A frozen-yogurt outlet and a coffee shop have leased suites in a retail center at the northeast corner of Fourth Avenue and Sullivan Road, in Spokane Valley, and the lessees say they hope to open outlets there around Memorial Day weekend.

Spokane-based Froyo Earth Inc., and Tacoma, Wash.-based Forza Coffee Co. each say they will occupy 1,500-square-foot suites in the Common Grounds Center, at 325 S. Sullivan.

The businesses will set up their shops in a three-bay building and will sandwich an Elements Therapeutic Massage outlet.

Froyo Earth, which opened its first outlet at 172 S. Division in July, will hire about 10 employees, says Stephen Kraft, who co-owns the frozen-yogurt concern along with his wife, Karen.

"I think it will be a vibrant center," Kraft says of Common Grounds. "It's well located for a lot of families in the Valley."

Froyo Earth sells several flavors of self-serve soft frozen yogurt and toppings.

Kraft says the Froyo Earth and Forza Coffee should complement each other.

While the coffee shop is likely to attract morning business, "together, they will offer a spectrum of afternoon and nighttime options," he says.

Kraft says he and his wife hope to open two other frozen-yogurt stores in the Spokane area this year.

The Valley Forza Coffee outlet will have 10 to 15 employees, says franchisee Paul Rodriguez, who's in the process of moving to the Spokane area from Western Washington.

In addition to its mainstay coffee beverages, and Italian sandwiches and salads, the Valley Forza Coffee outlet will offer beer and wine to augment its afternoon and evening sales, Rodriguez says.

Rodriguez says he hopes to open other Forza outlets.

"My focus is Spokane Valley and then to the east," he says.

The Wolff Co., a Phoenix-based real estate concern that originated in Spokane and has ongoing operations here, developed the Common Grounds Center in 2007. Bruno Teixeira, the leasing agent for Wolff, says the developer has sought business tenants that fit the neighborhood.