Nicks Handmade Boots has bought the former Display House building in Spokane Valley and plans to move its operations there this fall, says Nicks general manager Frank Petrilli. 

The 20,000-square-foot space, which is located at 6510 E. Sprague and will house Nicks’ retail and manufacturing operations, is more than triple the size of the company’s current 6,000-square-foot space at 3805 N. Market, in the Hillyard neighborhood. Petrilli says the business has been located there since 1991.

Display House, a once popular costume and party supplies retailer, last occupied the East Sprague building before going out of business at the end of 2013. The building has been vacant since then, he says.

Petrilli says the new store will enable Nicks to expand its operations and production. Petrilli, who has been employed at Nicks for 20 years, declined to disclose the building’s purchase price. Garco Construction Inc., of Spokane, is renovating the building for the company.

“We need more space because we’re growing consistently every month,” says Petrilli. “We need more room for manufacturing and more room for new hires.” 

The company currently employs 29 people and expects to begin hiring more staff after moving into the larger space in September, he says.

Highly regarded and widely respected for its wide array of handcrafted leather boots, Petrilli says the company will soon be designing and creating casual-style shoes for consumers. 

“The new building is going to put us in a better location because now we’re going to be a little more accessible to the consumer with the freeway nearby.”

Owner Steve Mowe purchased the business formerly known as Nicks Custom Boots two years ago and renamed it Nicks Handmade Boots, Petrilli says. Prior to moving to its current location, Nicks Custom Boots was in a store at a strip mall near the intersection of Sprague Avenue and Evergreen Road in Spokane Valley, he says.

The business started here in 1964, its website says.