Peddler’s Pond shifts its focus to education

Peddler’s Pond Inc., a Spokane company that launched in 2013 as a website development and design company, has shifted its focus to the education arena, says JoBeth Henderson, a Peddler’s Pond representative.

Peddler’s Pond now offers online introductory courses in Web design, hypertext Web-based language, creating Windows applications, search engine optimization, e-commerce, information technology, and some Microsoft Office applications, Henderson says.

The company, which is based at 222 W. Mission, initially is offering its courses online, although it’s working with the YWCA to provide instruction in its computer labs, Henderson says. Peddler’s Pond also likely will look for additional space where it can offer courses in classroom settings, she says.

Peddler’s Pond founder and owner Mike Rosen is head of the Eastern Washington Google Development Group in addition to being an instructor, which gives him access to certain Google tools to share in a teaching capacity, Henderson says.

The Peddler’s Pond website says the company is a certified Microsoft educator and has developer credentials for the Android smartphone operating system and WordPress content management system and blogging tool.

The company is seeking designation as a state-approved trainer and expects to offer courses through the Community Colleges of Spokane’s continuing education program.

Peddler’s Pond also is developing courses that will be tailored to small-business owners to help them develop their own websites or make informed decisions when contracting with Web-content development and hosting businesses or when hiring information-technology professionals, she says.

Peddler’s Pond has five employees, including three instructors, and intends to hire additional instructors, Henderson says.

—Mike McLean

The Lantern Pub opens in Hillyard

Lynn Moore says she has opened a new pub in the Hillyard area called the Lantern Pub. 

The pub, which is located in leased quarters at 5209 N. Market, has 800 square feet of indoor bar space and an outdoor seating and garden area, Moore says. 

“We’re a small pub,” she says. “We have three local breweries on tap and then we serve hard alcohol and domestic beer.”

The pub also serves soups and sandwiches, Moore says. 

“The soup is homemade from scratch, and then we have specials and things like that, depending on the day,” she says. 

Moore says she also owns a business called Us Girls & Papa’s Jams, Jellies, & More, which operates out of a commercial kitchen at 5212 N. Market. 

Moore currently is the only full-time employee at the pub. 

“I do have someone who comes in every once in a while when we get really, really busy,” she says. 

The pub is open Tuesday through Saturday, Moore says, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. 

For now, Moore says she’s focused on getting the pub through its first year of operations before thinking about any expansions. 

 

—Katie Ross

Bennidito’s to add eatery on Sprague

Bennidito’s Pizza Inc., of Spokane, will be opening a second pizza outlet, which will include a brewery, in a 5,000-square-foot space in the Honeycutt Building, at 1909 E. Sprague, says Bennidito’s co-owner Chris Bennett.  

Bennett says the new restaurant will open this year, possibly in March. The space is being remodeled into a full restaurant, he says, complete with a brewery area and kitchen.

“We’re finalizing all the drawings (now),” he says. 

The company’s only current restaurant, which is located in a 2,850-square-foot space at 1426 S. Lincoln, offers pizza, sandwiches, calzones, and pasta, Bennett says. The new restaurant will have all that, as well as more sandwich options, some smoked meats, and more lunch options, he says. 

“Then, we’re going to brew 12 beers up there,” he says.

Bennidito’s currently has 15 employees, he says, and will be looking to add about 10 more for the new location. 

 

—Katie Ross

Senior services firm starts up in Valley

Michael Begley, of Spokane Valley, says he has opened a business named Caring Transitions Spokane to manage senior relocations, handle estate liquidations, and oversee real estate-related services. 

Caring Transitions Spokane, which Begley operates out of his home, is a franchise operation of Cincinnati-based Caring Transitions Franchising Systems Inc., and is the second such franchise to open in Washington state, he says. 

The business focuses on helping seniors and families who are in transition, and also serves adults who need help relocating in situations such as divorce or in need of general home cleaning and organizing services. It has two full-time employees, and Begley said he hopes to hire about another 13 full-time staff members this month.

He says he had worked in the technology field for the last 15 years, including eight years with Seattle-based Microsoft Corp.

His motivation to start the new business began taking shape several years ago when his grandmother died and he was tasked with cleaning her house and settling her estate, Begley says. 

“We found important estate documents in the freezer,” he says. “And cans and jars of cash throughout the house because she knew someone would have to clean it out.” He says he can relate to people who prefer to outsource the type of work that needs to be done when someone dies or transitions to some sort of long-term care facility. 

“We can clean and get a house ready for sale, do minor repairs and even hold an online auction or estate sale to sell household goods and furniture,” he says. Begley says the business also provides some of the same services for bank-owned properties. 

 

—Judith Spitzer