Commercial kitchen repair business opens

A Spokane couple has opened Northwest Commercial Kitchen Repair LLC, a repair shop that primarily handles restaurant equipment.

Technician Jerry Fox and his wife, Marian, who will handle the administrative side of the business, will conduct operations from their home on Spokane's North Side.

The company diagnoses and repairs "anything on the hot side," says Marian Fox, referring to the types of equipment it will service. That equipment includes dozens of different makes and models of ovens, stoves, warmers, fryers, and dishwashers, as well as specialty equipment such as woks, hot dog rollers, and pizza conveyor ovens, among others.

Jerry Fox, who has been repairing appliances for about 10 years, earned his master certification from the Commercial Food Equipment Service Association, a Greensboro, N.C.-based trade association of professional service providers and parts distributors.

He spent four years on the East Coast learning the trade and becoming certified, and then moved to Austin, Texas, where he became a branch manager at Commercial Kitchen Parts & Service, handling both the service and parts department there.

Originally from Washington state, the Foxes have family here and decided to start the business in Spokane. Marian Fox says they hope to hire more people as business increases.

The company has established a website, nwckr.com, which offers more information on its breadth of services.

—Audrey Danals

Cd'A Powersports adds Suzuki brand

Coeur d'Alene Powersports, a family-owned motorcycle, scooter, and all-terrain vehicle dealership at 2745 E. Seltice Way in Coeur d'Alene, says it has added the Suzuki brand to its product lineup.

Rita Sims-Snyder, who co-owns the business with her husband, Ken Snyder, and parents, Kathy Sims and Darrell Sims, says the dealership now is carrying a full line of Suzuki motorcycles, scooters, and ATVs.

It already was offering a full line of Honda and KTM products, he says, including motorcycles and Honda scooters, multi-utility vehicles (MUVs), generators, snow blowers, lawnmowers, string trimmers, and tillers, Snyder says.

To reflect recent additions—it added the KTM brand last year—it now is doing business as Coeur d'Alene Powersports Honda KTM Suzuki, she says.

The dealership, which has been operating in Coeur d'Alene since 1968, also carries an extensive line of used motorcycles, has a large parts and accessories department, and operates a service department that works on all brands, Snyder says.

The dealership occupies a building with more than 20,000 square feet of floor space at the address on Seltice Way and employs about 20 people, most of them full time, Snyder says. It's located next to Coeur d'Alene Honda, a 38-year-old auto dealership also owned by the family.

—Kim Crompton

Athletic shoe store opens on North Side

Wade and Julie Pannell have opened a Fleet Feet Sports Inc. franchise store at 1303 N. Washington, on Spokane's North Side.

The 2,500-square-foot leased space has been vacant for about two years and will receive about $85,000 in renovations, Wade Pannell says. Pizza Pipeline Inc.'s corporate headquarters previously was located in that space, he says.

Fleet Feet offers multiple brands of running and walking shoes, apparel, and accessories, with a focus on custom shoe fitting. A person's stride and the arch in is his or her feet are key factors in deciding what type of shoes would work best for that person, Pannell says. The store also will offer clinics, training advice, and race information.

"Whether your goal is to get fit or to go fast," says Pannell, the store will carry the equipment needed to conform to unique running and body styles.

The store has four employees in addition to the owners and plans to add four more within a year.

The Pannells have lived in Spokane for three years. Wade Pannell has competed in nine marathons and the Coeur d'Alene Ironman triathlon. He previously worked as a real estate developer, and Julie has been a stay-at-home mom.

The Fleet Feet Sports franchise company is based in Carrboro, N.C., and now serves a nationwide network of 95 stores. The Spokane store will be the third Fleet Feet outlet in Washington state, and the second store in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area. The other store is located at 511 Sherman, in Coeur d'Alene, and is owned by Garth Merrill.

The store on Washington will be open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Guy Byrd, of Cornerstone Property Advisors LLC, handled the lease.

—Audrey Danals

Consignment shop opens near theater

Echo Boutique LLC has opened in downtown Spokane as a store that carries contemporary women's fashion by consignment.

Owner Suzy Gage launched Echo Boutique June 1 in about 1,500 square feet of leased space at 176 S. Howard, next door to Interplayers Professional Resident Theater in the historic Metropole building. She says the store specializes in clothing made within the past few years, as well as accessories and jewelry.

The store also carries items for sale that are crafted by Spokane-area artists and jewelry makers, including photography and mixed-media pieces, Gage says. She adds that artists receive 70 percent of the selling price, and they decide on the listing price. The store also is a participating location for Spokane's First Friday observance, a monthly downtown art, music, and retail event, she says.

For clothing and accessories, Gage says she displays selected pieces for 90 days under an agreement that would give the original owner of an item 40 percent of the selling price in the store. She says she prices items in the store at 70 percent off original retail prices.

Gage, the store's only employee, previously worked in furniture sales.

"Everything is freshly cleaned and as close to brand new as you can be without being brand new," she says. "We get a ton of foot traffic from the Wells Fargo building."

She plans eventually to have two or three employees and perhaps a second location.

—Treva Lind