Peter Froese, the owner and chef at Spokane restaurant Gander & Ryegrass, has opened a "fancy dive bar" in a minuscule space in the downtown core.

Froese opened June & Co. in a 308-square-foot building at 215 W. Main on Friday, April 1. Froese says he hopes June & Co. will be a go-to spot for locals looking for a simple beer or a high-quality cocktail.

“A dive bar, in my mind, is connected to tall boys and cheap whiskey in the well,” Froese says. “We've discussed having Hamm's as the cheap beer, and our well is as good as the well over at the restaurant.”

Craft cocktails will be made with fresh ingredients and homemade syrups, he says.

“My head bartender is all about the craft cocktail thing,” Froese says. “Everything gets measured. Nobody's lining up glasses and just eyeballing it. We think there's something special to the craft of putting the effort in to do it right.”

June & Co., named for Froese's children, June and Cohen, is open 4 p.m. to midnight daily.

“I thought for it to be a regular drinking hole, it should be open every day,” says Froese, who adds that he expects residents of the apartment building currently under construction around the corner at 206 W. Riverside will be among June & Co.’s regulars.

Froese says he enlisted the aid of a Gander & Ryegrass employee–who received a “yuck" bonus–in cleaning up the former Riff bar space.

“When you walked in here before, there was a distinct smell of old pee,” Froese says.

He’s replaced parts of the building, including the doors, windows, the back of the bar, and the entire bathroom. Stickers and graffiti were removed or covered with black paint.

“We knew it was a little bit of a lipstick-on-a-pig situation,” he says. “The outside doesn't look like much, but you come inside, and it feels comfortable.”

June & Co. is two blocks west of Gander & Ryegrass, and Froese says he hopes the bar echoes the restaurant in many ways.

“We're going to make this as reminiscent of what we're doing at Gander & Ryegrass as possible, with a different format,” Froese says.

June & Co., however, won't offer food.

“I thought we could do sandwiches in here, but just fitting a bar in the space, we're fully packed,” he says. “I'm sure we'll have some snacks down the road. We mostly just want to get open. We will probably try, on weekends, to get food trucks here.”

Froese says he regularly drives past the building on his way to buy ingredients for Gander & Ryegrass.

"I'm a little bit of a daydreamer," Froese says. "I drove past this place and thought, it would take just one bartender, it would give our employees a place to go after work that's not work. I thought it would make some money. It sounded fun."

The bar has three employees.

There are six seats inside the building. Froese says the back patio has space for up to 20, and he plans to put up to six more seats at small tables in front of June & Co.

County assessor's records show the building was constructed in 1920 and is owned by Cruz Albisu, who also owns Cruz Custom Boots & Shoes, next door, at 209 W. Main. Before hosting the Riff, the building was home to music store Talksick Records.

Small bites

The Coeur d’Alene Golf & Spa Resort has opened a new bar at the resort, and a gourmet bagel shop at The Resort Plaza Shops.

The outdoor Terrace Rooftop Lounge opened Friday, April 1, on the second story of the resort, located at 115 S. Second, in Coeur d’Alene. Open 3-9 p.m. daily when weather permits it, the lounge offers cocktails for $13, as well as wine, beer, and small plates. Menu items include smokey beef sliders, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, sweet chili pork tacos, and ahi on shaved cucumber.

Lakeside Lox opened last month in The Resort Plaza Shops, adjacent to the resort. The bagel shop specializes in East Coast-style boiled bagels in flavors including plain, everything, jalapeño cheddar, and tomato asiago cheese. Cream cheese flavors include plain, dill, chive, and cranberry. Bagel sandwiches and grab-and-go options such as baked goods, yogurt parfaits, and quinoa salad also are available. 

Open 7 a.m.-2 p.m. daily, Lakeside Lox offers online ordering, as well as delivery through Uber Eats.

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