years, starting when she was 8 years old. She says she started instructing with two studios while she was in college in Portland.

Her dance experience includes ballet competitions and musical theater performances.

Inspirations has low-income pricing options and offers dance instruction to people with special needs, she says.

 

—Mike McLean

Eclectic bistro opens its doors in Hillyard

Barbara Barry has opened Hillyard Gardens & Bistro at 4915 N. Market.

The business occupies 8,000 square feet of floor space at the former longtime location of Hillyard Florist, which closed last winter when the owners retired.

More than a flower and coffee shop, Barry says, Hillyard Gardens & Bistro also carries eclectic décor.

The inventory includes home furnishings, wall hangings, metal art, wrought-iron items, and a selection of lamps, she says.

The garden side of the business has a floral selection, and the live-plant section includes terrariums, rare predatory plants, unusual ferns, cacti, and succulents.

The bistro side of the business serves coffee roasted by Hillsboro, Ore.-based Longbottom Coffee & Tea.

The menu includes salads, sandwiches, breakfast items, and deserts.

Everything on the menu is $3, and orders can be made to go, Barry says.

Hillyard Gardens & Bistro has seven employees and is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Barry also owns Total Cosmetology Training Center, at 5303 N. Market, also in Hillyard.

 

—Mike McLean