Hobby shop to open in Garland district

Nitro Killers, a hobby shop that sells remote-controlled cars and trucks, is slated to open in March in the Garland District, on Spokane's North Side.

Husband-and-wife team Austin and Shannon Else purchased a building at 1015 W. Garland that previously was occupied by the Taft, Mackin, Henault & Hancock law firm, Austin Else says. The building has 2,500 square feet of floor space and required some remodeling, all of which the Elses are doing themselves, Else says.

Nitro Killers previously operated solely as an online business. It still operates a hot rod website, at www.killbillet.com.

The company has nine employees, including Austin Else and Shannon Else. The couple operated the business's website for five years and recently decided to expand into a brick-and-mortar concern, Else says.

"We love the hobby and look forward to working with our customers face to face," he says.

New tap house here seeks green certificate

Inland Empire Restaurants LLC, which owns and operates the Manito Tap House at 3011 S. Grand Blvd. on Spokane's South Hill, is seeking certification from the Green Restaurant Association, co-owner Patrick McPherson says.

To be certified as a sustainable, or green, restaurant, the applying business must meet minimum requirements in the categories of water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable furnishings and building materials, sustainable food, energy, disposables, and chemical and pollution reduction, according to the Green Restaurant Association website.

It also must have a recycling program, be free of Styrofoam products, and receive yearly education.

Manito Tap House's menu items are made from scratch and primarily involve local, sustainable, and organic food products, McPherson sayss. The establishment also features 50 tap handles that serve craft beers, specializing in brands from the Inland Northwest and West Coast.

Manito Tap House opened last September in the 3,200-square-foot leased space that The Pear Tree Inn previously occupied. Vandervert Construction Inc., of Spokane, renovated the space, which cost $380,000, McPherson says.

McPherson owns the establishment with his wife, Jill McPherson, and business partner Denise Hanson. In addition to the owners, Manito Tap House employs 30 people, McPherson says.

Eco Depot opens new products showroom

Eco Depot Inc., a Spokane Valley-based sustainable building materials supplier, recently opened a small showroom inside the Sun People Dry Goods Co. store that's located in Spokane's SoDo Business District, at 32 W. Second.

Juliet Sinisterra, co-owner and general manager of Sun People Dry Goods, says in a recent press that Eco Depot's new 200-square-foot showroom will complement the store's products and green living mission.

Sun People Dry Goods occupies 3,600 square feet of space on the west side of a building that it shares with Spokane Public Market. Sun People sells a variety of products that are made from renewable and chemical-free materials, or that have a small environmental footprint.

Eco Depot's subleased space inside Sun People showcases backpacks with built-in solar-powered chargers, LED light bulbs, low chemical-emitting paint, and other green building products, the release says.

Eco Depot's main showroom and headquarters are located at 1326 E. Sprague. In addition to the products carried in the new showroom, the business specializes in selling and installing eco-friendly building products such as solar- and wind-power generation equipment, as well as paint, flooring, and countertop products made from sustainably sourced or renewable materials.

The business plans to offer a class called Solar 101 in conjunction with Sun People's current green-living workshop offerings.

Liberty Lake concern starts Valley newspaper

Peridot Publishing LLC, a Liberty Lake-based business that publishes a weekly community newspaper called The Splash, has launched a new monthly publication that covers the greater Spokane Valley.

The publishing business, owned by Josh and Kim Johnson, of Liberty Lake, began distributing its inaugural issue of The Current on Jan. 26.

The new 8,000-circulation newspaper is being offered for free at more than 150 Valley locations, but Peridot Publishing also is offering paid subscriptions for mailed delivery.

The Current will cover community news and features for a wide Valley region that includes the cities of Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Millwood, Rockford, and unincorporated Spokane County, says Josh Johnson, who also is editor of The Current and The Splash.

He says The Current's content also will have an emphasis on visual journalism, which he describes as similar to a magazine style with more photography, information graphics, and artwork.

The Splash, a 6,000-circulation newspaper offered free to Liberty Lake residents, has been operating there for more than 12 years, Johnson says.

Peridot Publishing leases about 1,200 square feet of space for The Splash office at 2310 N. Molter, and currently has six full-time employees and four part-time workers, Johnson says. The same group of employees that produces The Splash will staff The Current, he says.

Both publications are printed by Wenatchee-based World Publishing Co.

Motorcycle dealer expands inventory

Empire Cycle & Powersports LLC, located at 7807 E. Sprague in Spokane Valley, has expanded its product lines again, says owner and general manager Debbie Ellis.

It last month began carrying Kymco scooters, augmenting the Vespa and Aprilia scooter lines that it added last fall, and it also carries the SYM line of scooters, Ellis says.

Originally mostly a Triumph motorcycle dealer when it opened in early 2008, the dealership later added Arctic Cat snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, and utility vehicles, and Aprilia, Husqvarna, Royal Enfield, and Moto Guzzi, plus the various scooter lines, she says.

"So we probably have the largest selection of brands in Spokane right now, and we're primarily a European dealer," Ellis says.

Separately, she says, the dealership's exterior recently received a facelift that included new signage and the addition of a coffee stand in the parking lot. Empire Cycle employs six people, all full time. It occupies about 10,000 square feet of space in a 16,000-square-foot building there on East Sprague.

Entrepreneur starts consulting firm here

Stephen Grant, a local entrepreneur, has started a management consulting firm, BusOPS LLC, out of his home here.

Grant offers financial, analysis, and strategy services to small businesses in the area. He asserts his business is like giving a company an "MBA on demand"—getting an expert's opinion without having to create a full-time position.

Grant received a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in business administration from Gonzaga University.

During his time there, he worked with New Venture Lab, a small business consulting firm within the business school, he says. He used his experience with the firm as a foundation on which to build his own company.

"My thought with this business was to largely pick up where New Venture Lab left off—(with) basic business planning and research for start-ups—and fill the void between there and where larger, more established consulting practices pick up," Grant says.

In addition to BusOPS LLC, Grant also works at Event Rents LLC, of Spokane.