North Side Curves fitness outlet closes

Lemonade Corp. has closed a Curves women's fitness outlet it operated at 410 E. Holland.

Carol Horlacher, who owns the company, plans to continue operating another Curves outlet she owns, which occupies about 1,700 square feet of leased space at 1104 W. Wellesley.

Horlacher says some members of the 1,500-square-foot Holland fitness center plan to transfer to the Wellesley location. Two employees worked at the Holland location, and one is transferring to the Wellesley location, she says. The other employee left the company.

Horlacher says she decided to close the outlet on Holland because the leased space became too expensive for her to justify, she says. A six-year lease for that space ended in June, but Horlacher continued to rent the space on a month-to-month basis until making the final decision to close last month.

The two Curves locations have been operating here since 2000, and Horlacher says she bought both operations in 2005.


Custom jewelry store opens doors downtown

Johnson's Custom Jewelry Inc. has opened in a 600-square-foot leased space in the Peyton Building, at 10 N. Post, in downtown Spokane.

The business, owned by husband and wife Travis and Denay Johnson, specializes in creating engagement rings and wedding bands, and in remounting stones. It also crafts pendants, earrings, bracelets, and charms, as well as serving as a full-service jewelry repair shop.

Ninety percent of the design studio's business focuses on made-to-order custom jewelry, which is created in-house, the Johnsons say in a press release.

Travis Johnson has been in the jewelry business for more than 13 years and graduated from the Gemological Institute of America, of Carlsbad, Calif., in 2003.

Before opening the store, he worked for another jeweler in Spokane. Denay Johnson works part time at the jewelry shop, handling ordering and accounting.

Medical billing concern moves to Liberty Lake

Physician's Choice Inc., a medical billing concern, has relocated from a Spokane Valley location, at 122 N. Raymond, to 21950 E. Country Vista Drive, in Liberty Lake.

Husband-and-wife team Bob and Ann Gott decided to move their business because they needed a better location with easier access for their clients, Ann Gott says. The square footage didn't change much between the two leased locations%u2014each space has between 1,300 square feet and 1,400 square feet of floor space, she says.

Physician's Choice has been in business since 1998, and does medical billing, consulting, and research for professionals in the health care industry, including physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, and masseuses. It also is a licensed provider and beta tester for Brickell Research software, a scheduling, medical billing, and claim filing tool for medical providers. The company employs eight people, including the owners, Gott says.

Before founding Physician's Choice with her husband, Gott worked for Premera Blue Cross. She says she wanted to create an easier way for physicians to process claims and for patients to sort through medical bills. For patients, Physician's Choice offers free medical bill consultations for senior citizens, and $25 medical bill consultations for other clients, Gott says.

She says the next big step for the company is to open a Physician's Choice location in Las Vegas within the next five years.

Community kitchen closes after three years

One World Spokane, a nonprofit organization in Spokane, has closed the doors of its Green Sustainable Cafe, at 1804 E. Sprague.

Janice Raschko, director of One World Spokane, managed the caf with her husband, Keith, who also was on One World's board of directors. The caf was in business for three years, and was run by the Raschkos and two other volunteers.

Keith Raschko owns the building in which the One World Spokane operated, and says the organization leased its 1,100-square-foot space from him.

The caf acted as an organic community kitchen that made local organic food available to everyone who wanted it, Raschko says.

Customers could either volunteer their time at the caf to earn food vouchers, or "pay a fair and respectable price for the food they (ate) based on their personal circumstances," according to One World Spokane's website.

Since the caf's closure, Raschko describes One World Spokane as being "in a state of flux." The Raschkos are looking for sponsors to keep the organization running. In the meantime, Raschko operates Checkerboard Tavern nearby and maintains property he owns.

Senior care agency relocates in Valley

Family First Senior Care, a locally owned and operated nonmedical home care agency in Spokane Valley, has moved its office to a 2,500-square-foot leased space at 521 N. Argonne.

Husband-and-wife owners Aifala and Jennipher Ama decided to move the business there from its former location at 300 N. Argonne, where it leases about 1,000 square feet of space, to accommodate company growth, marketing coordinator Chris Rich says. Family First currently has 60 part-time employees, he says.

Family First has been in business since 2005, and specializes in in-home services for senior citizens. The concern's caregivers focus on bathing, housekeeping, transportation, and meal preparation for clients.

Jennipher Ama, a registered nurse, has worked in the nursing industry for 15 years, and previously was with Providence Holy Family Hospital before opening Family First with her husband.