Tavern, eatery opens in Browne’s Addition 

Browne’s Tavern LLC has opened in a historic structure at 1924 W. Pacific, in Browne’s Addition, that previously housed E.J.’s Garden Bistro. 

General manager Floyd Loomis, who owns the company with former E.J.’s Garden Bistro owner Mary Moltke, says Browne’s Tavern opened May 1. E.J’s Garden Bistro closed its doors last October. 

The new establishment serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Loomis says, with the full menu available from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The menu is a mix of different styles that Loomis describes as  “international tavern comfort food.” 

The eatery has about 3,500 square feet of indoor space, and about the same amount of outdoor patio and porch seating space, Loomis says. The restaurant has about 16 employees, he says.  

Moltke operates the E.J. Roberts Mansion Bed & Breakfast and Events Center, located at 1923 W. First, directly north of Browne’s Tavern.

Before partnering with Moltke, Loomis worked as the executive chef at Asiago’s Ristorante, in Boise. He says the two have been friends for more than 40 years, and Moltke reached out to him to help overhaul the restaurant. 

“She knew I was in Boise working as the executive chef at Asiago’s,” Loomis says. “She thought that she needed some adjustment to the restaurant’s concept, so she asked me for help and I came up to help out, as a friend.”

Loomis has a background in business, he says, and in addition to being a chef is a published author and former financial journalist.

—Katie Ross

Quilting studio doubles its size

Heartbeat Quilting, a quilting studio that provides machine quilting services and classes, says it has doubled the size of its operation at 16909 E. Sprague, in Spokane Valley. 

With the expansion, the company now has a total of 4,000 square feet of floor space.

“We were so packed in here that I couldn’t add any more merchandise or hire more employees,” says Wanda Jeffries, Heartbeat Quilting’s founder and proprietor. 

With the added space, Heartbeat will add another part-time employee, for a total of seven, including Jeffries, two full-time employees, and five part-time employees. 

The studio has five long-arm quilting machines, two of which include computerized systems. 

Heartbeat Quilting also sells quilting supplies, which include batting, threads, patterns, books, and long-arm quilting machine parts. 

Jeffries says the new expansion will allow her to stock a greater variety of quilt backings.

 

—Lucas Thayer

Vintage shop opens in North Spokane

Gerard Hegel, Keri Yirki, and Lynn Joyful have teamed up to open Rare & Retro Vintage LLC, a roughly 1,600-square-foot vintage store at 27 W. Indiana in Spokane.

Hegel says the store, which opened May 2, sells antiques and vintage items, most of which are 30 years old or older, including some mid-century modern items as well as repurposed vintage bits and pieces. 

“We have an entire room dedicated to mid-century modern, a camping section with old camping gear like cook stoves and lanterns, vintage tools, farm implements and gardening tools … people love old tools,” Hegel says. He adds that there will also be a “mantique” area solely for articles that appeal particularly to men. 

The business is leasing the space from the Red Bench Bible Church, which is located in the same building. 

Hegel says he is finding that collectors want everything from cameras to yard art to even cups and saucers. 

“People who are serious collectors are buying,” he says. “We had 90 people in the store on one day last week.”

The three owners will all work in the store at various times, he says. 

Hegel says he, Yirki, and Joyful all have previous experience in vintage sales in the Spokane area. Joyful owned a store called Silver Lake Mercantile in Medical Lake which is now closed, while Hegel operated a business called Rare Restorations out of his home, which has also closed.

Keri Yirki currently owns Redd Petunia Designs, a home-based design business, and divides her time between the new store and antique shows in the area. 

Hegel says he never imagined himself owning a retail store,  but volunteered to work in another antique store owned by a friend and was sold on the idea. 

“I had a lot of fun selling stuff,” he says. “And I’m having a lot of fun with this store.”

—Judith Spitzer

 

Printing company here changes hands

Rian Lothrop has purchased Mojo Reprographics, a digital printing company here, from Oliver Jones, who founded the business in 2005. 

Located at 1821 W. Fifth in Spokane, the business leases about 1,600 square feet and provides mostly business-to-business printing services, such as for banners, signs, posters, and other print materials. 

Lothrop purchased the company’s assets which included all of the printing equipment as well as a database of about 500 customers. He declines to disclose the terms of the transaction. 

Lothrop says the business will retain one of Jone’s employees to do production, bindery, and delivery work, and he anticipates adding one or two full-time employees within the next three to five years. 

“Last year was the best year thus far for the nine-year-old company and we expect to continue to grow with expanded services,” he says.

Lothrop, who will continue to do business as Mojo Reprographics, has 30 years of experience working in the printing business with companies such as Kinko’s and Sir Speedy Printing. He says he also has a background and experience in management and customer service. 

Lothrop plans to add offset printing, graphic design, and full-color process printing to the list of services available. 

“Oliver Jones has provided a high level of customer service and that is a good fit with my customer service skills,” he says. 

Jones, who will stay on with the company for about 30 days after the sale, plans to pursue a degree in divinity to become a pastor, Lothrop says. 

—Judith Spitzer