Nearly 50 years ago, a small group of visionary leaders established a local community foundation where people from diverse backgrounds could join in enhancing the quality of life for everyone who lives and works here through charitable giving. Today, in partnership with donors from across Eastern Washington and North Idaho, Innovia Foundation invests more than $10 million annually to create vibrant and sustainable communities where every person has the opportunity to thrive.
As we celebrate 50 years of community in 2024, we invite you to learn more about Innovia and how you can create your own legacy of giving.
I’m writing these words from the Inlander’s Kendall Yards office, which offers a clear view across the Spokane River to downtown. I can almost see the very spot where I was born, Deaconess (now MultiCare) Hospital, some three-and-ahalf decades ago. From here, my commute home is just shy of 5 miles one way — about 10 minutes in moderate traffic. And yes, I’ve lived in this beautiful region called the Inland Northwest since day one (minus a few years in Pullman for college). While many of my millennial peers fled this region as soon as they could, I was among those who stuck around.
All this is to say, as a born-and-raised local, I really, really love this place. So it’s an incredible honor to oversee this publication, the Inlander’s “Insider’s Guide to the Inland Northwest,” for the third year in a row, showcasing the limitless beauty, hospitality, innovation and unique identity of this incomparable corner of the Pacific Northwest. As your guide, along with our unequaled team of writers, photographers and designers, this year’s Annual Manual encapsulates living life here to the fullest. The biggest challenge of all — the eternal editor’s dilemma — is narrowing down an increasingly long list of story ideas about the local businesses, art ists, restaurants, natural landscapes and other facets setting our collective home apart. (If you can’t get enough, this coverage con tinues year-round with the
I hope this year’s appreciation for all that the Inland Northwest has to offer. Most of all, I hope the stories inside inspire you to get out there and see it for yourself. Once you do, I have a feeling your roots to this place will grow a little bit deeper and stronger, too.
Together, the University of Washington and Gonzaga University are growing the next generation of health-care professionals, rooted in our community — and here to stay.
AMY EDDY, M.D. UW School of Medicine ’10 Internal Medicine Residency Director, Spokane Teaching Health Clinic
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Together, we have a greater voice for the future of our region.
Together, we build, champion, and retain a talented workforce.
Together, we support the creation of business and job growth for a thriving economy.
Spokane Region, a thriving urban metropolitan hub that offers an available workforce, business-friendly climate, and collaborative spirit to fuel your business’s success.
The Spokane region offers many yearround entertainment and recreation opportunities to live, play, and enjoy a high quality of life.
• 76 lakes & rivers
• 35 golf courses
• 5 ski resorts
• 6 state parks & 4 national forests
• Concert & music venues of all sizes
• 19 wineries
• & so much more
We are a multi-model transportation hub with great access by air, rail, and highways to suite all your business needs.
The Spokane International Airport offers non-stop airline service to over 19 domestic destinations.
Go Eags, Go Zags, Go Cougs, Go Dawgs, Go Pirates, Go Sasquatch, Go everybody!
11 colleges and universities with 77,000 students building the talent pool for the region.
In addition, Spokane is home to 19 school districts, 2 skills centers, and several private schools.
A business relies on trusted relationships to complement the products and services you do best. Don’t allow your elevator and its performance to interfere with your bottom line. We have the quality of work, response time, and merit you are looking for in your elevator needs.
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The way to a more sustainable energy future is to use less energy. It’s why Avista teaches its customers how to save energy, rewards them for upgrading to energy-efficient equipment and adopting weatherization measures, and promotes new sustainable technologies. By optimizing energy efficiency, we’re reducing energy usage as well as carbon emissions for a cleaner future. Learn how you can save energy at myavista.com/energytips
PAGE 24
How we stack up in population, home prices, rent, weather trends and more.
PAGE 32
Checking on some of the biggest construction projects underway or recently completed.
PAGE 46
Crunching numbers on higher ed, and for the area’s public and private schools.
“What’s really needed? Housing is needed.”
— Nick Brumback, Spokane developerPAGE 30 In 2024, Spokane celebrates the 50th anniversary of Expo ’74.
The electric engine hums like a spaceship. A digital screen tracks location in real time. Neon lights emit a soft purple glow, like the Mos Eisley cantina in Star Wars
“I haven’t figured out disco mode,” the driver jokes from the front. “I’ve been trying to see if I can find that button.”
Even without the Bee Gees, this is a new public transit experience for Spokane. The humming, glowing vehicle isn’t a spaceship — it’s a bus.
In July 2023, the Spokane Transit Authority launched the City Line, an all-electric bus route inspired by bus rapid transit, or BRT, a public transportation system popularized in Latin America and spreading across the world.
City Line features 11 battery-powered, 60-foot-long, purple-and-black buses, each with five doors. They run along a 6-mile, east-west corridor through downtown Spokane, connecting Browne’s Addition to Spokane Community College. The buses come frequently enough that no traditional bus schedule is necessary: every 15 minutes most hours of the day. (STA plans for 7.5-minute frequencies at peak hours starting in May 2024.)
Riders packed the new system on opening day, as the big purple buses took them along its route.
Melissa Huggins, who led Spokane Arts during the creation of the City Line network, advocated to make the new line even more unique. She created a project to beautify every stop along the new rapid bus route. Bus stops were grouped by neighborhood, and community leaders collaborated closely with nine local artists to produce designs celebrating each neighborhood’s identity.
The result is a transit line that both looks to the future while celebrating the history that makes Spokane great. The frequency of buses make the line useful, and the attractive stops add to the City Line’s charm, making the ride more appealing to locals and tourists alike.
In 1999, Spokane began reimagining downtown, and city leaders envisioned a light rail pulsing through the heart of the city. But they realized pretty quickly that building tracks from scratch was far too expensive.
Still, the dream didn’t die. Instead, STA settled on a central route populated by buses. By 2011, plans for the City Line began to form as a more realistic compromise to enhance Spokane’s transit system.
The main goal was access, says Karl Otterstrom, STA’s chief planning and development officer. “[The question] was, ‘How do we really access the coolest places in greater downtown and other destinations?’”
It was also important that the STA delivered a service “that was not just another bus route,” Otterstrom says. The buses would provide more robust service, running more frequently than typical buses with a slightly different payment system and a specialized route. The buses also needed to look new — at a glance, the public needed to be able to recognize which vehicles were part of the rapid transit system.
Development on the route began in 2015. The project received some funding from the Federal Transit Administration’s grant programs, but this primary revenue stream for the transit system was at risk of being significantly cut.
In 2019, STA was able to secure $53.4 million from the FTA’s Small Starts Allocation, which funded over half of the City Line’s $92.2 million budget. (The project ended up about $10 million under budget.)
In 2020, construction on the City Line stations began, harkening the much-anticipated emergence of bus rapid transit in the Inland Northwest.
Hip-hop. Anime. Basketball. Joshua Thomas’ designs are colorful and cartoonish, a pop of color and blast of hope on paper, T-shirts or buildings. Thomas is the founder and designer of Lejit Designs, an illustration and branding company out of Liberty Lake. Thomas’ first foray into public art was a red-and-yellow mural on First Avenue that brightened up the boarded windows of the Carr Sales lighting store, which closed in 2018.
In 2021, the same year Thomas painted his mural, Spokane Arts put out a call for applications on the City Line art project. Spokane Arts’ Huggins had spent the past year and a half gauging neighborhood enthusiasm for public art and the City Line itself.
Community leaders were so excited that they wrote thick briefs to introduce
A new type of transit came to town that’s part commute, part trip to the museum
their neighborhood’s history, geography and demographics. They requested initial sketches showing how an artist would weave the information into one cohesive, appealing design.
“The neighborhoods were super active,” Huggins says. “Not only in creating the framework for these descriptions that the artists were drawing from, but then they also got to interview the artists and pick their favorite artists. Then once the artist was selected, they also gave rounds of input before the design was finalized.”
Applicants could choose which neighborhoods to apply to. Thomas’ first choice was the group of stations STA dubbed the “symphony district,” which includes stops near the Fox Theater, the Knitting Factory and the former Carr lighting building.
“I have loved music for as long as I can remember,” Thomas says. “I just felt a very strong kinship with the description they gave of the symphony station and the history and all of the people that had been through there.”
The symphony district leaders loved Thomas, too. He set to work distilling his affection into visible, serviceable design.
Art is featured on the same four elements at every bus station — a glass shelter panel, a tall metal flag, waste bins and a railing panel. These are necessary parts of the structure and are covered by federal grant money.
“Honestly, some of your best ideas always come from technical limitations,” Thomas says. “Any time one door closes, another one opens. In my experience, the door that opens tends to be something that’s far more interesting than the one if everything had just gone exactly as planned.”
Each City Line bus has new amenities to provide a different type of transit experience. The buses are 20 feet longer than typical coaches, with three doors on the right and two on the left to speed up the boarding process, which can happen on either side depending on the location of the station. Digital screens in the bus give real time information about what stops are next, and each station gives updated info on when the next bus is coming.
STA tested these computer systems over six months for accuracy, says Carly Cortright, STA’s spokesperson, as well as resiliency in extreme cold and hot weather.
Additionally, the buses are fully electric. STA spent many training hours to determine how many times a bus could drive through the route before needing to charge, as well as how long it would need to power up before returning to the route.
At the new City Line stations, the buses line up exactly with the platforms, eliminating the need to lower, or “kneel” the bus for anyone boarding. (The buses do have to kneel at the downtown transit plaza.) Cortright says STA discovered issues with the bus ramps and kneeling systems that wouldn’t have been known before launch without the extensive testing.
With all of these innovations, the group of 10 operators who tested the buses, nicknamed City Line’s Team One, needed time to become accustomed to the new buses and technology.
“The new thing that we’re getting used to is the left side doors,” says Jabriel Pumarejo, part of Team One. “Imagine writing with your left hand. Can you write with your left? No? But eventually? It’s just a matter of opening your brain up to what’s there.”
Pumarejo thinks the adjustment period is totally worth it for the drivers. “STA getting these buses — it’s like Cadillacs for the operators,” he says.
The best way to think about BRT is as a streetcar or subway system, but with buses instead of train cars. Service is so frequent that there’s no need to look up a schedule. Boarding is quick and streamlined with multiple entry points. Real-time information tells you where you are or when the next buses are arriving.
Today, some of the world’s best BRTs are in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Bogota, Colombia; Guangzhou, China; Guadalajara, Mexico; and Peshawar, Pakistan. Abroad, these systems often serve huge metro areas, but domestically, they're most popular in midsized cities like Cleveland, Ohio; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Eugene, Oregon.
The first city to gain international attention for BRT was Curitiba, Brazil. Curitiba kept making improvements to its bus transit in the 1970s and ’80s, until it developed into the world’s first full-grown BRT.
A fully developed BRT has five essential features: bus-only lanes with signal priority, a corridor in the middle of the road, off-board fare collection, turn restrictions at intersections, and buses that board at the same level as the platform. (ELIZA BILLINGHAM)
COMPILED BY INLANDER STAFF
It’s said that comparison is the thief of joy. But sometimes to know the value of something, you have to measure it against something else. So that’s what we did with the Inland Northwest. We took regions similar in size to ours — and a couple of bigger regional siblings — and stacked them up against the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area. Take a look, and take stock.
The Lilac City
Metro Area Rank: No. 98 (SpokaneCoeur d’Alene MSA)
PARKS
148 parks, totalling 3,670 acres; 9 percent of city SAFETY
Fatality crashes in 2020: 17
Homicides in 2021: 32
Number of city cops: 356
WEATHER
Temperature range over past decade: 109 degrees (June 2021) to -10 degrees (Dec. 2022)
The City of Trees
Metro Area Rank: No. 76
PARKS
178 parks totalling 4,227 acres; 7.8 percent of city
SAFETY
Fatality crashes in 2020: 9
Homicides in 2021: 12
Number of city cops: 328
WEATHER
Temperatures range over past decade: 110 degrees (Aug. 2018) to -11 degrees (Jan. 2017)
The Lake City
Metro Area Rank: No. 98 (SpokaneCoeur d’Alene MSA)
PARKS
48 parks, totalling 492 acres; 4.6 percent of city SAFETY
Fatality crashes in 2020: 2
Homicides in 2021: 3
Number of city cops: 103
WEATHER
Temperature range over past decade: 108 degrees (June and July 2021) to -7 degrees (Feb. 2014)
The Emerald City
Metro Area Rank: No. 15
PARKS
873 parks totalling 6,480 acres; 7.1 percent of city
SAFETY
Fatality crashes in 2020: 22
Homicides in 2021: 153
Number of Cops: 1,200
WEATHER
The Glass City
Metro Area Rank: No. 94
PARKS
168 parks totalling 2,995 acres; 5.9 percent of city SAFETY
Fatality crashes in 2020: 34
Homicides in 2021: 70
Number of city cops: 679
WEATHER
Temperatures range over past decade: 100 degrees (June 2022) to -19 degrees (Feb. 2015)
Sources: Trust for Public Lands’ ParkServe; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; National Weather Service; law enforcement agencies; police annual reports; news reports; and medical examiner data.
Temperature range over past decade: 107 degrees (June 2021) to 17 degrees (Dec. 2021)
The Forest City
Metro Area Rank: No. 103
PARKS
118 parks totalling 1,284 acres; 2.9 percent of city SAFETY
Fatality crashes in 2020: 4
Homicides in 2021: 5
Number of city cops: 161
WEATHER
Temperatures range over past decade: 99 degrees (July 2016) to -17 degrees (Jan. 2018)
Alot of people live in the Inland Northwest, and more are showing up each year. But where are they coming from? In 2021, about 8 percent of Kootenai County residents had moved from another state, and 0.2 percent from another country. The same year, about 3 percent of Spokane County residents had moved from another state, and 0.3 percent moved from another country. According to a recent search engine analysis by SpokanePlanner, these out-of-state transplants largely came from California, Oregon, Texas and Colorado.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Note: Spokane Valley was incorporated in 2003, meaning population data prior is unavailable.
At Coeur d’Alene Casino, we’re home to the most milliondollar jackpot winners in the region. Try your luck at our 60,000 square feet of gaming space offering nearly 1,200 video gaming machines. Checkout the “Discovery Den” gaming area, the only video machine gaming testing room in the Inland Northwest. Featuring an ever-changing variety of video gaming machines from the world’s leading manufacturers, you won’t find these video gaming machines being tested anywhere else in the Inland Northwest — or possibly even in the US.
Illinois native Rose Noble is no stranger to exploration, and her desire for a new challenge and change of location sparked her interest in applying to become Visit Spokane’s new CEO. Before taking the job in May 2023, Noble had never been to Spokane, but the city offered a variety of opportunities not common in other metropolitan areas she considered moving to.
Starting out as a public relations director for a jewelry company, Noble transitioned to tourism, becoming CEO of Galena Country Tourism in northwestern Illinois for eight years before starting her position with Visit Spokane. She also sits on the board for Destinations International, an organization representing destination, convention and visitor groups worldwide.
INLANDER: What about Spokane made you want to move here?
NOBLE: To have the amount of experiences you have in such a kind of consolidated footprint, not just downtown, but literally in the region, that’s insane. When it comes to nature, the food and beverage scene, art and culture, small businesses, shopping, all of that, and sports and convention, it’s the whole package. So professionally, it was like a no-brainer. This is something I think I could help sell and promote, and be proud of.
Since moving here, what’s your favorite thing about Spokane that you’ve discovered?
I’ve only experienced the tip of the iceberg. I’m excited to explore nature surrounding the community. I hear that up north is pretty cool during the fall for harvest, so that’s going to be exciting for me. If I had to say what my most favorite thing is, this is going to sound so cheesy but it’s actually legit the people I’ve met have been so great. Obviously the team that we work with is amazing, but the people that I’ve met have such passion for Spokane.
What are some of your goals as Visit Spokane’s new CEO?
We need to have community recognition. We want to have advocates, we want to have tourism ambassadors that can help us share what we do. This is the second-largest area in the state, but there are still a lot of people who don’t really know about Spokane, so the goal is to get more reach beyond the region.
Why should someone visit Spokane if they haven’t already?
I would tell someone that hasn’t considered Spokane, they’re 100 percent absolutely missing out. You’re gonna have the best time in a safe, clean, welcoming environment that is easy to navigate and has access to some of the most beautiful and epic nature in the United States.
“This is the second-largest area in the state, but there are still a lot of people who don’t really know about Spokane.”
What is your favorite outdoor activity?
I love hiking, I’m a big hiker. I also love being on the water in terms of kayaking or canoeing.
What’s a favorite park or hiking trail?
I went to Turnbull [National Wildlife Refuge] and I was really hoping to see some large animals, but I just was told you need to go in the morning, so I need to go back there.
What local events are you looking forward to?
Hoopfest, I’m so excited for it. I heard it’s wild. I’m also a basketball fan, so I’m not a player, I just like to watch.
What’s your favorite local restaurant(s) so far?
I don’t know if I’m ready to say my favorite. I went to the Elk and I had a kale salad. Baba in Kendall Yards, I had their falafel, which was excellent. I’m vegan, so Allie’s Pizzeria.
A chat with Visit Spokane’s new CEO about what drew her here, and her goals to get others to fall in love with the regionYOUNG KWAK PHOTO
BY NICHOLAS DESHAIS
Spokane was once the industrial heart of a region thick with lumber, mines and a network of rail lines that met in a jumble of concrete and steel where Riverfront Park now stands.
Below it all — underneath the two rail stations, a double-decker rail bridge, vast parking lots and numerous warehouses — was a river.
Fifty years ago, Expo ’74 uncovered that river and reminded the Inland Northwest of what brought people here again and again over countless generations. It was a gathering place and source of food before it was a prime location for mills and other waterworks. It was engulfed by industry before it was celebrated during the environmentally themed fair.
“It’s a pretty amazing story, and you can’t help but be proud of our city,” says Matt Santangelo, a former Gonzaga point guard who played professional basketball in Europe. Santangelo is helping coordinate the 50th anniversary celebration of Expo. (Check in on current updates at expo50spokane.com.)
Beginning May 4, 2024, Spokane will host nine weeks of events focused on five themes: environmental stewardships, tribal culture, the legacy of Expo, arts and culture, and recreation and sports.
Santangelo says the commemoration, which ends on July 4, will be a time not only to acknowledge the legacy of the fair, but also to look to the future.
“Riverfront Park is our downtown core’s heartbeat. It’s also the lasting infrastructure of the fair,” he says. “Expo was a hugely unifying movement. We want this to be a catalyst for what we want to be over the next 50 years.”
The Inland Northwest just keeps growing. A number of major, multimillion-dollar projects are in the works across the region. We’re focusing on the really big ones here, but if you look around, you’ll also see that recent changes to zoning regulations have led to an uptick in small accessory dwelling units and duplexes going up across the city.
One of Spokane’s biggest projects is the $37.9 million outdoor sports stadium just north of the Spokane River. The project has been in the works for several years, and in July 2023, the Spokane School Board voted on a name: the “ONE Spokane Stadium.” The 5,000-seat stadium opens in fall 2023.
A new urban center is coming to the Post Falls. Picture Spokane’s Kendall Yards neighborhood, but in Idaho.
The 32-acre Millworx development is being built on the site of the former Idaho Veneer Company, which closed in 2020. The mill’s large brick “hog silo” will remain and be incorporated into the design as an events plaza that will remind visitors of the area’s industrial history.
Located a few blocks from Post Falls City Hall, the development will have about 685 living units with a mix of townhome and condo-style designs, says Robert Jacobs, an agent with Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty. Residential units will range from $415,000 to $750,000.
Walkability is a big priority, Jacobs says. Many of the townhomes will have ground-level commercial space for restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores and other retail. A gym is already up and running, and a Mexican restaurant is expected to open this fall.
“That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Jacobs says. “To see Post Falls have a core and have an identity and to have more opportunities for me to take my family to eat, go work out and go do things… it’s just cool to see.”
The first few residential units are already coming on the market, but the entire project will take several more years to finish, he says.
Northern Quest Resort & Casino added a new hotel tower this year, making it the largest casino resort in the state.
The River Tower Hotel, which opened on May 1, 2023 is six stories tall and has 192 rooms. It’s connected to the resort’s existing Canoe Tower by a skybridge, and features lavish hotel rooms and suites with balcony access.
The building’s design is inspired by Native American fish weirs. The metal plating on the exterior walls resembles a hand-woven basket, and the interior features earthy tones inspired by the rivers and streams of the Kalispel reservation.
BY NATE SANFORD
The 59,000-square-foot Idaho Central Spokane Valley Performing Arts Center is under construction, as of mid-2023, in Spokane Valley’s Mirabeau neighborhood.
The $48 million project features a nearly 500-seat mainstage auditorium and a 200-seat flexible studio area. A conservatory area will host theater education programs for elementary, middle and high school students. Another event space can hold more than 400 guests and offers views of the North Idaho mountains and Spokane River.
In a statement, Spokane Valley Summer Theatre’s executive artistic director, Yvonne A.K. Johnson, said the space will be a “beacon of light” for performing arts in general and an economic boost for the region. It’s slated to open in 2024.
The Spokane Conservation District is working on a permanent structure in Spokane Valley called the Scale House Market & Kitchen. When complete, the structure will house a year-round farmers market and commercial kitchen. As of mid-2023, construction is expected to begin soon with the goal of opening in spring 2025.
An unused building will be renovated to provide space for about 25 vendors and a commercial kitchen that can host classes
on food preparation and preservation. An outdoor area provides space for an additional 30 vendors, food trucks and other activities.
In April, the Washington Legislature approved $750,000 to go to the Conservation District to help cover initial construction costs.
According to the state Conservation Commission, the Scale House will host 249,000 people annually, including many who will benefit from access to food assistance programs like SNAP.
See what banking is like when people come first. All Pacific NW residents are eligible to join.
Whether you’re interested in cleaning the Spokane River, reducing greenhouse gases or keeping tabs on development near water bodies, there’s been a lot to track on the environmental front this year.
In April 2023, Spokane received $6.7 million from a nationwide settlement with an international company that for decades manufactured toxic chemicals despite knowing they caused health issues in people and wildlife. The toxins known as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) are believed to cause reproductive issues and increased cancer risks, and were produced by chemical manufacturer Monsanto from the 1930s to the ’70s, when Congress banned them. The company understood health impacts of PCBs on fish and birds well before the ban, but prioritized profits, according to internal company documents obtained through lawsuits.
To this day, the persistent chemicals, which were regularly used in machinery lubricant and paints, are found in stormwater runoff that goes into the Spokane River, making its fish inedible. The $550 million settlement with Monsanto (now owned by Bayer) announced at the end of 2022 was paid out to more than 2,500 cities and counties around the country. Spokane received one of the largest payouts as one of only a dozen named plaintiffs in the case. The money will go toward more cleanup projects.
The Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium wants to convert unused land to new affordable housing with a $500,000 brownfields grant
from the Environmental Protection Agency. The grant, awarded in spring 2023, can help pay for testing and cleanup plans for properties that were polluted by past industries. Some owners either don’t want to find out if their property is polluted — and therefore a liability that could be impossible to sell — or can’t afford to clean up what they already know is there. But if a site is found to be polluted, owners could hand it over to the consortium’s land bank, which would be eligible for more state and federal cleanup funding. “Anything we can clean up and get to housing will be a win,” says the consortium’s executive director, Ben Stuckart.
Not only are some Spokane neighborhoods worse off during heat waves, but those neighborhoods tend to be poorer and more racially diverse, according to 2022 research by the Gonzaga University Center for Climate, Society and the Environment and the Washington state Department of Health. Teams gathered data around the city to see where “urban heat islands” are, and the numbers were later analyzed and reported in April 2023. Typically, the hottest areas had more paved surfaces and fewer trees or green spaces. The demographics showed they’re also more likely home for Black and Indigenous residents, and for those living under the poverty line. Some areas were close to 14 degrees hotter than others, meaning one part of the city could be 90 degrees while another hits 104.
After nearly two decades fighting in court, landowners near Priest Lake prevailed when the U.S. Supreme Court reversed lower courts’ rulings
From massive paychecks to changing water protections, this year brought big environmental newsSpokane got $6.7 million in a settlement with Monsanto.
that their land contains protected wetlands. Michael and Chantell Sackett’s plans to fill their property with rock and dirt and build a house, starting way back in 2004, were thwarted when the Environmental Protection Agency stepped in citing the Clean Water Act. The act restricts pollution that impacts navigable “waters of the United States.” For 50 years, courts and governmental agencies have struggled to define those waters. The EPA has long interpreted the rule to include adjacent wetlands, streams and other water systems that feed into those navigable rivers and lakes. Previously, the Supreme Court said that adjacent waters needed to have a “significant nexus” to be protected. But in late May 2023, the court found that if a wetland isn’t contiguously connected by surface water, it doesn’t get the same protections.
Environmental groups said the ruling undermined federal safeguards for watersheds that provide drinking water and habitat for many species. Just because a wetland doesn’t connect on the surface doesn’t mean it won’t pose a risk to the larger water bodies if polluted, they argue. Outgoing Spokane Riverkeeper Jerry White Jr. described the ruling as taking a step back into the Dark Ages. “To not recognize hydrologic connection is just misguided,” White said. “To then give a greenlight to pollute one part of that connection, and not understand that it’s
going to affect downstream or the other parts of that connection is really setting this country up for continued environmental degradation, which we can ill afford right now.”
Washington held its first carbon auctions in 2023 as its capand-invest program kicked off, requiring the state’s largest polluters to buy allowances to cover their emissions. The pro-
gram is designed to release fewer credits each year as the cap on emissions gets tighter. That will likely increase the price, encouraging companies to reduce pollution sooner. The first quarterly auction brought in about $300 million to go toward clean air and energy projects. The second auction brought in about $557 million.
“EACH PATIENT AND FAMILY WE SERVE IS UNIQUE, and I feel it’s our job to customize the care that we provide because this is their journey. We want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to help them navigate this time with as much comfort, as much dignity, and as much peace as they can possibly have.”
– Gina DrummonD, rn, mSn, CEo
To not recognize hydrologic connection is just misguided.
Over the years, the practice of pharmacy has changed in many ways. People have discovered the benefi ts of having customized medication available through prescription compounding.
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Spokane is defined by many things. A waterfall. Marmots. Actual winters. But when it comes to the look of the city — there’s one thing every neighborhood has that Spokane has done particularly well at creating and preserving: buildings that contain multiple homes. Call them apartments, multifamily residences, condos or whatever you want, there are examples all over the city from every era.
As everyone knows by now, we have a housing crisis, both in quantity and affordability. A good way to combat it is through the construction, rehabilitation and preservation of buildings that contain multiple homes. This may not be the solution everyone favors, but hopefully these examples will help change perspectives.
Here are five examples of Spokane’s wealth of apartments, condos and other multifamily homes where people have shunned the single-family home for something that’s perhaps more appropriate for our day and age.
(NICHOLAS DESHAIS)
Address: 1224 W. Riverside Ave.
Year built: 1973
Number of units: 100
Owner: Ann and Dave Martin
The 11-story Riverfalls Tower Apartments stand on the bluff above Peaceful Valley and the Spokane River gorge, a bronze glass behemoth with floor-to-ceiling windows that give panoramic views of the city.
Designed by Warren Heylman, one of Spokane’s best known midcentury architects whose work includes the Parkade and Spokane Regional Health District building, Riverfalls Tower was listed on Spokane’s Register of Historic places in 2021, the first of Heylman’s to be listed on the registry. Heylman lived in the building until his death in 2022 at 98, and his daughter, Ann Martin, still owns it.
Property manager Ryan Bollinger says the building used to attract an older living community, but now there is a good mix of tenants young and old.
“The rents were so low… it ended up being that people were living here for 30 years, which isn’t a bad thing,” Bollinger says. “With the remodels, we’ve worked on getting a younger demographic, but it’s still a more mature community.”
(SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)
Address: 1102 W. Sixth Ave.
Year built: 1948
Number of units: 6
Owner: Steve Schmautz
This glassy architectural oddity perched on the steep face of the lower South Hill is one of the first in Spokane done by the well-known firm McClure & Adkison and its architect, Bruce Walker. With Murphy beds and full windows for walls, the building represents the simple and geometric International Style so well it was a standing architectural exhibit in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Local developer Steve Schmautz bought it in 2020 because he and his wife “really like the midcentury modern look,” says Heather Bryant, construction project manager for SDS Realty, Schmautz’s company. Though Schmautz has rehabilitated numerous historic buildings in Spokane — notably downtown’s Legion Building and numerous structures on East Sprague Avenue — this is the first multifamily building he’s taken on, Bryant says.
“It looked like it had some good bones,” she says. “It’s midcentury modern, and there are few of those in Spokane.” (NICHOLAS DESHAIS)
Address: 15 N. Grant St.
Year built: 2022
Number of units: 135
Owner: Project^, based in Portland, Oregon
As its name suggests, the exterior of this funky railway-inspired seven-story apartment building is boxy, eye-catchingly modern and sticks out among the industrial feel of the urban area in which it resides: the University District.
With tenants ranging from college students to hospital employees, the complex offers various amenities aimed at bringing tenants together in communal areas within the building as well as offering access to multiuse trails that pass right outside.
While the square footage of Boxcar’s largest floor plan doesn’t even break 900 square feet, many of the units have glorious views of downtown Spokane through the floor-to-ceiling windows. (MADISON PEARSON)
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Address: 1813 E. Fourth Ave.
Year built: 1910
Units: 8
Owner: Take Up the Cause, an East Central housing-focused nonprofit
Unlike other housing in the path of the north-south freeway being built through East Central Spokane, the Rose Apartments were lucky. The 112-year-old, two-story red brick building didn’t meet its fate at the end of a wrecking ball.
Inch by inch, foot by foot, the Rose was carefully moved in June 2020 to a plot of land located less than a block from where it sat for more than a century.
Chris Venne, former board president of the East Central Community Organization, which was merged in early 2023 into the new equitable housing nonprofit Take Up the Cause, was there for all of the Rose’s long ride to restoration and relocation.
“The reason we went through all of this effort,” Venne says, is because the northsouth freeway “eliminated hundreds of naturally affordable houses. They weren’t great, but they were what people of low and moderate income could afford to live in. And now they’re gone.” (CHEY SCOTT)
Address: 508 W. Sixth Ave.
Year built: 1963
Number of units: 118
Owner: Nick Brumback
When QualMed Plaza was built in the early 1960s, technology was its friend. The medical office building has a steel-reinforced concrete facade and distinctive, Jetsons-esque honeycomb exterior, which was originally painted baby blue. Inside the adjoining 14-level parking garage, a valet controlled an enormous platform lift that slotted cars into tight spots — bringing efficiency to the space with mechanical brawn. Some units are already available, with more coming on line in October.
By 1967 the valet system was abandoned, and the garage sat empty for more than 50 years. Now, the building is getting a second life with a new name: 508 West Building.
“What’s really needed? Housing is needed,” says Nick Brumback, who bought the building in 2019 and faced a Herculean task to renovate the structures.
Offices had fallen into ruin by neglect and were completely rebuilt as living units. The muffin-tan exterior was repainted a modern dark gray tone. Penthouses now perch on the top floors. Every other floor on the shuttered parking garage — where ceilings were just 6 ½ feet tall — was taken out to create loftstyle living spaces.
“It’s been a momentous challenge, but it’s been a fun, exciting project,” Brumback says. “Bringing a nice modern building to the Spokane skyline was really important to us.” (NICHOLAS DESHAIS)
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COVID is technically still a thing, of course. But most of us have long since shed our masks. Mandates and shutdowns have faded into the distance. The pandemic — in the sense of the fundamental world-changing event — is over.
And yet, Whitworth University professor — and inventor — Philip Measor has been working on a way to reinvent the COVID test. He thinks he can make that test smaller. And smaller means cheaper. Smaller means faster.
“This is the general concept of the ‘lab on a chip,’ trying to miniaturize functionality that can be done in an entire lab on a small chip,” Measor says. “There’s many, many different applications.”
In fact, they’ve already done it.
That is, Measor and his team of Whitworth students didn’t test actual COVID. It was synthetic; a completely inert version of DNA strands encoded with key pieces of the virus.
But whereas a regular PCR (which stands for polymerase chain reaction) COVID test takes place within a device about the size of a cubic foot, Measor’s device has been shrunk to less than a square inch. And the testing instrument itself? Less than 200 microns, or about the width of two human hairs.
And sometimes, smaller is better. The smaller the testing instrument, counterintuitively, the faster the PCR test can run.
The way the PCR test works is that it uses reagents to amplify the sections of a genome that you want to study. But the more area the reagents have to work with, the longer it takes for the reagents to find the sections to amplify.
Here, of course, is the point where any skeptical journalist will be overcome with distraction about Elizabeth Holmes, the Silicon Valley woman who captured the heart of countless investors (and Walgreens) with the promise that just a drop of blood could be analyzed with a “MiniLab” and, within a short period of time, spit out an analysis of everything from potassium levels to Ebola.
But it was a fraud. The problem was not just that the technology was fictional, but effectively scientifically impossible — the sheer number of tests the company promised to do on a single drop of blood wasn’t workable.
What Theranos was pitching was trying to do too much
The Inland Northwest’s universities strive to understand the world we live in, as with these notable research projects
AND DANIEL WALTERSJEFF DREW ILLUSTRATIONS
with such a small sample size.
“If your volume is too low, you won’t have even one single copy of that virus in that sample,” Measor says. “You could get a false negative.”
What’s different here is that he’s shrinking the lab size, not using less of the sample. The sample can be concentrated, but you still have the same amount of relevant material.
Even though COVID isn’t as big of a concern as it was three years ago, a sequel is inevitable.
“There will definitely be another pandemic,” Measor says. “It’s just a matter of when. So we should be better prepared.”
He already has a patent for the 3D-printed COVID test — and the other possibilities are endless.
“Not only can we detect viruses, we can detect bacteria, parasites,” Measor says “You can detect it in humans, detect it in animals, and detect it in water.” (DW)
Indigenous women across America face disproportionate levels of violence. It’s an epidemic centuries in the making with a complex web of causes.
The crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women is something that Margo Hill, a member of the Spokane Tribe and an urban planning professor at Eastern Washington University, has focused on for years.
“All the work I do, it has to be work that matters,” Hill says. “I have to do work that helps my community.”
The reservations that Indigenous people were forcibly relocated to are usually in rural areas. These open spaces are difficult for understaffed tribal police to patrol, and many young Indigenous women don’t have cars, forcing them to rely on unreliable public transportation or hitchhiking.
On those roads, at isolated truck stops and bus stations, people are often most at risk, Hill says.
Before coming to Eastern, Hill spent a decade working as an attorney for the Spokane Tribe. It was there that she saw how a tangled web of jurisdictions can create gaps and make it difficult to bring perpetrators to justice.
Tribal courts and police departments are limited by a Supreme Court ruling which held that tribal courts can’t prosecute non-Indigenous people for major crimes.
As an attorney, Hill says she regularly received letters from the U.S. Attorney’s Office declining to prosecute cases. Things have slowly changed.
“Today, they’re stepping up and paying attention to those cases that are happening in Indian Country, because they get raked across the coals in Senate hearings in Washington, D.C.,” Hill says.
In early 2023, 142 Indigenous people were missing in Washington state. Ten people were missing in Spokane County.
Clearly, there’s still a lot of work to do. Communication across jurisdictions needs to improve. Tribal law enforcement needs more resources. Tribal courts need greater authority. Drug and alcohol treatment needs to be expanded. For her part, Hill plans to keep fighting. “We’re not going to be silenced anymore,” Hill says. (NS)
COMPILED BY COLTON RASANEN
Schools across Spokane County are seeing enrollment slowly climb back to pre-COVID numbers. Additionally, school districts have seen an influx of classroom teachers, bolstering their numbers back to 2017-18’s norm.
Students meeting standards have seen major increases, with math proficiency increasing by 21.3 percent in Spokane Public Schools in 2021-22 since 2020-21, and by 25 percent in the Central Valley School District over the same span.
Meanwhile, students meeting English standards have grown by 12.9 percent in the Mead School District.
All three districts have seen a drastic deterioration in student attendance, as each district recorded more than 12 percent decreases in students who had fewer than two absences per month.
Across the border, Coeur d’Alene Public Schools saw a similar increase in enrollment from the previous school year of about 100 kids; however, the district had nearly 700 fewer students than two years ago.
Coeur d’Alene schools saw increases in students meeting all three proficiencies, however, and managed to outpace the state’s percentage in each assessment. The school district also boasts an 87.1 percent teacher retention rate with more than half of the staff possessing six years or more of experience.
TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 29,399
9TH THROUGH 12TH GRADE: 8,824
7TH AND 8TH GRADE: 4,230
1ST THROUGH 6TH GRADE: 13,684
PREK AND K: 2,661 students
CHANGE IN STUDENTS FROM 2020-21: 400 students (+1.38%)
STUDENTS WITH FEWER THAN TWO ABSENCES PER MONTH: 72.2% CHANGE IN STUDENT ATTENDANCE
FROM 2020-21: -13.5 percentage points (-15.8%)
STUDENTS WHO GRADUATED IN FOUR YEARS: 90% LOW-INCOME STUDENTS: 18,264 (62.1%)
NUMBER OF CLASSROOM TEACHERS: 2,182
TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 14,696
9TH THROUGH 12TH GRADE: 4,605
7TH AND 8TH GRADE: 2,226
1ST THROUGH 6TH GRADE: 6,427
PREK AND K: 1,438
CHANGE IN STUDENTS FROM 2020-21: 445 (+3.12%)
STUDENTS WITH FEWER THAN TWO ABSENCES PER MONTH: 69.1%
CHANGE IN STUDENT ATTENDANCE
FROM 2020-21: -16.9 percentage points (-19.65%)
STUDENTS WHO GRADUATED IN FOUR YEARS: 94%
NUMBER OF CLASSROOM TEACHERS: 953
TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 10,331
9TH THROUGH 12TH GRADE: 3,505
7TH AND 8TH GRADE: 1,675
1ST THROUGH 6TH GRADE: 4,407
PREK AND K: 744
CHANGE IN STUDENTS FROM 2020-21: 71 (+0.76%)
STUDENTS WITH FEWER THAN TWO ABSENCES PER MONTH: 74.4%
CHANGE IN STUDENT ATTENDANCE
FROM 2020-21: -10.8 percentage points (-12.68%)
STUDENTS WHO GRADUATED IN FOUR YEARS: 91%
LOW-INCOME STUDENTS: 34.9%
NUMBER OF CLASSROOM TEACHERS: 632
TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 10,057
9TH THROUGH 12TH GRADE: 31.6% of students (3,178 students)
7TH AND 8TH GRADE: 15.2% of students (1,529 students)
1ST THROUGH 6TH GRADE: 46.2% of students (4,646 students)
PREK AND K: 6.9% of students (694 students)
CHANGE IN STUDENT ENROLLMENT
FROM 2020-21: 103 (+1%)
STUDENTS WHO GRADUATED IN FOUR YEARS: 90%
TEACHERS WITH MORE THAN SIX YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 64.2%
STUDENTS WHO ARE CHRONICALLY ABSENT (ABSENT 10% OR MORE OF SCHOOL YEAR): 13.5%
SOURCES: Washington Achievement Statistics: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction school report card data, 2021-22; Idaho State Department of Education
ometimes the traditional approach just doesn’t work. Luckily for parents and their children, there are boundless alternatives to the norm. In the 2022-23 school year, nearly 82,000 students in Washington were reportedly enrolled in private schools, according to the Washington State Board of Education. With almost 100 more private schools than were reported in the 2020-21 school year, private schools have seen enrollment grow by 21 percent. Meanwhile, Idaho recorded 18,766 students, or six percent of all K-12 students in the state. Rather than attending a public K-12 school, students have numerous options for education in the Inland Northwest, including private schools.
ARISE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
Spokane; Interdenominational; K-8; 509-309-9880 or arisechristianacademy.org
CHESTERTON ACADEMY OF NOTRE DAME
Spokane; Catholic Diocese; 9-12; 509-242-3750 or chestertonacademynotredame@gmail.com
ENLIGHTIUM ACADEMY
Spokane; Christian; Print-based PreK-2, Online 3-12; 509-319-2288 or support@enlightiumacademy.com
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Spokane; Christian; PreK-6; 509-747-9192 or fpchristianschool.org
GONZAGA PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Spokane; Catholic; 9-12; 509-483-8511 or admissions@gprep.com
HIGHBRIDGE SCHOOL
Spokane Valley; Secular; PreK-6; 509241-3721 or highbridgelc@outlook.com
HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC SCHOOL
Coeur d’Alene; Catholic; PreK-8; 208-765-4327 or hfcs-cda.org
LAKE CITY ACADEMY
Coeur d’Alene; Seventh-Day Adventist; PreK-8; 208-667-0877 or frontoffice@ lakecityacademy.org
NORTH IDAHO CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Hayden; Christian; 1-12; 208-772-7546 or info@northidahochristianschool.com
NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN
There are three campuses in Spokane and Colbert ; Christian; PreK-12; 509-238-4005 or nwcs.org
PALISADES CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
Spokane; Seventh-Day Adventist; PreK10, 509-325-1985 or pcasda.org
SAINT GEORGE’S SCHOOL
Spokane; nondenominational; K-12; 509-466-1636 or tami.peplinski@sgs.org
SALISH SCHOOL OF SPOKANE
Spokane; PreK-8; Salish immersion; 509-325-2018 or info@salishschoolofspokane.org
SANDPOINT WALDORF SCHOOL
Sandpoint; nondenominational; Nursery-8; 208-265-2683 or info@sandpointwaldorf.org
SOUTHSIDE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Spokane; Christian; K-8; 509-838-8139 or info@southsidechristianschool.org
SPOKANE K-12 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
There are nine K-12 catholic schools in Spokane and Spokane Valley, including All Saints, Cataldo and St. Thomas More; dioceseofspokane.org/schools
SUMMIT CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
Spokane; Christian; K-12; 509-232-5786 or summitacademy@ncek12.com
THE OAKS ACADEMY
Spokane Valley; Chtistian; K-12; 509-536-5955 or theoakscca.org
VALLEY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Spokane Valley; Nondenominational; PreK-12; 509-924-9131 or valleychristianschool.org
WINDSONG SCHOOL
Spokane; Waldorf education; Nursery-8; 509-326-6638 or wadmin@spokanewindsongschool.org
Check out privateschoolreview.com for details.
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Tuesday, Sept. 26 Peperzak Middle School 2620 E 63rd Ave
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Tuesday, Feb. 27 Chase Middle School 4747 E 37th Ave
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Thursday, May 30 Garry Middle School 725 E Joseph Ave
The Inland Northwest is renowned for its vibrant higher education institutions. In addition to three community colleges (North Idaho College, Spokane Community College and Spokane Falls Community College), five distinct universities shape the intellectual and cultural fabric of the area, each with their own rich histories, academic achievements, and deep community connections. (Note: Enrollment numbers shown are for fall 2022.)
Total enrollment: 10,915
Total undergraduate enrollment: 7,792
Average GPA: 3.32
Student diversity: 32%
First-generation college students: 32%
Master’s degrees: 55
Graduate programs: 35
Mascot: Swoop the Eagle
Notable degree: Addiction studies
EWU’s Roos Field, the home stadium for its football team, features a unique bright red artificial turf known as “The Inferno.” It gained national attention for being the first non-green football field in all of the NCAA Division I (FCS).
Total enrollment: 27,539
Total undergraduate enrollment: 22,612
Male/female student population: 46.1% male / 53.9% female
Minority student population: 33.1%
First-generation students: 31.5%
WSU Spokane enrollment: 1,424
Mascot: Butch T. Cougar
Notable degree: Viticulture and enology
Located on the WSU campus, Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe produces its own ice cream using milk from the university’s dairy herd. The shop also features the university’s award-winning Cougar Gold cheese.
Total enrollment: 7,253
Undergraduate enrollment: 5,093
Average GPA: 3.78
Graduate and doctoral programs: 29
Average class size: 20
First-generation students: 14%
Number of faiths represented on campus: 31
Mascot: Spike the Bulldog
Notable degree: Entrepreneurial leadership
Gonzaga University was named after St. Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian Jesuit saint who lived during the 16th century. He is recognized as the patron saint of youth.
Total enrollment: 11,507
Total undergraduate enrollment: 7,120
Student-to-faculty ratio: 17:1
Fraternities: 21
Sororities: 14
Minority student population: 18%
Graduate programs: 65
Mascot: Joe Vandal
Notable degree: Fishery resources
The University of Idaho is the oldest university in Idaho. It was established in 1889, the same year Idaho became a state. In fall 2022, the university saw its largest freshman class ever of 1,951 students.
Total enrollment: 2,592
Undergraduate enrollment: 2,220
Student-to-faculty ratio: 11:1
Average GPA: 3.63
Minority student population: 32%
First-generation students: 34%
International enrollment: 5.5%
Mascot: Captain Patches the Pirate
Notable degree: Human-computer interaction
When Whitworth was first established in 1890, it was located in Sumner, Washington. The college later relocated to Tacoma before finally settling in Spokane after bids from many cities in the Pacific Northwest vying to be its next location.
Where to see some of the Inland Northwest’s most striking murals, sculptures and installations.
From hit Broadway shows to gallery exhibitions, save the date for these must-see performances.
We’re in a writing hotspot — add these local authors’ latest titles to your reading list.
“I love stumbling into random small businesses and seeing local art hanging on the walls.”
— Melissa Bedford, Spark Central’s executive directorPAGE 64 PAGE 58 PAGE 52 PAGE 70 Spokane’s Lunar New Year celebration. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO
Life is more fun when you think of your town as one massive outdoor art gallery. The Inland Northwest is no exception: We’re bursting with public art around here! Taking inspiration from a digital guide to sculptures around downtown Spokane that resulted from a collaboration between Spokane Arts and Visit Spokane — which you can find at tours.visitspokane.com — we put together this region-wide snapshot of public art.
The following artworks weave together a story of the region’s history, the people who live (and lived) here, and the artists who’ve deemed the Inland Northwest a fitting home for their work.
Tucked in the middle of Washington State University’s Spokane campus is this illuminated sculpture by Peter Reiquam. Installed in 2006, the sculpture features a pair of oversize granite armchairs, a bronze coffee table and two bookcases infilled with lighted, cast-glass books. The “room” is bathed in glowing blue once the sun descends below the horizon and makes for a perfect gathering place for academics young and old.
Created by Coeur d’Alene artist Sarah Thompson Moore, this largescale installation features aluminum panels, some as tall as 12 feet, inspired by the basalt columns scattered across the Inland Northwest’s famous Channeled Scablands. At night the panels are illuminated, making the structure stand out from the trees that surround it. During the day, the sculpture’s columns create shadows on the ground, mimicking the basalt rocks they symbolize.
Spokane-born, Indigenous poet Sherman Alexie is the reason for this unique piece overlooking the Spokane River near the Monroe Street Bridge’s southern end. Alexie’s poem “The Place Where Ghosts of Salmon Jump” is inscribed in a spiral fashion on polished granite tiles placed in the exact spot he was standing when inspired to write it. A portion reads “Look at the falls now if you can see beyond all of the concrete the white man has built there.” It serves as a reminder of the rich Native American history of the area and the river itself.
In 2013 the Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission issued a call to artists to help beautify the newly revitalized McEuen Park. Artist David
Tonnesen was selected to create his wild onion blossoms made of stainless steel. The sculpture brings whimsy and drama to the park’s entrance, and is also visible from the passenger seat while driving down Third Street. Get close enough on foot, and you can even hear the quiet tinkling of the stars that make up the dandelion-like flower heads when the wind is just right.
Though this iconic piece of art was created by Harold Balazs in 1978, it was dedicated in 1981 in celebration of Spokane’s centennial anniversary. Appearing as if floating in the Spokane River’s south channel, this twisting and turning metal installation was designed to reflect light from the water. Most of Balazs’ sculptures have features and shapes similar to this one, so keep an eye out for more of his iconic work around the region — there are definitely many more.
This adorable lion cub sculpture sits in an alcove at the Lincoln Building on Riverside Avenue, and he’s practically begging for you to visit him. Just look at those eyes! Bronzo was installed in 1963 and recently celebrated his 60th birthday. (He looks great for his age.)
Sculptor G. Alan Wright was a Seattle native who specialized in bronze sculptures, hence Bronzo’s shiny coat and apt name. Next time you’re walking around downtown Spokane, pay a visit to this sweet, smiling lion cub.
Signal and utility boxes can be a real eyesore, but Spokane Arts is combating that by letting local artists beautify the stout, gray boxes scattered around the city. Since 2015, the public arts organization has been periodically installing local artists’ designs on them. There are now more than 50 artwrapped boxes across the city, featuring work by Tracy Poindexter-Canton, Ellen Picken, Chris Bovey, Denny Carman and dozens of others. Keep an eye out for these hidden-inplain-sight gems the next time you’re out and about, and explore an interactive map at spokanearts.org/art-map.
This eight-foot bronze sculpture behind the First Interstate Center for the Arts is a memorial to NASA astronaut Michael P. Anderson who died in the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy. Anderson graduated from Cheney High School and, later, the University of Washington. For the memorial, sculptor Dorothy Fowler depicted Anderson releasing a dove toward the heavens. Nearby is another bronze memorial to American heroes, the Inland Northwest Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which is inscribed with the names of 300 local soldiers who lost their lives in the war.
Tucked just south of Garland Avenue in an alley between Madison and Wall streets, this open-air experience consists of about 30 murals. Art is constantly changing thanks to emerging and veteran artists who share their talent via the alley-facing walls. Drop by to see the latest additions, and then come back a few months later for a completely new display. Oh, and bring your camera. You’re gonna wanna post these works of art on Instagram.
You may recognize Daniel Lopez’s mural work inside Anchored Art Tattoo or on the backside of the Boulevard building, plus many other murals fanning out from the downtown core. Though Lopez’s work is all over Spokane, one of his most widely known pieces is “American Jesus.” The huge painting on the side of a brick building along Second Avenue features Jesus with a pixelated face. Initially, the piece wasn’t too well-received — but it wasn’t supposed to be. Since going a bit viral online, the mural has been discussed and analyzed in classrooms around the world and is a staple in Spokane’s art ecosystem.
One of Riverfront Park’s newest art installations, Stepwell is a completely interactive piece of public art. J. Meejin Yoon, the mastermind behind Stepwell, is a world-renowned architect and dean of Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning. The piece itself is a huge, wooden, inverted pyramid into which passers-by are invited to step — hence the name. From the top of Stepwell’s stairs, enjoy a 360-degree vantage of the Spokane River and Riverfront Park. Yoon isn’t a local artist, but her passion for Expo ’74 and expertise in these structures made her the perfect candidate for this focal piece. u
BY MADISON PEARSON
These days, there’s no excuse for saying “There’s nothing to do around here!” — and the 2023-24 season for the following local arts institutions prove it. There’s always something happening, you just have to know where to look… And now you know! Head out and enjoy visual art from local creatives, music from Spokane’s very own symphony orchestra, community theater, hit Broadway shows, captivating museum exhibits and much more.
Just like the name insinuates, Best of Broadway season brings some of the best — and biggest — events of the year to Spokane each season. LES MISÉRABLES (Nov. 14-19) tells the story of 19th-century French peasant Jean Valjean and his innate desire for redemption — well worth seeing if you’re a fan of musicals in any capacity. The acclaimed rock-musical SIX (Jan. 2328) recaps the fate of Henry VIII’s six tragic wives, letting them reclaim their own stories. STOMP (Feb. 23-24) returns to Spokane for an extremely limited run of unique percussion performances, and MEAN GIRLS (March 5-6) also returns for a brief engagement. (Make sure to wear pink!) The kiddos will be happy to know that FROZEN: THE MUSICAL (July 24-Aug. 4) features all of their favorite songs from the Disney movie, plus more earworms for them to become obsessed with. broadwayspokane.com
Though the MAC was founded an impressive 107 years ago, its team continues to keep things fresh and fun for museum lovers each season. This 2023-24 schedule is no exception, with a diverse range of interesting exhibits — there’s truly one for everyone! “FIRST IMPRESSIONS: WOMEN PRINTMAKERS OF WASHINGTON” (through Nov. 19) features dozens of works from prominent regional printmakers such as Dorothy Dolph Jensen and Ebba Rapp. For the kids and the young at heart, “MINECRAFT: THE EXHIBITION” (Sept. 16-Dec. 31) celebrates the world’s best-selling video game with interactive elements and limitless possibilities. The MAC’s summer 2024 (exact dates TBD) exhibit centers on local author Jess Walter’s book THE COLD MILLIONS and the real-life stories of the people and historical events in Spokane, circa 1909-1910, that inspired the best-selling novel. northwestmuseum.org
As always, the Spokane Symphony is keeping busy with an absolutely packed season. The new SYMPHONIC -CON, happening Oct. 28-29, is this year’s can’t-miss pop culture installment, featuring music from popular TV, movies and video games. Christmas celebrations include the annual collaboration with State Street Ballet for THE NUTCRACKER (Nov. 30-Dec. 3) and POPS 3: A BING CROSBY CHRISTMAS (Dec. 16-17). MASTERWORKS 6: A MESSAGE TO THE STARS (Feb. 3-4) is dedicated to music about the great beyond, and MASTERWORKS 9: EXPO ’74 (May 11-12) features a program of music the Symphony played back in 1974 to mark the 50th anniversary of the World’s Fair. spokanesymphony.com
The Spokane Civic Theatre was founded in 1947 and has been producing top-notch local theater productions ever since. Upcoming main-stage shows include THE ADDAMS FAMILY (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) and A SHERLOCK CAROL (Nov. 24-Dec. 17), the latter of which tasks Sherlock Holmes with solving the mystery of Ebenezer Scrooge’s peculiar death. AMADEUS (Feb. 2-24), meanwhile, details a fictional feud between Wolfgang Mozart and Antonio Salieri. In the Firth J. Chew Studio Theatre, DRACULA (Oct. 7-29) reimagines Bram Stoker’s classic vampire tale, while SHE LOVES ME (Dec. 1-17) is a feel-good romantic comedy set in 1930s Europe. Season tickets are a great way to see ’em all, but single tickets are always available, too, making it easy to check out at least one Civic production. spokanecivictheatre.com
It’s easy to appreciate a show while sitting inside of the Fox — that art deco interior is begging to be admired while jamming out. The Fox’s schedule isn’t lacking this season, either, with tour dates from THE MOUNTAIN GOATS (Oct. 9) and TOWER OF POWER (Dec. 8) before 2023’s over. For those who dig an ’80s throwback, check out DIRTY DANCING IN CONCERT (Nov. 16) for the Fox’s first film-to-concert performance of the season. Starting 2024 in swinging style, PINK MARTINI (Jan. 29) returns to Spokane. foxtheaterspokane.org
That glimmering marquee in front of the Bing sure looks inviting! Take a step inside and be wowed by a diverse lineup of concerts, theater productions and more. Experience ONE NIGHT OF TINA (Nov. 24) in honor of late legend Tina Turner. For an event to entertain the whole family, the POPOVICH COMEDY PET THEATER (Dec. 8) promises cool tricks and stunts featuring rescue cats, dogs, horses and more. In 2024, March is the month of tribute bands with THE FAB FOUR performing Rubber Soul (March 8) and MANIA: THE ABBA TRIBUTE (March 12) celebrating the iconic Swedish pop group. bingcrosbytheater.com
Back in 1974, Spokane became the smallest city in history to host the World’s Fair. And now, 50 years later, we’re still riding that high! As of press time, the celebration’s event schedule hasn’t been released, but things are in the works for the celebration spanning from May 4 to July 4, 2024. Planned events highlight the “five pillars” featured at the World’s Fair in 1974: environmental stewardship, tribal culture, recreation, the legacy of Expo, and arts and culture. Speaking of arts and culture, the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture hosts an Expo ’74 exhibition (May 4-Jan. 26, 2025) filled with nostalgia, stories, photographs, memorabilia and more from Spokane’s International Exposition on the Environment. visitspokane.com
Washington State University’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is packed with a diverse and impactful slate of exhibitions. Jeffrey Gibson’s “THEY TEACH LOVE” (through March 9, 2024) combines various art media such as sculpture, painting and video with the artist’s American Indian cultural background by adorning objects with beadwork, jingles, fringe and sinew. “BEYOND HOPE: KIENHOLZ AND THE INLAND NORTHWEST” (March 24-June 29) is an exhibition featuring the work of Inland Northwest born-and-raised artist Edward Kienholz and his wife, Nancy Reddin Kienholz, examining how the two internationally recognized artists embedded their work in local and regional culture, environment and history. Meanwhile, Gonzaga’s Jundt Art Museum is hosting the “2ND TRIENNIAL INLAND NORTHWEST JURIED LANDSCAPE ART EXHIBITION” (June 1-Aug. 24, 2024), featuring works that showcase the diversity and dynamism of artistic activity in the Inland Northwest as chosen by museum staff. museum.wsu.edu, gonzaga.edu/jundt
In North Idaho, Sandpoint is a thriving arts and entertainment destination. Among the nonprofit Pend Oreille Arts Council-coordinated events coming up on the calendar, Dia de los Muertos is celebrated with a night of music by JARABE MEXICANO (Oct. 28). Participate in — or just watch — young actors in the Missoula Children’s Theater-led performance of KING ARTHUR’S QUEST (Nov. 18). If live music is your jam, go see concert pianist TIEN HSIEH (Feb. 14) for Valentine’s Day and then take it back to the Laurel Canyon days with THE SWEET REMAINS (March 5) and their lush harmonies. To wrap up the 2023-24 season, dinosaurs take over Sandpoint with DINO LIGHTS (April 12), a visual show that’s fun for the entire family. All performances take place at the beautiful, historic Panida Theater. artinsandpoint.org u
“It’s magical seeing kids engage in the activities we provide at Spark.”
Spark Central’s executive director is dedicated to bringing education and innovation to West Central and beyond
INTERVIEWED BY MADISON PEARSONMelissa Bedford has only lived in Spokane for four years but already wears many hats within the community. She taught at Eastern Washington University, holds a position on Spokane Public Schools’ Board of Directors and, as of April 2023, accepted her dream job as executive director of Spark Central, a creative learning-focused nonprofit serving Spokane’s West Central neighborhood. Since then, Bedford has fully dedicated herself to breaking down barriers of access to creativity so that all people can achieve the futures they imagine for themselves.
INLANDER: What makes the region a great place for you to do what you do?
BEDFORD: I think to do what we do at Spark, you know, breaking down barriers, inspiring creativity and imagination, we have to have a creative community that is committed to creative arts. And Spokane definitely has that. We have so many people who are willing to share their talents and treasures with us at Spark. It all goes back to community. When people are committed to supporting the community, that community thrives.
What is your hidden talent?
I can find a children’s book for every topic. Do you need a book dedicated to bilingual literacy? I’ve got just the one for you. Do you need a children’s book
that lets Asian-American children know they’re loved and accepted? I have tons!
What’s a project or goal you’ve been working on recently?
I’m really trying to master my mother’s lumpia recipe. I’m half Chinese and half Filipino, so knowing how to make good lumpia is a must. It’s like an all-day process so I’m really dedicated to getting this right. It’s a labor of love — that’s a good phrase to describe it.
What’s your favorite thing about your job?
I love working with the community and with families. It’s magical seeing kids engage in the activities we provide at Spark. I was recently helping a 4-year-old girl with a Star Wars circuitry craft, and she came back around and asked if she could make an additional lightsaber. I said, “Of course,” and asked if she needed help this time. She said, “I’ve got it,” and that’s my most favorite part, inspiring confidence in kids and seeing that lightbulb go off in their heads.
What does the future hold for Spark Central?
I mean, we always want to secure more funding so our programming can continue to be free, but I would love to see us grow. Right now we serve West Central, but Spark satellite campuses would be an amazing opportunity. u
What’s your favorite local art event?
It’s not exactly an event, but I love stumbling into random small businesses and seeing local art hanging on the walls. It shows how our community supports one another.
What about your favorite literary event?
Definitely GetLit! Festival. I got to be in the Dungeons & Dragons event, GetCrit, and it was so much fun.
Favorite book?
Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho.
Favorite local bookstore?
Wishing Tree Books! If anyone ever asks me for good places to pick up children’s books, I send them to Wishing Tree. It’s so inviting for kids to explore as well.
BY CHEY SCOTT AND MADISON PEARSON
Can’t keep a houseplant alive even if your life depends on it? Get the next best thing with these adorably life-like crocheted/knitted plants (top) by Emily Russell of eM Knits. When you see them at From Here in River Park Square or at Russell’s booth during a local art market, you may just think they’re the real deal, but these babies — ferns, cacti, succulents and more — don’t poke ya or die without water, and they look just as good. You can even make your own faux plant baby from a kit! (CS) instagram.com/em.knits
Life is too short to drink coffee out of boring coffee mugs. Mad Hatter Pottery’s Elyce Tallman specializes in monster-shaped mugs (center), bowls, shot glasses, plant pots — you name it. Each piece features an adorably spooky face and a notecard detailing that specific monster’s name, personality, likes and dislikes. Each one is unique, and makes for the perfect office conversation starter. Find Mad Hatter Pottery at various local art markets throughout the year — she’s the one with the army of little green-and-blue monsters. (MP) instagram.com/madhatterpottery
Mixing child-like wonder with the artistic vibe of Pablo Picasso, Chang Hee Kim’s ceramic works are eye-catching and awe-inducing. Kim’s pottery prominently features animal friends like cats, dogs, and even chameleons. The vibrant, whimsical paintings on each piece give a boost of dopamine to any space, and bring a smile to the faces of those who stumble upon them. Shop in person at From Here in River Park Square or online. (MP) changheepottery.com
Need a calming and creative outlet? Coloring books are here to stay. And even better than the multitude of options for any personality, interest or end goal you may have for your finished page, are Inland Northwest-centric coloring books. Consider Kelley Hudson’s (instagram.com/sequoiakelley) highly detailed drawings of local landmarks and landscapes in the Spokane Coloring Book, or the adorable animals and plants in Karli Fairbanks’ whimsical collection. (instagram.com/karlifairbanks). Find both at From Here, or contact the artist directly. (CS)
One of the easiest ways to spruce up a living space is with a vibrant stained glass piece. Spokane-based Ttrash Glass Art Studio’s Natalie McRae creates beautiful odes to the Northwest (bottom) with stained glass fish, mountains and adorable mushrooms. Nicole Potter of Stained & Broken offers traditional pieces like flowers, leaves and dragonflies, as well as comical pieces like speech bubbles saying “ew,” and slices of pepperoni pizza. Both retailers frequent local art markets and events, so check them out in person for the full effect! (MP) stainedandbroken.com, instagram.com/ttrashglassart u
The Pattern of the World
In his enthralling fantasy trilogy, Pact and Pattern, Jeremy TeGrotenhuis (who writes under the above pen name) transports readers to the fictional Empire of Sien. Through the eyes of powerful witch Wen Alder, TeGrotenhuis explores the dichotomy between oppressors and the oppressed, and what happens when the latter rise up to reclaim their culture, albeit with a big, magical twist. The trilogy’s third and final installment released in August 2023. (CS)
The Meadows
The anticipated third title from young adult novelist Stephanie Oakes, The Meadows has been called “a queer Handmaid’s Tale meets Never Let Me Go.” Protagonist Eleanor lives in a world ravaged by climate catastrophe when she’s accepted to a prestigious institution called the Meadows. Under the guise of privilege and exceptional talent, however, queer youth sent there are forced into hetero conformity. Both new readers and those familiar with Oakes’ The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly and The Arsonist shouldn’t miss this all-to-timely tale, released September 2023. (CS)
The Nighthouse Keeper
Following her 2022 debut, the middle-grade horror novel The Clackity, Lora Senf is back with another Blight Harbor mystery. Brave-hearted main character Evie, having just returned home from her adventure in the world of seven houses, notices Blight Harbor’s ghosts are going missing. Using her wit and courage, Evie must save her otherworldly friends from the vicious Nighthouse Keeper. Releasing October 2023, Senf crafts a spooky world that horror lovers of all ages can enjoy. (MP)
The Grand Promise
This work of historical fiction is loosely based on author Rebekah Anderson’s familial link to the construction of Grand Coulee Dam. The Grand Promise follows rough-around-the-edges main character Carter Price as he abandons his hometown to work on the monumental dam and discovers the project’s disheartening human toll. Anderson explores the Inland Northwest’s rich history through the eyes of characters based on her own grandparents. (MP)
Set Adrift: A Mystery and a Memoir
This June 2023 title is for anyone who’s ever been intrigued by the mysterious Bermuda Triangle. In it, Conover reclaims her family’s tragic history and sets straight the story of her parents’ disappearance there in 1958 on a yachting voyage. Through interviews, articles and personal reflection, Conover disproves national media stories while exploring loss, loneliness and, eventually, a sense of belonging. (MP)
Our Community: Black Leaders in Spokane
Our Community is one of few books on local Black history, a gap that erases a crucial part of Spokane’s story as a city and undermines the impact Black leaders have had and continue to have here. Featuring interviews with the late Sandy Williams, former NAACP president Kiantha Duncan and local politician Natasha Hill, the book is narrated through the eyes of a young Black girl. (MP)
The Inland Northwest is a literary powerhouse, as these recent and forthcoming book releases prove BY CHEY SCOTT AND MADISON PEARSON
Various titles
While the actual writing and editing is done by Rob and Kristin Billiau, respectively, coming up with plot points, character arcs and more is a family affair, with most of their five children pitching in on each new title. Set in the world of the uber-popular game Minecraft, the Billiaus publish at least one new middle-grade reader book a month. As of summer 2023, the Accidental Minecraft Family core series was up to 35 installments. Learn more at pixelatebooks.com. (CS)
PAUL LINDHOLDT
Interrogating Travel: Guidance from a Reluctant Tourist
While peoples’ access to the rest of the world has never been greater, allowing us to establish empathy and understanding of our fellow humans across this vast, multicultural planet, how guilty should one feel about the environmental impact of it all when boarding their next flight? It’s a complex and messy question with many pros, cons, ifs and buts as answers. Undeterred, Paul Lindholdt sets himself to the task of finding out in this 10th book of his. (CS)
LAURA READ
But She Is Also Jane
Spokane’s past poet laureate celebrated her latest poetry release in early 2023, a collection weaving together themes of womanhood, femininity, aging, and memory. Many of the poems within are perhaps a bit more brazen and vulnerable in tone — while often tinged with wry humor — than Read’s past work, to which she says, “The older I get the more I believe I should say the things I want to say.” (CS) u
Northwest BY SETH SOMMERFELD
While no one thinks the Inland Northwest gives off a Hollywood vibe, our neck of the woods certainly has some cinematic advantages. Spokane’s varied architecture allows it to stand in for a slew of cities, and the nearby terrain can be used for lake, mountain and even desert scenes.
While there haven’t been a ton of big movies and shows set in Spokane over the years (in part because Washington state doesn’t do enough to incentivize productions tax breaks), there have been some obvious standouts: Benny & Joon, Vision Quest, Smoke Signals, etc.
But Spokane on the screen is still a going concern, as these recent and upcoming productions illustrate.
Sometimes rock star dreams get delayed. That’s detailed in Dreamin’ Wild, the feature film about the true story of Donnie and Joe Emerson. As teens, the brothers recorded an eclectic rock album in rural Fruitland, Washington. It was completely ignored only to be discovered decades later and reissued by Light in the Attic records to wild acclaim. With a star-studded
cast including Casey Affleck, Walton Goggins, Zooey Deschanel and Beau Bridges, it’s a heartfelt family film with wide appeal — hence its wide theatrical release in August 2023. Authenticity runs through the film’s core, as it was actually shot on the Emerson family farm and includes new music from Donnie and his wife, Nancy. If you missed Dreamin’ Wild’s theatrical run, the movie will hit video on demand platforms before eventually arriving on Hulu at a later date.
One of the standout films from recent editions of the Spokane International Film Festival was Tim Travers & the Time Traveler’s Paradox, a delightful short film play on the time travel genre where the titular Tim (Samuel Dunning) creates (and kills) multiple versions of himself until everything spirals into pure absurdity. After winning awards on the festival circuit, writer/director Stimson Snead (an Eastern Washington University grad) adapted Tim’s tale into a full-length feature of the same name. It’s certainly a Spokane production — with the time machine set constructed in Studio A (a relatively new Airway Heights film production facility) and MODEfx handling the digital effects — but the expanded version also features some star power with a cast that includes Joel McHale, Danny Trejo, Felicia Day and Keith David. Snead projects Tim Travers will finish post-production in early 2024, then hit the
spring festival circuit before hopefully being available for public viewing possibly as early as summer 2024.
Spokane isn’t only a place for big-screen stories, as the television series Coming Home illustrates. The show on the Evangelical Christian streaming service Pure Flix follows a hospice nurse (Cynthia Geary) who must help patients and their families cope and find hope in their final days. The show’s hospital set was built and is housed in Studio A. After the initial six-episode season became the top show on Pure Flix, a second season arrives on Dec. 29, 2023.
It’s a difficult enough challenge to shoot a short supernatural thriller/period piece set among the Salish people a century before white settlers arrived. But Strongest at the End of the World vastly upped the degree of difficulty by having its two actors speak entirely in Salish. Written and directed by Spokane Tribe member Ryan Abrahamson and produced by Counting Coup Films, the short film’s artistic representation is more than a bit ambitious with its tale of a young couple who face danger after coming across a mysterious stone with powers. Efforts were made to have period-accurate costumes, and tipis and language consultants were brought on to make sure everything was done as authentically as possible. One of the film’s goals is to try to get more film incentives that encourage film production on reservations across the state. Strongest at the End of the World aims to start playing the festival circuit in 2024.
While some of us spent peak COVID times bingeing TV, writer/actor Aimee Paxton was making a show of her own. The Spokanite crafted and performed her one-woman show untouchable, which focused on her own comingof-age tale as a girl growing up with rheumatoid arthritis, dealing with bullies and various other physical and emotional growing pains. Along with local director Kendra Ann Sherrill, Paxton is now turning that black-box production into a colorful short film that she’s tonally described as “Fleabag meets Lizzie McGuire.” After crowdfunding over $13,000 to make the Y2K era short about youthful awkwardness, the production started shooting in summer 2023 and hopes to be ready to screen for audiences at film festivals in early 2024. u
In the 54 years since its inception, the Spokane Art School has called many places home.
From its humble beginnings as an art school for Rotary Club members’ children in the basement of Litho Art Printers on south Lincoln Street to the Garland Avenue building the school called home for the last decade, the nonprofit always made it work.
Until it couldn’t anymore.
“Have you been inside of the Garland space?” asks Lisa Soranaka, a longtime board member and ceramics instructor at the school. “It’s tight. It’s so small.”
Along with art supplies stacking up in odd places and structural issues with the foundation, the location lacked ADA-required accessibility. Stairs were narrow, doorways slight, and there was hardly any wiggle room once teaching spaces were filled for instruction.
“We could fit 10 to 12 students in one room at one time,” says Jodi Davis, the art school’s office manager. “We were bursting at the seams.”
Then came 2020. While student enrollment hit an all-time high in 2019, the school had no option but to close for four to five months during the pandemic’s early months. Once Davis and Spokane Art School’s board figured out how to continue operations through the pandemic, classes resumed fully online.
At that time Spokane Art School’s small-butmighty team of two paid staff members and a volunteer board of eight also began searching for locations to rent or buy. At one point, they considered tearing down the building at 811 W. Garland Ave. and building a new home.
“This was the middle of the pandemic,” Soranaka says. “We could’ve just torn it down and built on top of
BY MADISON PEARSONit, but construction costs were through the roof.”
In a perfect world, she says the school would have remained in the Garland District if it weren’t for lack of space.
Upon entering Spokane Art School’s new home at the corner of Sherman Street and Second Avenue, it’s apparent that tight spaces and accessibility issues are a thing of the past. After reopening in early 2023, the nonprofit arts hub brings a different kind of education to the University District than its neighboring schools: Eastern Washington University’s Catalyst campus and the medical school outposts of Washington State University, University of Washington and Gonzaga University.
The first floor of the new space features swaths of exposed brick walls. Paintings and other art on display at any given time are illuminated by tons of natural light invited in by floor-to-ceiling windows along the main room’s back wall. The upper floor, meanwhile, is home to an ADA accessible restroom as well as one classroom.
Just after entering the new building, those familiar with the Art School’s old space may sense a breath of fresh air, with plenty of room to move around, enjoy the current exhibition and shop for goods created by the school’s instructors.
The school offers about 30 classes a month now, with a session taking place nearly every single day — something that would not be possible had it not relocated.
The school’s lower floor features a large, open space fit for classes of all kinds. Drawing, sketching,
sculpting, painting and pottery classes are but a sampling of what’s often on the schedule.
“Our one-year goal is to get a ceramic studio up and running,” Davis says. “This space can now accommodate the kiln we already had, but couldn’t use, plus an additional kiln.”
Along with the opportunity for more classes, the art school’s relocation has opened up other possibilities.
“We’re also able to host our events in-house now,” Davis says. “Not only does that save us some money, but it also gives us the opportunity to invite the community in and make the entire space more community-oriented.” u
ART SALVAGE artsalvagespokane.com
CORBIN ART CENTER my.spokanecity.org/recreation/corbin-art
EMERGE emergecda.com
SPOKANE PRINT & PUBLISHING CENTER spokaneprint.org
SPOKANE PUBLIC LIBRARY spokanelibrary.org
URBAN ART CO-OP urbanartcoop.org
Celebrate our neighbors from around the world with these six annual, multicultural festivals
BY MADISON PEARSON
When people of different cultures and life experiences come together, a community is born. Part of being a good citizen is showing respect for the other cultures that coexist with your own. Whether you’re an adventurous foodie looking for your next favorite meal or a curious soul looking to expand your worldview, these yearly celebrations offer a glimpse into the vibrant, diverse cultures of the Inland Northwest.
Diwali is a Hindu holiday observed each fall celebrating the victory of light over darkness. Those who celebrate light candles and place them outside of their doors, giving Diwali its nickname, the festival of lights. Each year inside River Park Square, Spokane hosts its very own Diwali celebration, which typically includes a vegetarian food festival, traditional rangoli art, cultural performances and demonstrations. Oct. 7, 2023, spokaneunitedwestand.org
In 2024, the Lunar New Year marks the dawn of the year of the dragon according to the Chinese zodiac. Widely celebrated by many East Asian cultures, Lunar New Year events often feature colorful displays, lively lion and dragon dances, traditional Asian foods, cultural activities and more. Hosted by Spokane United We Stand, the yearly event celebrates the unique history of Spokane’s Asian American community and those who keep its vibrant traditions alive. Mid-February 2024, spokaneunitedwestand.org
Spokane’s Asian Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (ANHPI) community has been around for a long time. Really. Going back to the 1880s, Chinese and Japanese immigrants played integral roles in Spokane’s found-
ing. This event, also hosted by Spokane United We Stand, aims to bring this history to the forefront by sharing ANHPI culture in Riverfront Park each year. Enjoy delicious banh mi sandwiches, traditional dance performances and live music, as well as a resource fair which grants access to local organizations and businesses without any barriers. May 10-11, 2024, spokaneunitedwestand.org
Spokane’s third annual Kalayaan Day celebration marks the 125th anniversary of the Philippine Declaration of Independence. Organized by the Filipino American Northwest Association, a nonprofit working to enrich the cultural identity and diversity present in the region, the daylong festival is packed with activities like Zumba dancing and cultural performances. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a celebration without traditional food. So come hungry and ready to immerse yourself in a new culture. June 2024, filamnw.com
When it comes to celebrating our community, this event is the place to be. Unity in the Community has been around for nearly 30 years and highlights some of the most underrepresented groups in the region. Along with its aim to educate people about different cultures and to provide resources to those in need, Unity also includes diverse traditional performances from all represented cultures and a vendor fair full of local, cultural goods. Mid-August 2024, nwunity.org
If you’re a fan of the classic beer and a burger combination, why not spice it up while experiencing a new, vibrant culture? Every August, the Hispanic Business/Professional Association, also known as Nuestras Raíces, hosts this two-day celebration for a good cause. Taking place at the Central Library in downtown Spokane, the festival raises scholarship funds for Hispanic youth and features various cultural performances and live music, handcrafted tequila, and plenty of authentic food from local vendors. August 24-25, 2024, tacostequilaspokane.com u
One, two or three scoops? With so many creative flavors, let your sweet tooth decide.
You want to buy fresh and local? Well, you’ve got 35 farmers markets to choose from.
Local breweries are winning fans — and big, shiny awards — from all over the world.
“Wine is muscle memory, just like exercise.”
— Krista French, Stylus Wine & Vinyl BarPAGE 96 PAGE 84 PAGE 80 PAGE 116 Crave! Northwest in Spokane Valley ARI NORDHAGEN PHOTO
1122 W. Summit Pkwy., sorellaspokane.com, 509-443-4023
BY INLANDER STAFFWhile the Inland Northwest is rich with exciting, excellent dining from established eateries, there’s nothing like checking out a buzzy new restaurant for the first time. Since our last edition of Annual Manual, the region has seen an abundance of new arrivals across the spectrum, from fine dining to hunger-satiating quick-service spots. Among those newcomers are the following — each is well worth setting aside the time for a meal.
New to Kendall Yards as of spring 2023, Sorella inhabits a space that’s chic and moody, but also relaxed and modern. The setting elegantly complements the traditional Italian fare served there.
Overlooking Sorella’s entrance and dining room is an expansive gallery wall stretching upward to the vaulted ceiling, filled with hundreds of artworks in gold-painted frames in varying sizes. Plush velvet upholstery in a deep teal evokes the swanky vibe of a Manhattan hotel lounge, complete with contemporary crystal chandeliers and a backlit, mirror-covered bar.
Owner Lauren Blumenthal learned the nuances of running a successful restaurant from one of Italian cuisine’s Pacific Northwest greats, Mauro Golmarvi. Before opening Sorella, she
worked the front of house at Golmarvi’s storied downtown Seattle eatery, Assaggio Ristorante, a fixture since 1993.
The menu at Sorella (which means “sister” in Italian) was a collaboration between Blumenthal and executive chef Justin Klauba. The result is a concise but varied collection of traditional antipasto courses — appetizers like whipped ricotta, a salumi selection and bone marrow with black garlic — followed by salads, handmade pasta and protein-centric entrees. Among the half-dozen pasta dishes is a zesty limone and a spicy-as-you-like vodka sauce. There’s also crab-stuffed ravioli, unctuous carbonara and lasagna.
At the sparkling bar, find Italian aperitifs and digestifs like amaro and vermouth, but also an extensive wine list carefully curated by Blumenthal. (CHEY SCOTT)
Over the past year, the region welcomed new eateries ranging from Italian and French to flavorful lunchtime spotsFind modern Italian at Sorella in Kendall Yards. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO
230 W. Riverside Ave., boweryspokane.com, 509-474-1790
A new French restaurant on West Riverside Avenue as of summer 2023, Bowery tries to offer every moment of a day in Paris — pastries in the morning, dinner in the evening, cocktails late at night. It marries Northwest flavors with classic French techniques, seeking the elegance of French food, but ditching the snobby ego.
Bowery is the place to go if you can recognize great French food, or if you are desperately trying to figure out what all the hype is about. A simple, straightforward, pronounce-able menu from executive chef and owner Todd Andrews belies expert technique. Thoughtful and unique flavor combinations are approachable and tempting. Gnocchi and hazelnut. Salmon and morel. Duck breast and grape.
Bowery is right off the new City Line transit route, and a straight shot from Spokane Valley. The bistro adds to a growing block of downtown, right next to the Warren Apartments and across the street from popular joints High Nooner and Ruins. Dinner with a glass of wine might cost you more than a tank of gas, but much less than a plane ticket to Marseille.
(ELIZA12501 N. Division St., dosgordostacos.com
Three decades after starting out in the restaurant industry, CJ Callahan is the executive chef for Dos Gordos, a taco and tequila destination opened by One Tree Hard Cider in the Wandermere area of North Spokane. Dos Gordos is easy to miss, especially if you’re not looking for creative dining options in a brick stripmall across from Fred Meyer.
But the first clue that you’re in a special place is the bar. Eighty-six tequilas and 33 mezcals are displayed behind the counter, many on the top shelf. The menu seems approachable — most people recognize words like salsa, guacamole, slaw, and probably even crema, chimichurri, and pico de gallo. But when you see the food — and taste the food — it’s clear that you haven’t had anything like this before.
One of the most popular tacos at Dos Gordos is fried chicken, a fabulously confused combo of crispy chicken, hot honey and pickled chili in a tortilla. The chorizo con papas taco throws Mexican sausage and French fried potatoes together. Callahan also brings his unique approach to pork and beef tacos, plus a mushroom option for vegetarians. At Dos Gordos, kids can get their tacos served in an orange dinosaur toy. But it’s also the place where Callahan is dreaming up five-course beer dinners. (ELIZA
BILLINGHAM)2501 N. Monroe St., zozossandwichhouse.com, 509-413-2558
After honing their dream of owning a restaurant during the pandemic, Jenn and Aaron Hesseltine landed in the old Azars building on Monroe after that 42-year-old local spot closed. After some fresh paint, new flooring and a kitchen revamp, the couple opened Zozo’s Sandwich Shop in mid-March 2023.
One of Zozo’s most popular items is its signature cheesesteak, which features house-roasted beef, house-made cheese whiz and chopped, grilled onions. Diners can add on fries and sweet peppers for the full experience. Another popular choice is the Italian beef, the Hesseltine’s take on the Chicago-famous sandwich topped with house-made giardiniera, or pickled veggies.
Zozo’s staff hand bread every pork and chicken cutlet. All other premium meats and cheeses get sliced in the kitchen each day; bread is baked locally by Yoke’s. Besides hearty sandwiches, Zozo’s also boasts super affordable (and filling) smash burgers, plus a breakfast menu served all day. (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)
411 N. Nettleton St., brgr.house, 509-340-9374
Previously the chef-owner of Park Lodge Restaurant, chef Philip Stanton opened BRGR House in spring 2023 in the same Kendall Yards location, sandwiched between Hello Sugar, donut shop and the Centennial Trail. The new eatery offers only burgers and fries, plus beer and cocktails.
Stanton sees this as the perfect fit for his team’s passion for creativity and excellence, plus the neighborhood’s love for quality and sustainability. BRGR House’s chefs use an open-flame Argentinian grill, fueled by apple and cherry wood. The menu design still relies on boxes of seasonal produce and minimally processed meats. Stanton grows his own herbs in a garden right off the patio.
Much of the menu is definitely familiar. The Classic BRGR is a thick, 6-ounce patty topped with lettuce, onion, pickle, white cheddar and the house’s secret BRGR sauce. Tiny smashburgers are one of Stanton’s favorites. Stack two smash burgers with pickles and sauce to make one Mighty BRGR, or go ahead and order a whole bag to take home. (ELIZA BILLINGHAM)
818 W. Riverside Ave., thehouseofbrunch.com, 509-413-9679
Combining the hearty with the healthy, and the high-end with the familiar, House of Brunch’s menu and vibe were crafted to appeal to myriad tastes, all delivered with a steady focus on high-end hospitality.
To create that kind of memorable, posh feel, House of Brunch serves items like gold-leaf garnished caviar served on spoon-shaped potato wafers. Fresh oysters and a robust sparkling wine and champagne list add another luxurious note to the menu. But there’s also hearty, American breakfast classics — the à la carte menu has eggs, bacon, toast and even a smash burger.
The restaurant’s dining room is light, airy and naturally lit, with a neutral color palette and touches of metallic textures and finishes. A large patio facing Riverside Avenue opens in warm weather.
Before launching House of Brunch in spring 2023, co-owners Jackson Connery and Brad Duffy worked together at the exclusive Gozzer Ranch enclave on Lake Coeur d’Alene. (CHEY SCOTT)
BILLIE’S DINER
13008 W. Sunset Hwy., Airway Heights billiesdiner.com, 509-244-0197
KONALA
107 E. Seventh Ave., Post Falls konala.com, 208-777-2695
LOREN
908 N. Howard St., lorenbistro.com
OFF THE WALL
121 N. Wall St., otwspokane.com, 509-315-8228
SHELBY’S BURGERS
4241 S. Cheney Spokane Rd. instagram.com/shelbys_burgers, 509-315-8128
SUMMIT KITCHEN & CANTEEN
1235 S. Grand Blvd. thesummitkitchen.com, 509-474-9916
THE UNITED BUILDING
5016 N. Market St., instagram.com/theunitedbuilding
908 N. Howard St., outsiderpnw.my.canva.site, 509-315-5442
A single dish can put a chef on the culinary map. For Ian Wingate, that dish has varied over his 24-year career, starting with the meatloaf at his first restaurant, Moxie. In 2009, Wingate’s signature dish was the chipotle fish tacos at the long-defunct Agave Latin Bistro. And at Outsider, Wingate’s newest venture, his signature dish is rotisserie cauliflower that evolves as you eat it, like petals unfolding.
Many of Outsider’s dishes have become fan favorites. The rib-eye poke with Walla Walla sweet onions and local tomatoes is a nod to his Hawaiian upbringing, featuring Aloha Shoyu soy sauce and faintly salty sea asparagus. The guanciale pizza is Wingate’s ode to Italy with Castelvetrano olives, Calabrian peppers, buttery Fontina cheese and guanciale, an unctuous, salty, cured meat similar to bacon but more nuanced. Hearth-baked feta was a popular dish at Moxie, and Wingate has updated it with garlic confit, olives and zhoug, a spicy Middle Eastern condiment similar to chimichurri, but using cilantro.
Outsider is a reflection of all Wingate’s varied experiences, including three years he spent at Table 47, the Gig Harbor restaurant created by former Starbucks’ executive Troy Alstead, who recruited Wingate while he was at the Davenport Grand. (CARRIE SCOZZARO)
909 W. First Ave., espanaspokane.com, 509-443-4215
First there was Baba, which brought Mediterranean flavors to Kendall Yards in 2021, followed by the opening of the French-inspired Française in South Perry. In fall 2022, chef, entrepreneur and Eat Good Group founder Adam Hegsted put another pin on the culinary map with the Spanish-inspired de España in his former Incrediburger & Eggs location downtown.
Menu headlines at de España are in Spanish and dishes reflect a range of regions, from Barcelona to Basque Country. Pinxtos (also spelled pincho or pinchu) are small bites often found in Basque eateries, like salty and tender marinated white anchovies called boquerones.
Additional small plates — tapas — are divided into four groups on the menu. Vegetable-forward tapas de terra includes classic Spanish patatas bravas or fried potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce, while del mar, or seafood dishes, include salt cod fritters and octopus à la planc, meaning grilled. There are also ham (jamónes) and cheese plate collections. For larger appetites, try paella, a savory and versatile rice dish from the Valencian region.
Don’t forget dessert, like dense, custardy flan rimmed in rich dulce de leche. The drink menu is not to be ignored, either, with a wide range of Spanish wine varietals from sparkling cava to full-bodied tempranillo. (CARRIE SCOZZARO)
849 N. Fourth St, Coeur d’Alene; 511 S. Main St., Moscow; 216 N. First St., Sandpoint, coneandcoffee.com
Back in 2015, Jason and Stephanie Dillon were making homemade ice cream in their backyard in Southern Oregon. But after moving to Sandpoint, Idaho, the couple made it their mission to create an atmosphere where people can “slow down, take a breath, and enjoy a sweet treat.” Panhandle Cone & Coffee was voted North Idaho’s Best Ice Cream in the Inlander’s 2023 Best Of reader’s poll, which aligns with its owners’ goal of being the “world’s best small-town ice cream experience.” Each location features a rustic-meets-modern aesthetic, and unique flavors like salted caramel and brown butter cookie, orange and dark chocolate “freckles,” and strawberry lime and avocado.
BY SYLVIA DAVIDOW
Ice cream is a summer season favorite. It brings us together whether the kids are crying in the back seat, the crew’s tired from a hot day outside, or you need a low-key date night. There’s nothing like walking into an air-conditioned shop with only two thoughts on your mind: what flavor to pick, and whether you want a cone or a cup. Some flavors bring back nostalgic memories and some are meant to create new ones. And digging into that first bite, whether you’re greeted with a chunk of cookie dough or the fruity taste of sorbet, allows for a deep sense of appreciation for the small things in life.
1001 W. 25th Ave. and 1238 W. Summit Pkwy. thescoopspokane.com
Here’s the scoop: It takes a village to create delectable ice cream. With the help of fellow small businesses like Roast House Coffee, Vinegar Flat Farms and Revival Tea Co., owner Jennifer Davis uses locally sourced ingredients for The Scoop’s “award-winning ice cream, imagined and created daily.” But the real secret to curating the perfect scoop? Liquid nitrogen. Large clouds of vapor can often be seen billowing out of the mixer, which puts the “ice” in The Scoop’s ice cream. From its Giant’s Milk and Cookie to watermelon Dole soft serve, The Scoop offers vibrant flavors catering to any craving at its South Hill and Kendall Yards locations.
1948 N. Harvest Pkwy., Liberty Lake anniesicecreams.com
As a local ice cream connoisseur, Annie Stranger had one goal: create joyful experiences and memories for everyone. She opened Sweet Annie’s Artisan Creamery in fall 2020, nestled in the suburbs of west Liberty Lake. Sweet Annie’s “crafts every recipe down to the individual ingredient” using organic sugar and eggs, as well as milk and cream from grass-fed cows of local dairies. The bestselling Bee’s Knees is like a warm hug on a perfect summer day, paired with bits of honeycomb. The shop also puts the word “sweet” to use in its homemade candy shop. Whether you’re taking the dog for a walk or cooling off at Orchard Park, Sweet Annie’s has the perfect treat.
159 S. Lincoln St.; 111 F St., Cheney; 2302 N. Argonne Rd., Spokane Valley, tre-palline-gelato-napolitano.business.site
Translated from Italian, Tre Palline Gelato means “three scoops of ice cream.” Owners Marco and Ashley Napolitano bring a taste of Italy to the Northwest by importing ingredients from Marco’s home country to produce the gelato — which he’s been making for more than 36 years — for their three shops, in downtown Spokane, Spokane Valley and Cheney. Tre Palline also offers catering and can often be found as a pop-up during local events like Hoopfest via its gelato cart. There’s nothing like being transported to Italy by a bite of creamy, Italian cookie or Sicilian lemon gelato in Riverfront Park.
1330 N. Argonne Rd. and 14700 E. Indiana Ave., Spokane Valley, petebelles.com
Family is the heart of Pete & Belle’s. When Aaron and Rachelle Blackmer opened their ice cream shop in 2013, they named it after their kids, Peter and Annabelle. Ten years later, Pete & Belle’s is widely known for serving premium ice cream with low air and high butterfat content, making each bite quite dense. The shop also has dessert options like candied apples or Rocky Road with house-made chocolate-covered almonds to satisfy every sweet tooth. Pete & Belle’s advice to its customers is not to bother asking about nutrition: “If you want nutrition, eat carrots!” Locals can beat the heat with their eye-catching Blue Moon flavor or the refreshing key lime pie with sour lime candies and graham cracker pieces.
802 W. Garland Ave., marylous.org
Nestled in the Garland District is a historic, milk-bottle-shaped building with delectable milkshakes. The Garland’s Milk Bottle was built in 1935 with the intention of making dairy products more attractive to children. So when Kris and Ed Ritchie became owners of Mary Lou’s in 1991, they did just that, and proved drinking a milkshake is the best way to consume it. Mary Lou’s is one of the longest-operating ice cream makers in the area, and three generations of the Ritchie family are its backbone. Enter an old-timey space where the food is fresh and handmade, and everything is under $10. Come for the burgers, but stay for the milkshakes, in flavors like chocolate peanut butter and classic huckleberry.
DOYLE’S ICE CREAM PARLOR
2229 W. Boone Ave., fb.com/DoylesIceCream, 509-280-5093
GELATO BY THE LAKE
217 E. Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene, gelatobythelake.com 208-591-6615
HIGH VOLTAGE ICE CREAMERY
15310 E. Marietta Ave., Spokane Valley (pop-up hours only)
KOSELIG KITCHEN
835 N. Post St., koseligkitchen.com
ROGER’S ICE CREAM & BURGERS
1224 E. Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene + three other locations rogersicecreamburgers.com
VOLONTI GELATO
3403 E. Sprague Ave., miflavour.com, 509-315-4516
Find the freshest, local produce and artisan food seven days a week
COMPILED
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MADISON PEARSONMONDAY
HILLYARD FARMERS MARKET
3-7 pm, June to early Oct. Northeast Community Center, 4001 N. Cook St., Spokane. fb.com/hillyardfarmersmarket
WEST END MARKET
5-9 pm, June to Sept. Brick West Brewing Co., 1318 W. First Ave., Spokane. fb.com/SpokaneWestEndMarket
TUESDAY
FAIRWOOD FARMERS MARKET
3-7 pm, mid-May to early Oct. Fairwood Shopping Center, 319 W. Hastings Rd., Spokane. fairwoodfarmersmarket.org
MOSCOW TUESDAYS MARKET
4-7 pm, June to mid-Oct. Latah County Fairgrounds, 1021 Harold St. fb.com/tuesdaycommunitymarket
WEDNESDAY
5TH STREET FARMERS MARKET
4-7 pm, May to early Sept. Fifth and Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene. cdadowntown.com
KENDALL YARDS NIGHT MARKET
5-8 pm, late May to mid-Sept. West Summit Parkway between Cedar and Adams Alley, Spokane. kendallnightmarket.org
KOOTENAI FARMERS MARKET
4-7 pm, mid-May to Sept. Riverstone, 2151 N. Main St., Coeur d’Alene. kootenaifarmersmarkets.org
MILLWOOD FARMERS MARKET
3-7 pm, late May to mid-Oct. Millwood Park, 9103 E. Frederick Ave. farmersmarket.millwoodnow.org
N.E.W. FARMERS MARKET
9 am-1 pm, May to Oct. 121 E. Astor St., Colville. newfarmersmarket.org
PULLMAN FARMERS MARKET
3:30-6 pm, mid-May to mid-Oct. Brelsford WSU Visitors Center, 150 E. Spring St. fb.com/pullmanfarmersmarket
RIVER CITY MARKET
5:30-8:30 pm, mid-July to mid-Aug. Falls Park, 305 W. Fourth Ave., Post Falls. fb.com/rivercitymarketandmusic
SANDPOINT FARMERS MARKET
3-5:30 pm, late April to mid-Oct. Farmin Park, Third and Main. sandpointfarmersmarket.com
SPOKANE FARMERS MARKET
8 am-1 pm, mid-June to Oct. Coeur d’Alene Park, 300 S. Chestnut St. spokanefarmersmarket.org
WEST CENTRAL FARMERS MARKET
4-7 pm, mid-June to mid-Sept. West Central Abbey, 1832 W. Dean Ave., Spokane. westcentralabbey.org
THURSDAY
GARLAND SUMMER MARKET
3:30-7:30 pm, late May to Aug. 733 W. Garland Ave., Spokane. fb.com/garlandsummermarket
PERRY STREET THURSDAY MARKET
3-7 pm, May to Oct. Perry and Tenth, Spokane. thursdaymarket.org
FRIDAY
ATHOL FARMERS MARKET
2-6 pm, May to Sept. 30230 Second St. atholfarmersmarket.com
CHEWELAH FARMERS MARKET
11 am-3:30 pm, mid-May to mid-Oct. Chewelah City Park. chewelahfarmersmarket.com
EMERSON-GARFIELD FARMERS
MARKET 3-7 pm, June to Sept. IEL Adult Education Center, 2310 N. Monroe St., Spokane. market.emersongarfield.org
THE WAVY BUNCH NIGHT MARKET & STREET FAIR Second Fridays from 5-9 pm, mid-May to mid-Oct. Runge Furniture, 303 E. Spokane Ave., Coeur d’Alene. thewavybunch.com
SPOKANE VALLEY FARMERS
MARKET 4-8 pm, June to mid-Sept. CenterPlace Regional Event Center, 2426 N. Discovery Place. spokanevalleyfarmersmarket.org
AIRWAY HEIGHTS SUMMER MARKET
Second Sat. from 9 am-3 pm, April to Sept. The Hub, 12703 W. 14th Ave. fb.com/AirwayHeightsSummerMarket
BONNERS FERRY FARMERS MARKET
8 am-1 pm, late April to Oct. Highway 95 and Kootenai St. bonnersferryfarmersmarket.org
THE DEER PARK MARKET
First Sat. from 9 am-3 pm, May to early Oct. Perrins Field, 14 Arnim Ave. thedeerparkmarket.com
KOOTENAI FARMERS MARKET
9 am-1:30 pm, mid-May to mid-Oct. Highway 95 and Prairie, Hayden. kootenaifarmersmarkets.org
LIBERTY LAKE FARMERS MARKET
9 am-1 pm, mid-May to mid-Oct. Town Square Park, 1421 N. Meadowwood Ln. llfarmersmarket.com
MEDICAL LAKE FARMERS MARKET
First/third Sat. 9 am-noon, June to
early Oct. Cela’s Creative Learning Academy, 111 S. Lefevre St. instagram. com/medicallakefarmersmarket
MOSCOW FARMERS MARKET
8 am-1 pm, May to Oct. Friendship Square, Fourth and Main. fb.com/ MoscowFarmersMarket
N.E.W. FARMERS MARKET
9 am-1 pm, May to Oct. 121 E. Astor St., Colville. newfarmersmarket.org
NEWPORT FARMERS MARKET
9 am-1 pm, mid-May to Oct. 236 S. Union Ave. Facebook: Newport Farmers Market
RATHDRUM FARMERS MARKET
9 am-2 pm, late April to Sept. Rathdrum Lions Club, 16114 N. Meyer Rd. rathdrumcraftandfarmersmarket. blogspot.com
SANDPOINT FARMERS MARKET
9 am-1 pm, late April to mid-Oct. Farmin Park, Third and Main. sandpointfarmersmarket.com
SPOKANE FARMERS MARKET
8 am-1 pm, mid-May to Oct. Coeur d’Alene Park, 300 S. Chestnut St. spokanefarmersmarket.org
WONDER SATURDAY MARKET
10 am-2 pm, late May to early Sept. Wonder Building, 835 N. Post St., Spokane. fb.com/wonderspokane
SUNDAY
CLAYTON FARMERS MARKET
11 am-4 pm, June to Sept. (except during county fair). Clayton Fairgrounds, 4616 Wallbridge Rd.
Facebook: Clayton Farmers Market and Small Farm Animals
Aleczondra Evans founded Mandala Chai Co. after working years as a barista and noticing how many coffee shops carried the same chai products. Now, Mandala’s concentrates are used and sold in cafes around the Pacific Northwest, from Seattle to Missoula. Featuring single-origin spices sourced around the world — vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and more — Mandala’s core blends are “sweet,” “spicy,” and “sweet-spice.” Simply pour over milk and enjoy. mandalachaico.com
Not many companies make it past the 50-year milestone, so props to Hayden, Idaho-based Uncle Dan’s, which began in 1966 with its founder — Uncle Dan himself — whipping up tasty salad dressings at home. Dressing, dips and seasonings from Uncle Dan’s are carried by local stores like My Fresh Basket, as well as Safeway and Walmart. Dan’s Creamy Ranch and other flavors are sold in dry seasoning packets and shaker bottles, making it easy to customize with milk, mayo, cream or whatever else. uncledans.com
Many locals know and love the authentically French-style macarons from East Spokane’s MiFlavour Bakery, but what about their chocolate bars?! Beautifully presented in a windowed box, these specialty bars feature white, dark or ruby (pink) chocolate. Creative combinations range from ruby hibiscus, topped with dried blueberries, raspberries and hibiscus flower, to a bar of white chocolate embedded with slices of dried banana and strawberries. miflavour.com
A trend that’s both healthier and more inclusive, non-alcoholic drinks have exploded in popularity. Said drinks are far better tasting than, say, O’Douls beer, like PNW Hop Water’s lightly hopped sparkling water. And before you wonder if hop water is only an IPA without the buzz many still seek — far from it. It’s more like an herbally version of La Croix, et al, and this local outfit’s all-natural flavors include grapefruit, tangerine and yuzu, but also “hoppy” and “extra hoppy.” instagram.com/pnwhopwater
Plenty of us like a little heat with whatever we eat, but not so much that we can’t taste the dish itself, or the nuanced flavor of any hot sauce worth its Scoville-laden pain. Enter Casey Booey III — perhaps better known as “Papa Booey” — the Spokane hot sauce aficionado behind Booey’s Gourmet. Since 2013, Booey’s core sauce lineup has consisted of Original Pepper, Smokehouse BBQ and sweet Jamaican Jerk. He’s since added the Vaquero seasoning rub made with Roast House Coffee. “The perfect balance between heat and flavor” is Booey’s motto, after all, so rest assured it’ll enhance, not overpower, your next dish. booeysgourmet.com
Wanderlust Delicato in downtown Spokane takes customers all over the world through its selection of wine, cheese and cooking classes. After 25 years in the food and beverage industry, owner Amber Park can talk taste profiles and pairings with the best of them. But she makes everyone feel welcome, whether they can pronounce cabernet sauvignon or not.
Park’s love for international cuisine is matched only by her deep connection to home. By fall 2023, she hopes to debut her next venture, Pacific to Palouse, a wine bar in the South Perry neighborhood dedicated solely to seasonal foods and flavors from the northwestern U.S.
INLANDER: What makes Eastern Washington a unique wine region?
PARK: It’s the soil from the Missoula floods, the glacial floods that sent mineral deposits all the way from these glaciers in Montana and throughout the Columbia Valley. Also our location in the world. We’re just that north of the 45th parallel, which is where Bordeaux, Burgundy, Piedmont — the best wine-growing regions of the world sit around this same parallel line. Cabernet, riesling, syrah — those are all really good out of Washington state.
INTERVIEWED BY ELIZA BILLINGHAMWhat’s your favorite thing about working in Spokane?
Both my peer community and my customer community. I have regulars who [bring] their friends and family visiting them from out of town and show them, “This is my cheese and wine spot! This is where I go. This is Amber.” And then my peer community, we lean on each other. Spokane is small enough that it cares. There’s a lot of locally owned small businesses in the food and beverage area, and we all kind of need to lean on each other.
How have you seen the food scene here change, and how would you like to see it develop in the future?
Small businesses that are owner-operators — that is something I’ve been seeing increase in Spokane, especially the last 10 years. You’ve got people like Tony Brown working in his restaurants. Chef-owned restaurants [like] Gander & Ryegrass. Then you have a new place like Sorella — [owner Lauren Blumenthal is] not the chef, but she is there. I think [people] like to be able to know the owner of the place. It gives it that kind of small-town feel. But we’re not really a small town, right? I think that’s a big, big part of where the scene is going — the influx of people that are moving here. I think it’s great for the restaurant scene. It brings a wider view and more and more taste profiles.
What’s the secret to a successful charcuterie board?
Product and variety. Anyone can arrange something pretty. But a successful board, you’re starting with artisan, fresh, good quality products.
What’s the most popular food people come to Wanderlust to learn how to make?
Dumplings. People want to make dumplings. I sell out of dumpling classes.
What’s a good budget bottle of wine?
Domaine Vetriccie from Ile de Beaute, which is the Corsican island. Beautiful red wine! It’s got body, it’s got acid, it’s good with food or by itself — $13!
Favorite local ingredient?
I want to say not one particular product, but the seasonality of the stuff, whether it’s Dungeness crab or spring asparagus or wild onions or cranberries or lentils in the fall. It’s all these things.
“We’renot really a small town, right?” YOUNG KWAK PHOTO
Delicato’s wine and charcuterie expert dishes on the best flavors of home and abroad
Adecade or so ago, if you asked for cider at your favorite drinkery, the bartender might have assumed you were a teetotaler in search of a nonalcoholic fruit drink. Although shoppers were beginning to see six-packs of so-called hard cider creep onto grocery store shelves, craft cideries had yet to take hold in the Inland Northwest. Since then, the number of artisan cider makers has continued to increase, which seems only fitting for an area with history steeped in apple-growing.
Expect the unexpected at Bardic Brewing and Cider, the perfect marriage of owners Mark and Courtney Haney’s combined interests in beer brewing and cider making. In addition to finding an ever-changing lineup of unusual Bardic beers at the company’s Spokane Valley taproom, you’ll also discover a new world of cider like Mana Potion with jasmine and butterfly pea flower, or the off-dry basil and orange-infused Holy Basil Batman. bardicbrewing.com
A relative newcomer to the region’s cider scene, Inland Cider Mill quickly outgrew the space it originally occupied after opening in 2020. Now it’s a North Side destination, serving up three types of ciders. Its drier varieties like McIntosh feature heirloom apples from Green Bluff’s Siemers Farm, while sweeter ciders might include strawberries or other locally grown fruit from the bluff. Inland Cider Mill also produces hopped ciders like the semi-sweet Hip Hop with plenty of appeal to cider and beer fans alike. inlandcidermill.com
Similar to wine, cider is more than a one-note manifestation of its ingredients, ranging from dry to sweet, with additional ingredients from hops to fruit juices. Specializing in Old World ciders, Liberty Ciderworks adds wild-fermented yeast to its Garratza, a pungent Basque-style cider. Established in 2013, Liberty is one of Spokane’s first cideries and has consistently won Good Food Awards, such as for its off-dry Heirloom Series McIntosh cider and semi-sweet Golden Russet cider. libertycider.com
The past decade has been a fruitful one for the region’s artisan cideries
BY CARRIE SCOZZARO
Brothers Jason and Patrick Spears in 2015 founded Locust Cider’s flagship location in Woodinville, Washington, adding a downtown Spokane taproom in 2019. Locust’s primary offerings consist of fruit-forward ciders in flavors like juicy peach, dark cherry and honey pear, plus an assortment of more unusual options. Among those is a cider made with cold brew coffee, and its Reserve Series Smoked Chili Stone Fruit. locustcider.com
Cinnamon and especially lemon basil were among the flavor profiles distinguishing Spokane Valley-based One Tree Hard Cider when it burst onto the burgeoning local cider scene in 2014. Three years later, One Tree opened a downtown Spokane taphouse, all the while continuing to expand its line of unique hard ciders from seasonal watermelon to the Pacific Northwest-focused huckleberry. onetreehardcider.com
When it opened in Coeur d’Alene in 2015, Summit Cider quickly gained a following, with many of North Idaho’s bars and restaurants eager to add it to their tap lists. Since then, Summit Cider has changed ownership, location and even cider styles. Now produced under the umbrella of Ponderay-based Laughing Dog Brewing, Summit Cider’s offering now includes a dry-hopped hard cider and the fruit-forward, semi-sweet Bluebird with raspberries and blueberries. summitcider.com
Spokane had already wet its whistle on the increasing number of local ci ders when Trailbreaker Cider relocated from Pullman (where it operated as Whiskey Barrel Cider Co.) to Liberty Lake in 2019. What sets Trailbreaker apart is its process, creating fresh-pressed juice with apples sourced from select Washington growers. Try the naturally dry Left Turn or spicy Sweet Heat with strawberry and habanero. Trailbreaker also serves barrel-aged ci der and cider-seltzers at its family-friendly production facility and taphouse. trailbreakercider.com
Where better than an apple orchard would you find one of Spokane’s oldest cideries? Founded in 2013, Twilight Cider Works uses apples and other fruit from its own Green Bluff orchard. Considered a New World-style of cider making, using culinary fruit versus cider apples, Twilight Cider Works offers a standard lineup at its tasting room, as well as seasonal specials that take full advantage of nature’s bounty. twilightciderworks.com
BY CARRIE SCOZZARO
Awards are never a guarantee in any business venture, much less craft brewing, but they sure are nice to receive. In beer making, some competitions are regionalized, like the Washington Beer Awards, while others, such as the World Beer Cup, draw from a national or even international competitor field. The categories are equally diverse, spanning every imaginable type of beer from fruited sours to gluten-free to hop-forward to experimental beers. Here is a roundup of local breweries whose beers won judges’ favor of late.
A frequent favorite at the Washington Beer Awards, Brick West recently proved its mettle beyond the region at the annual World Beer Cup, a venerable competition dating to 1996.
Dubbed “the Olympics of beer,” the World Beer Cup is held in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America. It features judges from 26 countries, roughly 2,300 breweries and more than 10,000 entries. And in 2023, the World Beer Cup judges awarded a gold to Brick West in the Dortmunder/Export or German-Style Oktoberfest beer for its Festbier.
The downtown brewery also took home a slew of awards at the 2023 New York International Beer competition, including gold for its Brick X Brick West Coast IPA, silver for its Sunbreak Rice Lager, and bronze for its Ro-Sham-Bo amber ale, plus two other brews. In 2021, the same competition dubbed Brick West as “Washington State German Style Brewery of the Year.”
Not bad for a brewery that only opened a few years ago. Launched in early 2020 in a historic west-downtown spot with a massive outdoor patio, Brick West quickly became a favorite destination for its German-style beers, community atmosphere and modest food menu. brickwestbrewingco.com
Discover award-winning restaurants at Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel for all dining occasions and unique cravings. Start your day off at Jackpot Java where you can choose from locally roasted coffee and espresso, provided by Cravens. Catch your favorite game on one of our many large-screen TV’s while enjoying hearty pub fare at Red Tail Bar and Grill. For a quick bite-on the-go, our Huckleberry Deli offers a wide selection of hot and cold sandwiches, soups, pizzas and snacks. Check out our newest dining venue Little Dragon Eatery and enjoy your favorite Asian-inspired dishes for a quick and easy meal. Located inside the Circling Raven Pro Shop, seasonally-open Twisted Earth offers casual dining with a spectacular view. Looking for something more upscale? Treat yourself to dinner at Chinook Steak, Seafood & Pasta and savor the delectable taste of local products, including salmon, Northwest beef and other chef-selected ingredients.
Hungry yet? Visit cdacasino.com/dining to view all of our extensive menus and find out more information.
From its Trent Avenue “beer campus” to its community partnerships and involvement in establishing a federal designation for Spokane-style beer, No-Li is a hometown hero. And heroes get noticed, which for No-Li includes the international arena.
In 2012, shortly after relocating from Airway Heights to its current spot overlooking the Spokane River, the brewery earned what would be the first in a long line of awards for its beer made with local ingredients, including its signature Born & Raised IPA and Wrecking Ball Imperial Stout. Since then, No-Li has landed more than 130 awards from such prestigious competitions as the World Beer Cup and Berlin International Beer Competition. In 2022 alone, NoLi earned 36 brewing medals at events spanning the globe from Australia to Japan.
At the 2023 U.S. Open Beer Championship, one NoLi beer earned an award that’s also a win for one of the brewery’s numerous community partners, the Spokane Indians baseball team. Out of more than 9,000 entries, judges awarded a gold medal to No-Li’s Redband Tangerine Wheat, from which sales proceeds help preserve the habitat of the region’s unique Redband Trout. nolibrewhouse.com
One of the more recent additions to Spokane’s craft brewing scene, Uprise Brewing Co. already has two awards under its belt. In 2022, its Guava Gose fruited sour earned a silver medal at the Washington Beer Awards. This year, Uprise also landed a gold medal win at the North American Brewers Association International Beer and Cider Awards in Oregon for its Mexican lager, brewed with flaked maize, rice and pilsner malt. uprisebeer.com
Matchwood Brewing got some sweet news recently when the 2023 Best of Craft Beer Awards competition gave the North Idaho brewery a gold medal for its Paradise Peaches and Cream beer. The beer takes its name from the Paradise, Montana, orchard that grew more than 1,000 pounds of peaches used by the popular, 5-year-old Sandpoint brewery. matchwoodbrewing.com
You could say that Bombastic Brewing is killin’ it with Murder, its Mexican chocolate imperial stout, repeating a bronze win again in 2023 at the North American Brewers Association
competition. The 7-year-old Hayden brewery specializes in what it calls “adventuresome and nontraditional” beers with equally nontraditional names like Pandemonium, Conspiracy and a hefty 15% ABV imperial stout called Big Dumb Beer. bombasticbrewing.com
Credit goes to its loyal customers for naming MickDuff’s Brewing Company’s North Idaho pale ale “NOHO,” which won silver at this year’s North American Brewers Association competition. MickDuff’s Knot Tree Porter also earned a gold for the Sandpoint brewery, which opened in 2006 at the forefront of the modern craftbeer craze. In 2020, MickDuff’s expanded to a second Sandpoint location, and now runs both a restaurant and beer hall. mickduffs.com
The year 2023 has been a good one for Trails End Brewery, which won gold for its Half-A-Bison Hefeweizen from the North American Brewers Association. The Coeur d’Alene brewery, which opened in 2020, also earned a gold medal for its Backroads smoked Helles lager in this year’s Best of Craft Beers Awards. trailsendbrewery.com
The Great American Beer Festival happens every September, so we don’t know as of press time what the results for 2023 will be, and whether Spokane’s Perry Street will get a back-to-back gold medal. In 2022, its Mistadobalina American IPA won the top prize in the fresh-hop category. Since opening in the South Perry neighborhood in 2014, the modest brewery has landed a coveted gold medal at the event every couple of years, beginning in 2016 for its session India Pale Lager, followed up in 2020 for its flagship IPA. perrystreetbrewing.com
EVEN MORE BREWERIES!
BELLWETHER BREWING CO.
2019 N. Monroe St., 5016 N. Market St. bellwetherbrewing.net
FOUR-EYED GUYS BREWING CO.
910 W. Indiana Ave., fb.com/FourEyedGuys 509-327-2604
LUMBERBEARD BREWING
25 E. Third Ave., lumberbeardbrewing.com 509-381-5142
NATURAL 20 BREWING CO.
1303 N. Washington St., 13216 E Sprague Ave. Spokane Valley, natural20brewing.com
POST FALLS BREWING CO.
112 N. Spokane St., postfallsbrewing.com 208-773-7301
VANTAGE POINT BREWING
208 E. Coeur d’Alene Lake Dr. vantagepointbrewing.com, 208-551-2653
WHISTLE PUNK BREWING
122 S. Monroe St. whistlepunkbrewing.com, 509-315-4465
YAYA BREWING CO.
11712 E. Montgomery Dr., Spokane Valley, yayabrewing.com
Find even more local breweries at Inlander.com/food.
The vital link between coffee growers and coffee consumers is the coffee roaster. They source the beans, often directly from growers, and curate blends like winemakers do, showcasing the nuance of citrusy arabica versus nutty robusta beans, for example. Roasters also embody sustainability and community, and are both a part of and a contributor to local coffee culture. Here in the Inland Northwest, there’s no shortage of coffee roasting excellence, including the following.
Cravens Coffee Co. is a cornerstone of the region’s artisanal coffee culture, and celebrated its 30-year anniversary in April 2023. Founded in 1993 by England-born Simon Craven Thompson and his wife, Becky, it was one of only a handful of specialty roasters in Spokane at the time.
Since then, Cravens’ coffee has become part of many a morning routine. It’s available in grocery stores from Central Washington to central Idaho, as well as through a subscription service.
Focusing on relationships with growers, Cravens is able to create consistent signature blends and innovative single-origin coffees, many of which are certified fair trade organic. cravenscoffee.com
When Terry Patano and his wife, Rebecca Hurlen Patano, founded DOMA in 2000, it was the first certified-organic roaster in Idaho. Named for the couple’s two sons, Dominic and Marco, DOMA offers a range of
flavor profiles from nutty chocolate (Bella Luna decaf) to peach and jasmine (Ethiopia single origin).
The Post Falls-based company also incorporates good stewardship into its business model. DOMA partners with local artists to design its product labels and supports local organizations like Spokane Riverkeeper and EWU’s annual Get Lit! festival. Its packaging, which has garnered three American Advertising Awards, is also compostable. DOMA also composts the grounds generated by its eco-friendly roaster and donates its burlap bags to local farmers and extra coffee to local shelters. domacoffee.com
What started as a “What if?” conversation on a Schweitzer mountain chairlift nearly 15 years ago has evolved into a thriving, award-winning business for siblings Rick and Randy Evans.
Evans Brothers has since earned three Good Food Awards, which recognize taste, quality, and social and environmental responsibility. The Sandpoint-based
company also supports a wide range of community members and organizations, from Community Cancer Services to the Pend Oreille Arts Council.
Evans Brothers Coffee is available wholesale, retail, and at its Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene coffee shops. Also find it incorporated into the Evans Brothers porter from Sandpoint-based MickDuff’s Brewing Company. evansbrotherscoffee.com
Indaba founder Bobby Enslow is mission-driven to create great coffee, as well as welcoming gathering spots throughout the Spokane community. Enslow founded Indaba, which is from the South African tribal term for “gathering of leaders,” in 2009, adding additional locations over the years. Currently, in addition to Indaba’s flagship West Central neighborhood coffee shop, find it in Kendall Yards, downtown on Riverside Avenue and also on North Monroe Street.
In 2014 Indaba began roasting its own beans and has since racked up eight medals from the prestigious Golden Bean North America competition. It scored two medals in 2019 and, when the competition resumed in 2022, Indaba took home two silver medals and four bronze medals for its High Drive Blend, Rwanda, Costa Rica and Swiss Water Decaf coffees. indabacoffee.com
New Love Coffee is a more recent addition to the coffee scene and has quickly tripled its footprint. In 2022, Ike Bubna opened New Love’s first spot inside Greenstone Homes’ NOLL Liberty Lake community center, followed in 2023 by a spot inside a Canopy Credit Union branch near Five Mile Shopping Center. Bubna recently opened his third outpost in Kendall Yards.
All three are welcoming and feature local baked goods from Bean & Pie, which New Love acquired in late 2022. And all three feature Bubna’s meticulously roasted coffees, sourced from a Portland-based company that works with small-scale farms in Colombia, Guatemala and Africa. newlovecoffee.com
In 2010, Roast House Coffee burst onto the scene, offering wholesale coffee roasting and quickly producing select labels for clients like Main Market Co-Op. Founded by Deborah Di Bernardo and her partner, Jim Haynes, Roast House has since expanded to include a Spokane tasting room and its First Avenue Coffee cafe, offering a range of wholesale and retail coffees and teas.
Throughout its evolution, Roast House has remained committed to sustainability and building community. It offers completely organic coffee, purchased from small farmers and producer groups, often focusing on women-owned producers.
Roast House, which is Fair Trade certified, earned a Good Food Award in 2014 for its Guatemalan Batzchocola coffee and has also won numerous Golden Bean awards for its roasting capabilities, including three bronze medals in the 2022 competition. roasthousecoffee.com
Peruse the coffee aisle at your local grocer and you’ll notice Thomas Hammer Coffee Roaster’s distinct orange claw-hammer logo on bags of its locally roasted coffee beans and boxes of single-serve K-cups. Driving around, you’ll also see the logo on buildings in Idaho (Moscow, Coeur d’Alene) and Washington, from Spokane Valley to Airway Heights to Pullman. Enter one of Spokane’s many health care and banking facilities like MultiCare Deaconess Hospital and Washington Trust Financial Center and discover a Thomas Hammer coffee kiosk. Company founder Thomas Hammer’s latest endeavor is the creation of an elevated full-menu coffee shop on the South Hill he calls Ltd. Reserve. Not bad for a company formed by a young adult whose first experience with coffee was as a barista for Nordstrom’s mobile coffee bar in the ’80s. hammercoffee.com
ANCHORED COFFEE
451 W. Dalton Ave., Coeur d’Alene fb.com/anchoredcoffeecompany
ANVIL COFFEE
304 W. Pacific Ave., anvilcoffee.com
ARCTOS COFFEE & ROASTING CO.
1923 N. Hamilton St., arctoscoffee.com
CEDAR COFFEE
701 N. Monroe St., cedar.coffee
COEUR D’ALENE COFFEE
418 E. Lakeside Ave., Coeur d’Alene cdacoffeecompany.com
FOUR SEASONS COFFEE ROASTERS
12410 E. Indiana Ave., Spokane Valley 4seasonscoffee.com
JACOB’S JAVA
Locations vary, jacobsjava.com
KAFFEE MEISTER
9212 N. Government Way, Hayden kaffeemeister.com
LADDER COFFEE ROASTERS
1516 W. Riverside Ave., 2823 N. Monroe St., 13105 E. Sprague Ave. laddercoffee.com
PITOTTI COFFEE ROASTERS
733 W. Garland Ave., pitotticoffee.com
ROAM COFFEE ROASTERS
116 N. Lefevre St., Medical Lake roamroasters.coffee
TUBBS COFFEE ROASTERS
13430 N. Clovis Rd., Hayden tubbscoffeeroasters.com
UNION ROASTERS
2007 Tea Olive Lane, Coeur d’Alene unionroasters.co
Wine tasting is about training your palate to pick up on subtle flavors and understanding all the things that can impact your tasting experience. Of course, it’s also about having fun, says North Idaho-based sommelier and Stylus Wine & Vinyl Bar co-owner Krista French. She’s here to help you say “yes” to wine with five easy-to-remember tips for tasting, all starting with the letter “S.”
SETUP Wine tasting involves most of your senses, but none more so than your nose.
“I know it sounds trivial,” says French, “but don’t wear perfume, don’t wear cologne.” It interferes with your experience as well as with everyone else’s within sniffing distance.
“Taste is 90 percent smell,” she explains, and strong odors (including foods) can impact what you’re tasting, sometimes badly.
SMELL “Smelling is going to give you a preview of what you’re going to get on your palate,” says French, whose background includes managing the wine program at the Coeur d’Alene Resort’s Beverly’s restaurant and helping launch Midtown Bluebird, also in Coeur d’Alene.
SWIRL Wine reacts with its surroundings, especially air, so swirling the wine in the glass oxygenates it and releases more complex, aromas, which in turn should be easier to detect when you…
SIP AND SWISH This further oxygenates the wine in your mouth, says French, who opened Stylus in Coeur d’Alene with husband Robby in 2022. Swishing also allows the wine to hit different areas on your tongue, corresponding to different taste sensations.
Besides smell, tasting notes on the label also provide a preview, yet being able to discern all the subtleties depends on what kinds of tastes you’ve already experienced.
“Wine is muscle memory just like exercise,” French says.
SPIT It’s counterintuitive not to swallow the wine, which is part of the process, admits French, so some caveats. If you’re tasting a lot and don’t want to get hammered, she says, spit it out, or only swallow a little bit of what you’re tasting.
Also, if you’re going to be tasting a range of wines, French advises you start with lighter ones, such as white wines, and work your way towards heavier wines, which your palate can still comprehend even after a sip (or three or four).
“I spit 95 percent of what is brought to me” during a tasting, French says, adding that “if it’s a gorgeous glass of wine, I’m going to drink it!”
The Inland Northwest is home to more than two dozen wineries, plus a handful of additional tasting rooms, which might be a little overwhelming. Again, French has suggestions to get people started, with wines for warmer weather and cooler weather, so you can be sippin’ in style all season long.
203 N. Washington St., Spokane, barristerwinery.com
Barrister is known for its reds, but its sparkling brut is “easy drinking and refreshing,” says French, “a great porch pounder and aperitif.”
For fall, try Barrister’s 2019 Petite Sirah (related to the syrah grape, but different), from the highly regarded Wahluke Slope American Viticultural Area (AVA). It conveys “rich red fruits, dusty cocoa powder, violets, fine tannins and lifted acidity,” says French, who recommends pairing it with roasted pork, aged gouda or earthy mushrooms.
23110 E. Knox Ave., Liberty Lake, libertylakewinecellars.com
The 2022 TAHIJA Sangiovese Rosé from Kiona Estate Vineyard Red Mountain AVA, Washington “tastes of watermelon, strawberry, and fresh Cutie tangerines,” French says. Drink on its own or with a cheese board and fresh fruit.
For cooler weather, French likes the 2020 Carménère, known as the “lost grape” of Bordeaux. Lib-
erty Lake Cellars’ Carménère earned a 93 point score from Wine Enthusiast magazine and is balanced, with a nuanced molé flavor, French says.
“The pepper notes are subtle” with “flavors and aromas of cranberry, dark raspberry, cinnamon, orange peel, cocoa and creme brûlée,” she says. Try it with tamales, roasted or barbecued meats or tomato-based dishes.
824 W. Sprague Avenue, Spokane, helixwine.com
A sister brand to Reininger Winery wines, Helix Wines has tasting rooms in Walla Walla and Spokane.
“The wine is whole-cluster pressed and stainless-steel fermented, a method resulting in a fresher style of wine,” French says. It has notes of “under-ripe strawberries, fresh melon, tangerine, and apricot skin.”
For fall, try Helix’ 2020 SoRhô, named for a wine growing region in Germany. The blend of grenache, cinsault and Mourvèdre wines tastes of “red fruit, black peppercorn, wet earth, dried herbs, violets, and happiness,” she says. Enjoy it with lamb or roasted pork.
301 Cedar St., Sandpoint, powine.com
French is a fan of the 2021 Albariño for summer.
“It’s bright, refreshing, and keeps you coming back for more,” she says. It features “aromas of fresh lime, wet stone and cherry blossoms and on the palate, you’ll get more of the bright fresh lime and cherry blossom with the tart snap of Granny Smith apple.” The 2021 Albariño goes well with poached shrimp, salads, or creamy butter-sauced white meat.
For cooler weather, French recommends the Bistro Rouge, “an inexpensive easy drinker that you can pair with just about anything. Bistro Rouge is like a comforting old friend that makes you happy and relaxed and chill.”
926 W. Sprague Ave., Spokane, terrablanca.com
French recommends Terra Blanca’s bright, refreshing Sauvignon blanc for summer with its “citrusy grapefruit you expect” but also “juicy peach, lemony Greek yogurt, and crisp minerality.” Serve it alongside vinaigrette-dressed salads, asparagus, or steamed artichokes with aioli.
Cooler weather means a heartier red, and for that she likes the Malbec, a medium to full-bodied wine that pairs well with dishes like venison stew, chili, and duck confit, or even blue cheese and mushroom burgers. When you taste it, note the cherry, raspberry and plum with white pepper and baking spice elements.
Americans are big fans of cookies, consuming more than 34 billion Oreos every year, and the Inland Northwest isn’t any different. As you drive around town lately, you may notice that suddenly, cookies are everywhere! Local and chain bakeries are dishing these delectable goodies by the dozen. While the region has never been short on options for cookies, there’s been an influx of new shops in the last few years. Together, several recently arrived national franchises and Inland Northwest originals offer countless combinations of sweet treats. We did the hard work for you, so here’s where to sate your sweet tooth.
14109 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley; breauxdoobakery.com, 509-290-6389
Breaüxdoo has the weekend evening cookie market cornered. We tried cookies on a Sunday night, when no other bakeries were open. Their store has a fun, retro black-and-red theme and a few seats if you’d like to sit and stay. We tried the Brüella DeVil — the bakery’s take on the East Coast favorite black and white cookie, featuring half vanilla and half chocolate icing. This classic is a light and delicate cookie that’s easy on the sweetness (fair warning, the black food dye will color your tongue).
If lemon is your favorite, try the Glazed and Confused. This lemon sugar cookie with a lemon glaze is bright and super citrusy. Breaüxdoo’s Hollywood Diet is a chewy peanut butter cookie topped with chocolate ganache and bits of Butterfinger — it’s equal bits salty and sweet and completely decadent.
2009 E. 29th Ave., twistedsugar.com, 509-413-2909
Twisted Sugar has a bright, cozy interior with plenty of seating. Many of this Utah-based chain’s offerings are based around its sugar cookie, so if you enjoy a sweet chewy treat, the options are numerous! We tried the Swizzle Sugar, a sugar cookie topped with coconut frosting, raspberry drizzle and a fresh lime wedge. The coconut frosting was super tasty, and the raspberry brightened it up. On the same sugar cookie base, the Sprinkle Sugar features cotton candy frosting topped with sprinkles. This cotton candy flavor is legit! It tasted like childhood. Lastly, I gave the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie a go. This isn’t oat-forward but gives the cookie a good chew, and it’s a great balance of sweet and salt.
1028 N. Hamilton St., cookieco.com, 509-703-7414
Cookie Co. is not kidding around. You can go in and grab cookies to go, or pull into their drive-thru near the Gonzaga University campus. Each week, Cookie Co. switches up its offerings, baking only four types of cookies with one weekly mainstay, the original chocolate chip. Cookie Co.’s are the biggest cookies of the bunch featured here — you could take four days to eat each one, or share with three pals.
The chocolate chip was dense, chewy, salty and sweet, boasting a mouthful of chocolate in each bite. The brookie was a favorite of the lineup, part original chocolate chip, part brownie — it was hard to put down.
The last cookie we tried was a crowd favorite. The caramel popcorn has a caramel cookie base, a thick caramel popcorn frosting and a crunchy piece of caramel corn on top. It was salty, sweet, chewy and tasted exactly like caramel corn. Cookie Co. is part of a national chain, and Spokane’s store is locally owned by husband-wife team Adam Le and Katie Huynh.
3315 N. Argonne Rd. and other locations; rocketspokane.com
The Argonne Rocket Bakery is my favorite. There’s plenty of room to sit, enjoy a cup of coffee and dig into a cookie while reading and people-watching. Each Rocket Bakery around town has its own cool vibe with the same reliable, consistent eats and friendly service. Its peanut butter chocolate chip cookie is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Rocket’s bakers use crunchy peanut butter, producing an incredible texture. It’s the perfect amount of sweet and salt, with a perfect bite. The seasonal frosted cookie differs from the Rocket’s traditional pink sugar cookie in that the seasonal version boasts vanilla buttercream while the pink has almond cream cheese frosting. The seasonal cookie is BIG, topped with oodles of decorated frosting. Under all that frosting, Rocket’s sugar cookie is not overly sweet and has a great chew.
Lastly, the chocolate no-bake cookie: This is my brother’s favorite cookie, and he won’t eat it from just anywhere — it has to be the Rocket. The chewy, oat-y chocolate cookie is sweet yet salty, but not overwhelmingly, has a hint of peanut butter, and could easily be deemed a hearty breakfast.
2073 Main St., Coeur d’Alene, fb.com/bearpawcookies1
208-930-0500
24 W. Main Ave. bootsbakery.com
509-703-7223
CRUMBL
7808 N. Division St. and 3524 N. Government Way, Coeur d’Alene crumblcookies.com
213 S. University Rd., Spokane Valley, jadspokane.com
Pop-up bakery, info at theluckycrumb.com
1030 W. Summit Pkwy. myfreshspokane.com 509-558-2100
3758 E. Horsehaven Ave., Post Falls, sugarfixsodashop.com
Order online at threebirdiesbakery.com
Food is at the heart of most celebrations, so why not dedicate entire festivals to eating? Some regional foodie fests offer a smorgasbord of culinary delights, while others honor a single ingredient. No matter which you choose, you’re sure to find your fill of food and fun.
Kali oreksi! Come hungry to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church’s nearly nine-decades-old Greek food festival. Take your tastebuds to the Mediterranean with slow-roasted gyros, honey-drenched loukoumades, and fresh, flakey baklava. You can take your food to-go, or dine in and experience even more Greek culture through music, dancing and church tours. An evening vespers service follows the end of the festival on Saturday. All events are open to everyone, and every Greek yia-yia will make sure you don’t leave hungry. Sept. 28-30, 2023; September 2024, spokanegreekfest.org
Ditch the Cup Noodles and try authentic Japanese ramen at the Spokane Buddhist Temple. Twice a year, the temple hosts festivals to fundraise and educate the community on traditional Japanese food and culture. Though these celebrations focus on the famous noodle dish, the festivities include dancing, crafts and other food offerings like mochi and sushi. Keep an eye out for other festivals, too, like an Obon festival in August held to honor ancestors, or a Mochi festival celebrated at New Year’s. October 2023 and April 2024; spokanebuddhisttemple.org
One of the craziest, tastiest weeks in the local food scene, our own Inlander Restaurant Week features three-course, fixed-price menus at the region’s top foodie destinations. Choose your price point, make a reservation, and find your next favorite dining spot. While you take in the region’s hospitality, consider donating to Big Table, a nonprofit dedicated to serving those who are serving you. If nothing else, make sure to be kind to your waiter who’s working hard to make the chaotic week special and enjoyable. Feb. 22-March 2, 2024; inlanderrestaurantweek.com
Directed by chef Adam Hegsted, a James Beard Award semifinalist, Crave! Northwest is one of the area’s premiere festivals for chefs and chef aficionados alike. The three-day, summer event in Spokane Valley is full of rich flavors and experimental recipes. Chefs, breweries and artisans get to meet and network, while ticket holders get to taste the fruit of their collaboration, like poached octopus tostadas, salmon chorizo or burger competitions paired with local beer, wine and cider. Mid-July 2024; cravenw.com
What do Spain, Italy, Greece and the Palouse all have in common? Their love for lentils, of course! Head to Pullman for the nation’s best lentil festival and the world’s largest bowl of chili. A vat of over 2,000 pounds of chili memorializes the humble legume, plus local vendors compete for the most creative legume inventions on Lentil Lane. Make sure to get there in time for the grand parade, plus the Lil Lentil Sprout parade for children. August 2024; lentilfest.com
Need Labor Day plans? Look no further than Spokane’s six-day celebration of food and fun in iconic Riverfront Park. Previous years have boasted 250-plus menu items, plus public market stalls and free live music on stages around the park. Bring your family or find haven in an adult beverage garden. The festival is open from 11 am to 10 pm daily, but pace yourself — organizers promise that no matter what, “you’ll never eat it all.” Seems like you’ll just have to go back again next year. Aug. 28-Sept. 2, 2024; pigoutinthepark.com
7.46
TOTAL MILES
32,306
92 1 YEARS MONTH
TOTAL 2023 REGISTRATION
4,000 VOLUNTEERS
41
OLDEST PARTICIPANT BANDS ON COURSE
WATER CUPS
YOUNGEST PARTICIPANT PERENNIALS
MILLION
APPROXIMATE MONEY GENERATED IN THE LOCAL ECONOMY
75 400,000 SAFETY PINS
129,224
Spokane’s new men’s and women’s pro soccer teams kick off inaugural seasons in 2024.
Paddleboard, kayak, swim, fish — and relax — at the region’s best small lakes.
Five mountain resorts ready for you to come visit this season.
“It’s just so accessible to young and old.”
— Tom Darzes, Inland Northwest Pickleball ClubPAGE 128 PAGE 120 PAGE 138 PAGE 132 Float the Spokane River with ROW Adventures. ROW ADVENTURES PHOTO
Get ready to kick it in 2024 as the United Soccer League (USL) brings men’s and women’s professional soccer teams to the new ONE Spokane Stadium in downtown Spokane.
The men’s team — Spokane Velocity — competes in USL League One, an existing league that sits on the third level of the U.S. men’s soccer pyramid. Despite the lack of promotion and relegation in professional American soccer, the sport’s national governing body uses a pyramid system for ranking leagues similar to most other countries.
The women’s team will play in the brand new USL Super League.
That league is set to start play in 2024 on the top level of the women’s soccer pyramid, giving Spokane its first truly top-tier sports team since the Victoria
USL SPOKANE
uslspokane.com
Facebook, Instagram, X: USLSpokane
Spokane has been home to soccer teams before, including one that played in a previous iteration of USL. Starting in 1996, the Spokane Shadow brought the world’s game to Joe Albi Stadium in northwest Spokane. That era lasted for a decade, until the artificial turf surface at the stadium was declared unsafe for play. The club folded as a result and would not return until 2014. The reborn Shadow took up residence at Spokane Falls Community College — Joe Albi’s slow decline had continued since the turf troubles. The step down in stadium size was matched by a step down
The world’s game is coming to the Inland Northwest BYAristocrats ice hockey team relocated from Canada for one season on account of World War I.
from the fourth-tier of the pyramid to the fifth-tier.
Those Shadow teams were of the semi-pro variety. They focused on developing young players who would eventually move on from Spokane. The teams here now are something else entirely.
By 2017, Joe Albi’s decline had passed a tipping point and demolition was decided upon for the venerable, nearly 70-year-old stadium.
Four years later, with Albi set to come down, a proposal to build what is now ONE Spokane Stadium was presented by business and community leaders. A similar downtown stadium proposal had been turned down by voters in 2018, but the 2021 plan had something new: the backing of a professional soccer league.
USL pledged $2 million in financing for the project, along with the promise of a fully professional expansion club for the city, and the plan was approved.
Founded in 1986, the United Soccer League has taken a winding path to where it is today. Now it counts more than 200 men’s and women’s teams at both the professional and semiprofessional levels, competing in leagues on multiple tiers of America’s soccer pyramid.
“Differences between minor league sports and USL, both on the men’s and women’s side, is that our players are paid by and sign contracts with their club and live with their families here in Spokane,” says USL Deputy CEO Justin Papadakis. “They’re not owned by a parent club that can trade them back and forth. These players, in many cases, sign long-term contracts with the club here in Spokane.”
Compare that to the Spokane Indians, a farm team for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball. Some of those players may only spend a few games with the Indians before being shipped off to another part of the Rockies’ organization.
“The players who are playing for the men’s and women’s professional teams are full-time professional athletes who are playing in a league with a collective bargaining agreement,” says Ryan Harnetiaux, an owner of USL Spokane.
When the initial USL expansion offer came to Spokane in 2021, plans for a women’s team were not in the mix. But a year later, a semiprofessional women’s team in USL’s W League was announced for Spokane.
Less than a year later came an even bigger announcement.
USL would be starting a fully professional women’s league — USL Super League — that would be granted first-tier status on the pyramid. This would be no minor league, and major markets like Dallas, Phoenix, Charlotte and Washington, D.C., were among the eight cities selected for the inaugural season. So was Spokane.
“When I first came to Spokane four years ago to start looking at the market, an outlier in all of my conversations was the pride and excitement in the community that emanated from everyone I spoke to,” Papadakis says.
“For me, it’s a nod towards the league’s belief that Spokane can be one of the premier sports markets in the country. It has already proven that with Hoopfest, Bloomsday and Gonzaga basketball. Spokane shows up for sports. USL doesn’t just hand out invitations to Super League. It takes confidence on the league’s part that the community will come out and support the club,” says Harnetiaux.
As of Annual Manual’s press time, neither of the women's teams have announced a name, but both are slated to begin play at ONE Spokane Stadium in 2024. The semi-pro W League team will play a short season from May through June, with the Super League schedule set to get underway in August.
With a roaring river just a strong kick away from their home stadium, Spokane’s men’s team pays homage to its natural setting with its name, and its crest inspired by the awe-inspiring sight of Spokane Falls cascading beneath the Monroe Street Bridge.
The Spokane Velocity competes in USL League One, which began play in 2019 and will have 13 teams when Spokane joins in spring 2024.
While USL is a separate entity from top-of-the-pyramid Major League Soccer, where clubs like the Seattle Sounders and Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami compete, it’s not completely separate from it. The two leagues square off annually in the U.S. Open Cup.
I just cannot wait for opening night to see the community come together and support this team.TOM STOVER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
Founded in 1914, the yearly tournament is open, as the name implies, to teams from up and down the country’s soccer pyramid.
“The beginning stages [of the U.S. Open Cup] are always regionally based,” Papadakis says. “Every year, Spokane could be playing against the Sounders or the Timbers in the Pacific Northwest region, ultimately to play into the national portion of the Open Cup. I think that part is really, really exciting and another differentiating factor [compared to other American professional sports].”
As of late July 2023, season tickets for the Spokane Velocity were beginning to run low, a clear sign the community is eager to support its new hometown team.
“I just cannot wait for opening night to see the community come together and support this team,” Papadakis says. “From looking at the season ticket deposits, I think they’re up at 3,800 [as of August] and, eight months out from playing, that is just a small indicator of how much this team has resonated.”
Season tickets will also be available for the Super League team, along with single-game tickets for both of the professional teams. The pre-professional W League team will take a different approach, opening up the entire stadium for lower-cost, single-game tickets. u
In the realm of sports, there’s a rising star that refuses to be confined to the sidelines. Pickleball, the unlikely fusion of tennis, badminton, and ping pong, has captivated players of all ages, igniting a craze that shows no signs of slowing down.
With swinging paddles turning heads and winning hearts across the region, the Inland Northwest has aced the game.
The city of Coeur d’Alene stands as a vibrant hub, boasting an unrivaled pickleball scene during its annual tournament in July. Hosted by the Inland Northwest Pickleball Club (INWPC), the 2023 tournament drew 430 players from 20 states and a few countries this year, says Club President Craig Woolf.
From seasoned athletes to life-seasoned enthusiasts, pickleball players span a broad range, encompassing professionals and retirees alike.
“It’s just so accessible to young and old,” INWPC Ambassador Tom Darzes says. “We have members over 80 years old.”
Darzes attributes the sport’s growth and popularity to its wide appeal.
Pickleball serves as a dynamic platform, offering a seamless path to learning for beginners while maintaining its allure via challenges presented to those aspiring to master the game, Darzes says.
This list isn’t exhaustive, but serves as a snapshot of free, public and fee-based locations, as well as indoor and outdoor facilities. For more resources, check out inwpc.com
COMSTOCK PARK 601 W. 29th Ave., Spokane
Four outdoor courts; open daily 11 am-8 pm (seasonal)
Cost: Free; nets stored nearby in a locked bin; check out a key for the season by emailing the Spokane Parks & Rec Dept.
THE WAREHOUSE 800 N. Hamilton St., Spokane
Open Mon-Fri 10 am-noon
Cost: $7/drop-in, $30/monthly; reserve courts at warehousealthetics.com/pickleball
HUB SPORTS CENTER 19619 E. Cataldo Ave., Liberty Lake
12 indoor courts; open Mon-Thu 1-3 pm and Tue/Thu 10 am-noon
Cost: $5.50/advance, $7/door; sign up for clinics at hubsportscenter.org/pickleball
ORCHARD PARK 20298 E. Indiana Ave., Liberty Lake
8 outdoor courts; open Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm (seasonal)
Cost: Free, BYO net
CHERRY HILL PARK 1718 N. 15th St., Coeur d’Alene
12 outdoor courts; open daily 5 am-11 pm (seasonal)
Cost: Free; nets available to INWPC members
MEMORIAL FIELD 501 Fort Ground Dr., Coeur d’Alene
4 lighted courts, open daily 5 am-11 pm (seasonal)
Cost: Free
Pickleball has exploded in popularity; here’s how and where to play across the Inland Northwest BY BEN VANDEHEYPickleball doubles at the 2023 Coeur d’Alene Classic. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO
“It’s a game for everyone,” he adds.
As of summer 2023, the INWPC has amassed more than 550 members, a significant increase from the 180 members recorded just three years ago.
Nationally, pickleball has been named the fastest-growing sport for the third consecutive year, with over 8.9 million players, an increase from 4.8 million in 2022, according to a 2023 report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
Meanwhile, pickleball continues to establish its presence regionally. In 2022, it was designated as the official sport of Washington state, commemorating its birthplace of Bainbridge Island.
Nestled in the embrace of the Puget Sound, pickleball was founded in 1965 by three enterprising fathers. Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum sought to create a fun and engaging activity for their families one summer afternoon. They improvised a game using ping pong paddles, a perforated plastic ball, and a badminton court in the Pritchard family’s backyard.
The sport has since transcended its humble origins, becoming an adored pursuit across the world, celebrated for its accessibility, camaraderie, and spirited competition. u
Pickleball is played on a badminton-size court, with a net set at 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches at the center.
Players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials, and a plastic ball with holes (similar to a wiffle ball).
The serve must be made underhand diagonally, starting from the right-hand side of the court.
The server must keep both feet behind the baseline and make contact with the ball below waist level.
The serve must clear the non-volley zone (the first 7 feet from the net) and land within the diagonal service court on the receiver’s side.
After the serve, each team must let the ball bounce once on their side before volleys (hitting the ball in the air) are allowed.
Once the ball has bounced on both sides, players can volley or play it off a bounce.
A 7-foot area near the net on each side of the court is designated as the nonvolley zone or “kitchen.”
Players cannot volley the ball while standing within the kitchen. They can only enter the kitchen to play a ball that has bounced within it.
Pickleball is usually played in doubles Points can only be scored by the serving team. If a point is scored, the server switches sides. Games are typically played to 11, 15 or 21 points, and teams must win by a margin of two points.
The server continues to serve until they commit a fault (such as hitting the ball out of bounds or into the net).
When the first server loses the serve, the partner then serves from their correct side of the court (except for the first service sequence of the game). If the receiving team wins a rally, they earn the right to serve.
Time to play a floating golf green. Explore a massive theme park. Stay in amazing accommodations. Visit luxurious spas. Take a lake cruise. Shop the downtown. Relax in a park. Ski epic powder. Play in a casino. Eat like a king. Zipline. Wake surf. Sail. Hike. Ice skate. Fish. Dance. Visit. It’s time to book your dream getaway!
coeurdalene.org
The summer heat can be brutal. Thankfully, the Inland Northwest is chock-full of lakes, rivers and streams flush with cool mountain water.
The following spots are all within a couple of hours’ drive from Spokane. Some, like the Little Spokane River, are well-known and often crowded. Others, like Bead Lake, are hidden gems. They’re all perfect for kayaking, canoeing and stand-up paddleboarding. So pack your sunscreen, block off a sunny afternoon and don’t foget to pack out any trash and tread lightly on the land. A Discover Pass ($30/year or $10/day) is required to visit all of the following lakes.
Tucked away in the heart of the desolate Channeled Scablands you’ll find Bonnie Lake. No roads lead there, so getting to the lake requires launching a boat at Rock Creek, about 17 miles south of Cheney.
Elevation: 1,793 feet
Acres: 327
Distance from Spokane: 38 miles
From there, paddle up the narrow creek, keeping an eye out for wren nests, a beaver dam and turkey vultures camped out on the canyon walls.
You’ll reach Bonnie Lake after about a mile. It’s a spectacular, 4-mile-long lake that
snakes between imposing basalt cliffs. There’s a small island in the middle of the lake, owned by the Bureau of Land Management, where you can take a quick rest stop and soak in the views. Just make sure to watch out for poison ivy.
Washington’s Department of Fish & Wildlife describes Bonnie Lake as one of the state’s best warm-water fishing lakes, with ample supply of yellow perch, black crappie and largemouth bass.
Length: 35 miles
Distance from Spokane: 12 miles
This little river has a big reputation. One of the more popular paddling routes near Spokane, the Little Spokane River Natural Area is managed by Riverside State Park and features scenic views and plenty of wildlife. Swimming is prohibited for environmental reasons, but you can still get an up-close look at the water by taking a kayak or canoe down the 6-mile stretch of river. On a good day, you can expect to see muskrats, osprey, mallards, deer and even a moose if you’re lucky.
During the summer, Spokane Parks and Recreation offers regular shuttle service on weekends. Leave your car at the Nine Mile Falls takeout, and the shuttle will transport you and your watercraft
These regional waterways offer some of the best spots for paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, swimming and moreGet up close with nature while kayaking the Spokane River. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO
to the St. George’s put-in, where your river journey begins. The shuttle costs $10 and operates from 10 am to 4 pm, available starting in early July to early September. Life jackets are required by law.
If you’re looking for a water adventure that’s tucked away and far from any urban center, consider Davis Lake. This small, rustic lake is in the Colville National Forest, just an hour north of Spokane and south of the town of Usk.
The lake is named for Roll Davis, who built his family homestead there in 1905. Today, the lake is regularly stocked with rainbow trout and other fish.
the water and spring wildflowers. The site is also great for birdwatching. Wood ducks, goldfinches and hummingbirds are common sights on land, and it’s possible to see bald eagles and osprey from out on the water.
Elevation: 1,978
Acres: 190
Elevation: 4,550
Acres: 17
Distance from Spokane: 45 miles
Motorized boats aren’t allowed, but kayakers and canoers can hit the water through a primitive boat launch on the northeast corner of the lake. There are also four first-come, first-served campsites with picnic tables, fire pits and easy access to the water.
Distance from Spokane: 30 miles
Just 30 miles south of Spokane, this sprawling lake is dotted with wetlands and great for swimming, paddling and exploring. There’s a public boat launch on the north side of the lake near Fishtrap Lake Resort, which was built in 1902. From there, you can paddle down to the southern shores, passing historic farmsteads and wetland areas.
The lake is named for the fish traps used by Native Americans, and it remains a great spot for fishing today. If you want to take a break from the water, check out the two newly constructed trails that form an 8-mile loop next to the lake, offering impressive views of
Elevation: 2,833
Acres: 718
Distance from Spokane: 58 miles
With 720 acres of water, the largest lake in Pend Oreille County has a lot to offer. Crystal clear waters. Dense ponderosa pines and cedar trees. The west side of the lake is dotted with houses, but the east side has a rugged feel with thick forests that make you feel totally alone. There are a number of ways to get in the cold mountain water. On foot, you can follow a 7-mile trail that runs along the lakeshore, stopping to take a dip where the trail runs up against the shore. For boaters, there’s a paid boat launch on the west side of the lake.
The best North Idaho golf course is Circling Raven Golf Club at Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel. Acclaimed as a “Top 100” course by every major golf publication in the U.S., Circling Raven is a par 72 course offering an enthralling 18 holes to conquer. Enjoy the scenic beauty of our championship course, nestled among 620 acres of wetlands, woodlands, and Palouse grasses. You’ll admire the aesthetics almost as much as the play. Ready to conquer the most enthralling golf course in Idaho? Let’s go!
Peter Grubb is no stranger to the Inland Northwest’s rivers.
After two seasons working as a river rafting guide in the 1970s, Grubb and his wife Betsy Bowen decided to start the ROW Adventure Center, which led adventurers on multi-day wilderness river trips. They were the first company to run commercial rafting trips on Idaho’s Moyie and St. Joe rivers, and by the mid-1980s, Grubb and his wife had expanded their business to international outdoor adventures.
Four decades later, Grubb’s organization is a one-stop shop for camping, rafting, fishing and hiking in the Inland Northwest and beyond. But Grubb’s core mission — sharing the joy of wild river adventures with everyone — remains unchanged.
INLANDER: What made you fall in love with rafting?
GRUBB: I think rivers are magical in and of themselves. They’re a living force. They carry you downstream through places that are otherwise very difficult to access. They’re also just fun. There’s not just the river, but there’s camping, there’s fishing and hot springs and hiking and natural and cultural history elements. And being able to share that with people in an environment where they’re completely out of their element makes for, I think, super meaningful connection with people.
What is it about the Inland Northwest that makes it such a great place for river rafting?
We have a huge number of wild and free-flowing rivers. As a state, Idaho has more whitewater miles than
any other state in the U.S by a factor of two compared with the next closest state. Idaho has over 3,500 miles of raftable whitewater sections. California is second with 1,800. The Spokane River in and of itself is an amazing resource. It’s quite unique. There’s only two rivers in the United States that have whitewater and flow through city centers and the other is the James River in Richmond, Virginia.
Do you have any tips for people who’ve never been whitewater rafting before and are interested in giving it a shot?
If you’ve never been, go with an outfitter or guide and take advantage of that knowledge or expertise. We generally recommend starting off on a more easy to moderate river where you can gain some appreciation. I always say, if somebody never drank wine in their entire life, it would be sort of pointless to pour them a 1964 bordeaux. They should start with something cheap and calm and gain some appreciation and build up from there.
Here’s a hard question: Do you have a favorite river in the Inland Northwest?
No, I don’t. That being said, I’m particularly drawn to a couple of the desert rivers in the south of Idaho in the southeastern corner of Oregon. They’re not very well known. They have short seasons, variable water flows. And at this stage, whitewater isn’t necessarily what I’m seeking. I love whitewater, but I also find as much beauty and satisfaction in running a river that’s pretty calm. u
Do you have a favorite outdoor activity that isn’t river-related?
Oh, I would say hiking for me.
Do you have any favorite hiking spots in the area?
It just depends. Mineral Ridge just east of Coeur d’Alene is just the perfect place if you just want to go out for a quick hour and a half with family and friends.
Is there a river you haven’t rafted yet that you’d like to one day?
I’d like to go up and do the Chilcotin in British Columbia. There’s so many rivers in the world.
Are there any camping spots in the Inland Northwest you recommend?
Up on the Moyie River there’s a beautiful campground called Meadow Creek that gets very little use.
As Winston Churchill once said, “altitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” Or did he say attitude? Either way, find amazing possibilities in beautiful Sandpoint, Idaho, just 90 minutes east of Spokane. In winter, ski or ride at Schweitzer – with 2,900 acres, Idaho’s biggest ski mountain. Come summer, hike or bike our three mountain ranges, swim or boat in magnificent Lake Pend Oreille, or play 18 holes at the acclaimed Idaho Club. Start and end your days in bustling downtown Sandpoint, with its boutiques and art galleries, fine restaurants, wineries, and breweries.
We’ll see you in Sandpoint!
Monthly special sections in the Inlander, October through February
Always online at inlander.com/snowlander
“Be ready to not stand in line,” jokes Rick Brown, 49’s director of skier and rider services, referring to the wide open spaces his resort above Chewelah offers — and has been offering for almost 90 years now. The mountain’s first lift — a rope tow — was installed in 1939, one of the earliest in the Northwest, Brown says. The lodge just celebrated its 50th year.
Big changes came in the 2021-22 season, when 49 added five new runs to the mountain and the first high-speed detachable chairlift in Eastern Washington. Its fans are still exploring all the new terrain opened up, with runs like Alpine Steel, Gunslinger and 10 Star.
The expanse of 49 Degrees North caters to all levels of skiers and boarders, and the mountain’s run layout is designed to not completely isolate skill levels from one another. The unique arrangement makes it an ideal destination for those first-timers learning to ski and snowboard. The resort’s easiest chairlift, Pay Day, which goes up Treasure Hill, is set apart from the high traffic areas.
The seasoned vets can take advantage of Chewelah Mountain’s elite glade skiing. Patrons often find fresh tracks by taking the west base’s Angel Peak and Silver Lode chair. The terrain tends to be a bit more challenging, including a good concentration of black diamond runs, but there are often fewer people in that area, plus less direct sunlight, so fresh tracks can still be found sometimes days after a decent snowfall.
Also be on the lookout for the bells and hand-built birdhouses that are scattered across the terrain.
“It’s kind of a tradition as you’re skiing through those areas to ring the bells,” says Brown. “We’ve got one in a tree area low on the mountain that newer skiers, and particularly kids, can access very easily.” (SETH
SOMMERFELD) Boarders of all levels love the range of terrain at 49° North. 49° NORTH PHOTO
The rain shadow effect caused by the Cascade Range to our west is dramatic and well known, but the same phenomenon occurs to our east as well. Located along the crest of the Bitterroot Range, where the mountains pull water out of the air at a rate that rivals rain-soaked Seattle, Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area regularly leads the region when it comes to snowfall totals.
The big, years-in-the-making news at Lookout is the Eagle Peak expansion, which opened in December 2022 thanks to a new quad chairlift installed the summer before. The expansion pushed their previous acreage from 540 acres up to 1,023 acres, with lots of new trails to explore — mostly strong-intermediate-to-advanced runs, and some expert runs.
“More snow, deeper snow, higher elevation,” says Director of Marketing Matt Sawyer, “it brings us to a total of 1,650-foot vertical. We’re really excited about how it transforms Lookout and takes us into the next size category as a good mid-sized ski area.”
The Eagle Peak expansion will expand Lookout’s footprint on the Montana side of the border, but it is important to note that even though you can ski over to the Mountain Time Zone, Lookout continues to operate on Pacific Time.
Want to ski in a sea of Santas? Lookout has you covered on that one, too.
“We do a fundraiser where we collect approximately $20 from people that dress up in a full-on Santa suit,” says Sawyer. “I mean top to bottom, they’ve got to look like Santa. They’ve got to have the red cap, the full coat, the pants, the black belt. And 100 percent of that is donated to local charities to buy Christmas gifts for the kids in the local region. You've got somewhere around 70 or 80 Santa Clauses skiing down the hill at one time.”
(WILL MAUPIN)
Located just 30 miles and an hour’s drive from downtown, Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park is as local as it gets. The mountain’s proximity to the city has been attracting dedicated customers and curious beginners from Spokane and the wider region for decades. Don’t be fooled by the location, though, as Mt. Spokane strives to offer visitors an experience that feels truly out in nature.
“We are set in Washington State Parks. We’re very good stewards of the mountain and the state park, so we create a very authentic mountain experience,” says Assistant General Manager Jodi Kayler. “We also want to create a great skiers’ experience. So while you’ll come up here and it really feels like you’re in the mountains, it doesn’t feel like a resort, but you still have a great experience with good technology, good communications and great services.”
While recent years have seen big upgrades with a new chair opening up the backside of the mountain even more, lately it’s been more about the skier experience. Both lodges got a makeover for last season, featuring an all-new food and beverage area at Lodge 2, including espresso-making capabilities. At Lodge 1, they added garage doors opening to a large patio, an updated kitchen, a new fireplace and cooling system for summer programs.
Aside from its location in a state park and its proximity to the city, another aspect of Mt. Spokane’s connection, and dedication, to its community is how it operates. Mt. Spokane is the region’s only ski area licensed as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and the mission keeps expanding, as they’ve added summer camps to the mix as well.
“Not only have we made these improvements,” Kayler says, “but we now have a strategic plan going into the next 10 years. We’re doing it intentionally so that the mountain is truly a pride point for the entire community.”
(WILL
The big news announced in June is that Schweitzer is in the process of being sold to Alterra, which owns 16 ski resorts across North America, along with more than 40 around the world. Those resorts are united by the Ikon Pass, which gives Schweitzer season ticket holders access to a huge variety of destinations.
“Alterra intends to keep our entire Schweitzer team in place and is committed to retaining our mission, our values, our brand, and our unique and funky culture,” wrote longtime Schweitzer President and CEO Tom Chasse, adding that he is not going anywhere.
Schweitzer has the chops to keep up with all those world-class resorts. With 192 named trails and 3,000 acres, you could spend an entire season at the resort and not do the same run twice. For pro skiers, the mountain is especially known for its tree skiing and high-angle grooming, says Sean Mirus, Schweitzer’s marketing and special events director. At just over 2 miles long, the Little Blue Ridge ski run is the resort’s longest run and a good choice for intermediate skiers.
Four new, beefy snowmaking guns have been added to their winter arsenal, to provide more consistent snow cover in the early season and more consistent powder to glide down throughout the season. Schweitzer also just upgraded its six-person high-speed chair lift — Stella.
“Skiers and riders on the mountain, when they go up the backside, they’ll be
Kellogg was initially famous for being the site of the Bunker Hill Mine, but when the mine closed in 1982 a mass exodus occurred, leaving the town of Kellogg in the silver-rich dust like so many other mining towns. But rebirth came quickly, and nowadays Kellogg is home to Silver Mountain Resort, which includes Kellogg Peak and Wardner Peak, an alpine ski area perfect for local snow sports enthusiasts.
Getting to Silver Mountain is easy: Take a scenic drive along I-90 and, eventually, you’ve arrived. But the scenic ride doesn’t end there: Once you’re ready to hit the slopes, hop onto North America’s longest gondola for a 3.1-mile journey to a full day of snowy adventures.
With more than 300 inches of snowfall annually, Silver Mountain is always prepared for a white winter. Over the past two seasons, says Marketing Coordinator Gus Colburn, they’ve added three new groomers to keep the terrain in tip-top condition.
Last year also marked the return of the popular Jackass Snack Shack. The shack gets its name from the original name of the resort. The Snack Shack is full of snacks (obviously), drinks and ample space to rest for famished visitors. This pitstop is located at Midway Chair 4 and also includes a restroom.
And yes, when the resort first opened in 1968 it was named “Jackass Ski Bowl.” This ties into the founding of Kellogg. The story goes that a prospector who could not find a vein to mine got an assist from his donkey, that led him to a mine full of ore — so they named the resort after that legendary “jackass.”
“Every year we celebrate Jackass Day,” says Colburn. “It’s celebrated around the time of our anniversary, always in January. We go completely retro by making our lift tickets the price they would’ve been in the 1960s, and we get a birthday cake!”
(MADISON PEARSON)
Winter in the Inland Northwest can be long, dark and cold, so you might as well just jump in and enjoy all it has to offer. Sure, we’re well known for our five epic ski resorts within a short drive, but there’s lots to do for non-skiers, too — from training the binocs on the symbol of America to tramping around on snowshoes with a craft beer tasting as your reward.
Eagle watching has soared to become one of the ultimate winter pursuits around Coeur d’Alene. The Bureau of Land Management began counting the iconic birds of prey in 1974. Hundreds of eagles on their southward migration pause at the lake each year to rest and feed on spawning kokanee salmon.
The eagles soar, nest and hunt the area from November through February. According to the BLM, some of the best places to view the eagles are Higgins Point, Mineral Ridge Boat Ramp and Mineral Ridge Trailhead. Several tour companies also offer eagle-watching cruises.
Lake Coeur d’Alene Cruises provides two-hour excursions, boating passengers to Wolf Lodge Bay to witness the eagles’ hunting prowess as they swoop down and snatch fish from the water’s surface.
“It’s an awe-inspiring sight to see these magnificent birds in the wild from the comfort of a cruise boat,” says Tenor Ellis, a captain of Lake Coeur d’Alene Cruises.
During the trip, Ellis says, boat captains offer insights about the birds, telling passengers about their presence in the area, dietary habits and significance to North Idaho.
December usually marks the peak of the eagles’ migration numbers. Last year, the highest number of eagles sighted in a week was 227.
“Many people don’t get the chance to see bald eagles in their natural habitat, let alone a large number of them up close and personal,” Ellis says. “It’s one of the most spectacular wildlife viewing excursions in the Northwest.” (BV)
Riverfront Park’s Numerica Skate Ribbon transforms into an ice-skating haven every
November, inviting seasoned and novice skaters alike to lace up their skates and embrace the thrill of gliding on ice.
The ice-skating ribbon consists of a 16-foot-wide, 650-foot-long pathway attached to a 3,500-square-foot frozen pond. Amid a picturesque Northwest-inspired landscape, skaters can navigate gentle inclines and declines along the twisting path.
The Skate Ribbon’s ticketing facility, shared with the Numerica SkyRide, evokes the cozy charm of a mountain ski lodge, complete with the Sky Ribbon Café offering a selection of food and a dining area adorned with large windows.
Once the season kicks off, the Numerica Skate Ribbon is open from 11 am to 8 pm Sunday through Thursday, and 11 am to 9 pm Friday and Saturday. Prospective skaters can buy either a one-hour day pass or a season pass. Skates are not included but are available for rent.
Every Friday in December and January, starting at 6 pm, the ice-skating ribbon ignites with spirit during “DJ Night on the Ice.” With themed nights, music and lights, the weekly event adds an extra spark to visitors’ ice-skating escapades. On “Cheap Skate Tuesdays,” each paid admission grants free skate rentals.
Seasonal ice-skating festivities extend until at least the end of February, allowing interested individuals to partake in the exhilarating activity all winter long. (BV)
Striking the perfect harmony between leisure and thrill, snow enthusiasts delight in the exhilarating rush of speeding down slopes while savoring the effortless joy of this winter activity. Fortunately, the Inland Northwest offers a host of fantastic tubing destinations.
Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg features four tubing lanes. The resort is open from 10 am to 2 pm, and sessions extend for a duration of two hours. An additional 3 pm tubing session is available on Saturdays and holidays. A gondola ride and tube rental are included with the purchase of a ticket.
Bear Creek Lodge on Mount Spokane, a resort dedicated to tubing, offers
largest tubing hill in the region. With a 90-foot-high slope that stretches nearly 800 feet long, tubers are promised a lengthy ride. The tubing sessions run for 1.5 hours during regular hours, but early birds can enjoy an extended two-hour session starting at 10 am.
Finally, nestled on Schweitzer Mountain, Hermit’s Hollow Tubing Center offers another picturesque tubing experience. With two lanes stretching around 300 feet, thrill-seekers can race down the slopes while taking in breathtaking views. Day sessions last for 1.5 hours, while those seeking a nighttime adventure can enjoy extended 2.5-hour sessions.
After each ride down, at all three locations, tubers are provided with an effortless ascent back to the top via a moving carpet or tow rope.
To secure any tubing slot, online reservations are highly recommended due to popularity during peak winter months. (BV)
Unlike other types of skiing, which require steeper hills or sloped areas to go down, you can Nordic ski almost anywhere. This gateway activity opens doors into snowshoeing, backcountry touring and downhill skiing.
“Cross-country skiing is sort of the entry for a lot of things in the winter because you can do it inexpensively, and you can do it on your own timeframe,” says Mark Beattie, a sales associate and technician at Fitness Fanatics, Millwood’s longtime local bike and Nordic ski shop. “It gives you the sense of motion on sticks, which then makes it easier to get into downhill skiing or other things.”
Beattie adds that the region offers some groomed areas, such as at Mt. Spokane or 49° North, that are great for starting out because the trails are already prepared and don’t require you to go off trail at all. Farragut State Park near Athol, Idaho, also has flatter trails that are well-suited for people just starting out, he says. Some golf courses in the Inland Northwest also allow people to Nordic ski in the winter, including some that are even groomed.
Fitness Fanatics also partners with Mount Spokane State Park to host a variety of group and private lessons at the Selkirk Lodge. Spokane’s city Parks and Recreation Department also offers group lessons and classes for beginners.
“We’ve got some excellent instructors up there,” Beattie says, “and they really do a good job of making it fun and making it something that you want to come back and do again.” (SS)
Snowshoeing stands out as one of the most inclusive winter sports available. Unlike snowboarding and skiing, which require specialized technique and training, snowshoeing solely relies on the ability to walk. A multitude of guided tours and rental services in the Inland Northwest optimize the activity’s accessibility to the public.
Spokane Parks and Recreation offers tours throughout the season, priced between $20 and $60. The excursions come equipped with all the necessary gear and are led by seasoned guides. Each is characterized by a distinct activity, ranging from wildlife spotting during the trek to commemorating an outing with beer tasting afterward. Transportation is often provided.
For the independent adventurers, all that’s required is a pair of snowshoes and, if desired, trekking poles. Rentals are available at most ski resorts as well as many outdoor recreation equipment stores.
When selecting a location to snowshoe, it is crucial to ensure that there is a sufficient layer of snow covering the ground. While snow cover is not guaranteed at lower elevations, the regional mountains consistently offer a sufficient layer. Many sites provide groomed trails designated for snowshoers. While not necessary, walking these trails allows for a much easier journey. Once a destination is in mind, it’s crucial to plan for parking arrangements. Many Washington and Idaho state parks mandate parking permits for visitors. (BV)
Come visit Historic Colville
Tour
Just
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Learn how Page 42 on North Hamilton Street is re-envisioning the role of a used bookstore.
PAGE 172
Need a great gift? Surprise and delight your next recipient with something locally made.
PAGE 180
Brick Buy Brick is a Lego lover’s paradise. Kids (and grown ups) will want to spend hours there.
“I will go anywhere to find the best vintage.”
— Summer Hightower, Veda Lux boutiquePAGE 162 Entropy in the historic Parkade boasts records and much more. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO
After being laid off from her teaching job at a local middle school, Robin Velazquez recalls her husband’s advice: “Why don’t you do something fun?”
“So I said, ‘Well, I think I want to open an antique and vintage shop,’” she says. “My grandparents raised me, and when I was little we used to go digging in old dumps and would go antiquing, so I grew up with that.”
Her shop Rejuvenate initially opened in October 2019, but in another building down the block from where it is now in the charming North Monroe Business District. Rejuvenate is in good company, along a stretch filled with many antique and vintage shops, restaurants, and fellow small businesses.
“It was going really well — I mean, we had a cute little shop, the community was supporting us — and then COVID hit,” Velazquez con-
tinues. “We had to close down for three months so I thought I was going to lose the store.”
Instead, she turned to online selling platforms like Facebook Marketplace. During lockdown, she went into the shop, took photos, and started sharing her inventory of vintage, antique, and upcycled furniture and home decor items. When a customer made an online purchase, she’d then head out to drop it off on their porch. At the time, Velazquez didn’t realize this survival-mode pivot was also laying roots for Rejuvenate’s long-term success.
Rejuvenate 2907 N. Monroe St. Open Mon-Fri 11 am-5 pm, Sat 10:30 am-5 pm, Sun 11 am-4 pm fb.com/inspokaneonmonroe
“I’d wave at them and say, ‘You’re saving my little business!’” she says. “It went viral, and people told other people, and they told other people, and they saved my business. So when we opened back up, I had all these new customers.”
After outgrowing that first space in just a few years, Velazquez moved Rejuvenate down the block to a larger, two-story building in late summer 2022. She’s been expanding the store’s footprint since, including with the help of several partner
vendors who sell there, each specializing in unique styles or items.
When an upstairs apartment tenant moved out earlier this year, she transformed the former living quarters into a display space. The working kitchen still has a functioning stove, sink and refrigerator (the latter is stocked with soda in glass bottles for customers to sip while they shop), so Velazquez filled it with retro kitchenware. A tiny closet tucked at the top of the steep stairs is, naturally, filled with clothing.
Around every corner, shoppers can discover a delightful new display. Up front, an area to the left of the store’s entrance is filled with Bohemian-inspired home decor: throw pillows, cut glassware, macramé plant holders, candles, pottery and even jewelry. In a large room at the back of the building, a midcentury formica-topped dining table is set with vintage dishes, while another corner sports a floral, shabby-chic collection like linens spilling out of a rustic wooden armoire. Antique solid-wood sideboards, turn-of-the-century stoneware crocks, framed art galore, mirrors, quilts and even clothing are incorporated throughout Rejuvenate’s many displays themed around decades, colors and more.
“My vendors bring a different aesthetic, like home decor, farmhouse, pop culture,” Velazquez says, adding that about
EVERY HOME TELLS A STORY, CONTINUED...
half the store’s inventory has been sourced by her.
“My grandparents, they passed about 20 and 30 years ago, they had 5 acres and sourced a lot of this. So a lot of the stuff that I sell here, I have stories for, so I am able to tell the story to the customer. It makes my heart so happy because I know they’re so proud.”
Growing up with her grandparents, who themselves were raised during the extreme scarcity of the Great Depression, Velazquez was instilled with a deep appreciation for old things, making do with what
you had, and fixing something when it wore out.
“We were super poor, but I was so rich with everything else,” she says. “I had no idea that we were poor. I had everything I ever needed, and I didn’t know that not everybody got hand-me-down clothing all their lives.”
Besides drawing upon the lifetime collection of her late grandparents, Velazquez says countless local people stop by Rejuvenate to sell her things that they’re ready to pass on.
“I have a lot of customers who will bring me stuff. They don’t want to have estate sales, they want to come here, and they feel comfortable here, so they’ll bring me things and then tell me the stories, and I am able to pass those stories on,” she says.
“People come in and they tell me they get a really good vibe here and a really good feeling,” she continues. “I feel like we’re very friendly and happy, and I love what I do. I really do.”
1889 SALVAGE CO.
2824 N. Monroe St. 1889salvageco.com
509-315-4485
ANTIQUARIAN
12 W. Sprague Ave. instagram.com/antiquarian111
509-459-4249
BIDE & BURGEON
1730 E. Sprague Ave. bideandburgeon.com
509-536-1764
BLACK SHEEP
VINTAGE
101 W. Lincoln Ave., Chewelah fb.com/blacksheepvintageshop
509-936-2824
BLUE CAT VINTAGE
1919 E. Sprague Ave. bluecatvintage.com
509-655-1611
BLYTHE SHOP
3711 E. Decatur Ave. shopblytheinteriors.com
THE BOHEMIAN
12019 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley; 7503 N. Division St. thebohemianspokane.com
BOULEVARD MERCANTILE
1012 N. Washington St. instagram.com/boulevardmercantile
509-327-7547
BULLY FOR YOU: VINTAGE & FOUND
220 N. Main St., Colfax fb.com/bullyforyoucolfax
CHIC & SHAB
2321 N. Monroe St. chicandshab.com, 509-381-5168
CONSIGN FURNITURE
21605 E Country Vista Dr., Liberty Lake consignfurniturestore.com, 509-928-9090
DANIA SPOKANE
319 W. Riverside Ave. daniafurniture.com, 509-624-7740
DAVENPORT HOME STORE
10 S. Post St., davenporthome. myshopify.com, 509-789-7222
ENNIS FINE FURNITURE
8313 N. Division St. ennisfurniture.com, 509-467-6707
LUCKY VINTAGE & PRETTY THINGS
1406 S. Inland Empire Way fb.com/luckyvintagespokane
509-321-7230
MANNA
510 E. Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene themannashop.com
METRO ECLECTIC
604. N Monroe St. www.metroeclectic.com
509-325-5400
MIDTOWN HOME & VINTAGE MARKET
1003 N. Fourth St., Coeur d’Alene fb.com/midtownmarketcda
208-952-2927
PAINT IN MY HAIR
3036 N. Monroe St. paintinmyhair.com
509-326-6999
PINE STREET MARKET
12107 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley, fb.com/PineStreetMarketBoutique, 509-263-2232
SALVAGE 7
4085 W. Riverbend Ave., Post Falls Facebook: Salvage 7, 208-773-4041
TICKETY-BOO
1926 E. Sprague Ave. fb.com/509Ticketyboo 509-828-3476
REBEL JUNK
2424 N. Fourth St., Coeur d’Alene 4102 S. Bowdish Rd., Spokane Valley 15409 N. Newport Hwy., Mead rebeljunk.com
RUNGE FURNITURE
303 E. Spokane Ave., Coeur d’Alene rungefurniture.com, 208-664-2131
THE TIN ROOF
1727 E. Sprague Ave. 120 S. Second Ave., Sandpoint tinrooffurniture.com, 509-535-1111
TOSSED & FOUND
2607 N. Monroe St. fb.com/tossedandfoundspokane 509-325-2607
TWO WOMEN VINTAGE GOODS
2012 E. Sprague Ave. twowomenvintagegoods.com 509-624-4322
VINEGAR GOODS
1930 S. Inland Empire Way instagram.com/vinegargoods
WALKER’S FURNITURE
15 E. Boone Ave.
14214 E. Sprague Ave. 7224 N. Government Way, Dalton Gardens 210 Bonner Mall Way, Ponderay walkersfurniture.com
BY ELLIE ROTHSTROM
In East Spokane’s Logan Neighborhood, Page 42 Bookstore is rewriting the traditional role of a used bookstore. Beyond selling affordable books and creating an inviting space for bookworms to explore, Page 42 offers personalized, monthly book subscriptions, creative in-store events and free books to underserved groups.
seemed more like the pair’s “retirement plan” than an achievable reality. That all changed on Jan. 1, 2021.
“It was a passion project, but we didn’t think it could be a profit project,” Peterson says. “So when we got the opportunity to purchase Page 42 from the previous owners, we jumped on it immediately. We held hands and jumped feet first.”
dedicated to introducing the community to literature of all kinds through unique events and programs, from monthly used-book subscriptions for all ages to their “Blind Date With a Book” section, which features books displayed with their covers intentionally obscured.
Page 42 Bookstore
The shop’s owners, lifelong best friends Emily Peterson and Alicia McCann, had long dreamed of having their own bookstore. Entrepreneurs at heart, the pair spent their childhoods hosting elaborate lemonade stands, making their own perfume and selling homemade jewelry in the hallways of their high school. Despite those many years of hustling their creative business ventures, a bookstore
Open Mon-Sat 10 am-7 pm, Sun 11 am-4 pm
2174 N. Hamilton St. page42bookstore.com, 509-202-2551
Becoming an owner of Page 42 was a natural progression for Peterson, who’d managed the bookstore for a few years while attending Gonzaga University. It was then when she began to see the possibility for that bookstore they’d imagined as kids.
Now, two years since taking over, the duo’s dream is thriving. As a result, Page 42 has evolved quite a bit in the time since. The pair is
Page 42’s “Borrow a Bookstore” program lets people rent the bookstore for private events. Customers can reserve it for private shopping sessions, date night with a catered meal, and book club meetups, with the option to add snacks and beverages.
In the spirit of building a community around accessible literacy, the store also features a kids account, fully funded by donations, that allows any student to take a book home for free.
“Our mission statement is community impact, one book at a time,” McCann says. “We are looking at maximizing our community impact through the power of books, through the
power of literature, and making sure that everyone has access to literature, through breaking income barriers and eliminating all of those problems.”
In early 2023, for example, Page 42 gave away 10,000 books in one day at a free book fair. Although it was planned as a three-day event, all the books were gone that first day after 1,500 people showed up.
“People are hungry for literature,” Peterson says. “People were standing outside in the cold, ready to come inside — especially for kids’ books — because it’s free, because it’s so exciting, because there’s magic in the written word. There’s magic in the print.” u
2ND LOOK BOOKS
2829 E. 29th Ave., 2ndlookbooks.com 509-535-6464
AUNTIE’S BOOKSTORE
402 W. Main Ave., auntiesbooks.com, 509-838-0206
BOOKISHLY HAPPY
2415 N. Government Way, Coeur d’Alene bookishlyhappy.com, 208-765-8596
BOOKTRADERS
907 W. Garland Ave. fb.com/booksrockmysocksoff, 509-326-7653
BRUSED BOOKS
235 E. Main St., Pullman fb.com/brusedbooks, 509-334-7898
CORNER DOOR FOUNTAIN & BOOKS
3301 N. Argonne Rd., Millwood cornerdoor.com, 509-921-9253
FINN BOY RECORDS, BOOKS & CURIO
620 N. Monroe St., finnboy.net, 509-315-9946
GIANT NERD BOOKS
607 W. Garland Ave. giantnerdbooks.com, 509-868-0420
THE WELL-READ MOOSE
2048 N. Main St., Coeur d’Alene wellreadmoose.com 208-215-2265
WISHING TREE BOOKS
1410 E. 11th Ave., wishingtreebookstore.com 509-315-9875
4000 HOLES
1610 N. Monroe St., Spokane facebook.com/Bob4000Angel, 509-325-1914
7B GROOVES
502 Cedar St., Sandpoint 7bgrooves.com, 208-263-2544
JJWandler wasn’t planning on opening another record store when he drove past the Parkade one December day, but the “For Lease” sign on the door apparently had a mind of its own.
“I almost caused an accident pulling over to call the number,” he says.
The space itself was a mystery to Wandler. He could see the midcentury-style arched windows and could faintly make out a spiral staircase inside, but the windows had been covered up for as long as he could remember. Even then, he knew enough to take a leap of faith.
SHOP LOCAL
This isn’t Wandler’s first time owning a record store. He opened two others that he eventually sold to friends: Total Trash Records & Sound in 2018 and Garageland in 2015. (Both have since closed.) But he decided to return to his roots with the new space.
The name was inspired by a Thomas Pynchon short story on the second law of thermodynamics, entropy. This is the second business Wandler’s named after a Pynchon story, the first being a Seattle vintage store he used to own called Lot 49, inspired by The Crying of Lot 49
Entropy, 101 N. Stevens St.
Open daily 10 am-6 pm
When he called the leasing office, Wandler didn’t have plans for what to put in the space, but as an avid collector of records and vintage items, he realized that his ever-growing collection needed a new home. He opened Entropy in March 2023.
explodingstars.com, 509-414-3226
Instagram & Facebook
@entropyspokane
“‘Entropy’ has to do with the heat death of the universe, and it also has to do with the tendency of organized systems to descend into chaos,” he says. “Record stores, for all the organization that you do, they descend into chaos and require constant maintenance of the bins, of the alphabetizing, of everything.”
GO!RECORDS
635 W. Garland Ave. gorecordsspokane.com, 509-443-3184
BIGFOOT RECORDS
905 W. Garland Ave., Spokane bigfootrecordsspokane.com, 509-325-0486
FINNBOY RECORDS, BOOKS & CURIO
620 N. Monroe St., Spokane finnboy.net, 509-315-9946
THE LONG EAR
1620 N. Government Way, Coeur d’Alene longear.com, 208-765-3472
PARADISE RIDGE CDS & TAPES
117 E. Third St., Moscow letsboogie.com, 208-882-1670
RECORDED MEMORIES
1902 N. Hamilton St., Spokane richardsrecordedmemories.com, 509-483-4753
RESURRECTION RECORDS
1927 W. Northwest Blvd., Spokane getresurrected.com, 509-414-1429
REVOLVER VINTAGE BOUTIQUE & RECORD STORE
309 S. Main St., Moscow revolvercultureco.com, 208-310-1425
offers an eclectic mix of vinyl records from its historic, midcentury hub in downtown SpokaneEntropy stocks records from all genres. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO
Despite the name’s nature, everything at Entropy is carefully curated. The vintage furniture and decor in the store is primarily midcentury modern, pairing well with the 1967 space, which was designed by esteemed Spokane architect Warren Heylman. Up the spiral staircase, to the right of the entrance, is a mezzanine encircling the main floor. Each month, its curved walls showcase local artists’ work, such as recent exhibitions by Ellen Picken and Daniel Lopez.
The main focus of Entropy, however, remains records.
“My focus here is on just making sure that the bins are free of filler, like all killer, no filler,” Wandler says. “The records that we carry are, I would say, iconic.”
Wandler acknowledges that not everyone will agree with his definition of the word, but he also asserts that certain albums and artists have stood the test of time. Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and the Beastie Boys, for example. And while many records stocked at Entropy are available elsewhere in the area, Wandler also offers a mix of rarities and collectibles in his collection — the Beatles’ “butcher album” version of Yesterday and Today, for example.
Every record store collection has a distinct personality based on its owner’s personal taste. Entropy, Wandler says, will also showcase his evolution through music.
“I’ve got a love for weird music, so there’s gonna be some weird music in here,” he says. “We’ve got the Butthole Surfers, we’ve got Can, ’60s psychedelic rock, Krautrock from the ’70s, punk rock from the late ’70s, ’60s garage rock.”
“It’s going to be constantly evolving around here and constantly changing,” he continues. “It’s kind of a punk-rock attitude, and having that kind of vibrant thing happening downtown I think is important.” u
CHEY SCOTT
There’s perhaps never been a better time to be a vintage fashion enthusiast in the Inland Northwest, with an explosion in recent years of local shops and vendors offering styles from every decade of the past century. Whether you’re more into the ’90s and Y2K-era street fashion, prefer to channel Midge Maisel’s midcentury chicness, or the grit of working class folks is more your vibe, the following vintage shops probably have the perfect ’fit to flaunt your fashion sense.
917 W. Broadway Ave., instagram.com/teleportvintageandco, 509-290-6545
Just north of the downtown Spokane core is Teleport Vintage + Co., where the racks are always overflowing with pieces to suit every taste, budget and season thanks to the 10 or so local vendors who contribute to the shop’s curated inventory. To keep shoppers hydrated while perusing the goods — which may take awhile — Teleport also has a well-stocked beer fridge (with seltzer and cider, too) for those of age.
Since opening in spring 2021, Teleport has become a fixture of the local vintage scene, while also catching the attention of many outof-towners. Being located near the Spokane Arena and other venues
1889 SALVAGE CO.
2824 N. Monroe St., 1889salvageco.com, 509-315-4485
4AM
1009 N. Washington St., instagram.com/4am.spokane
DO IT WITH SOUL
112 S. Cedar St., doitwithsoul.com
FOFOLLES
2625 W. Northwest Blvd., fofollesspokane.com 509-326-0562
GLOBAL NEIGHBORHOOD
THRIFT & VINTAGE
919 E. Trent Ave., global-neighborhood.org, 509-868-0001
MIDTOWN MARKET
1003 N. Fourth St., Coeur d’Alene fb.com/midtownmarketcda, 208-952-2927
VIBE VINTAGE
1801 E. Sprague Ave., fb.com/509vibes, 509-309-3236
VEDA LUX
1106 S. Perry St., vedalux.com, 509-475-1674
means touring musicians often stop by looking for unique threads before or after a show. Other tourists have told owner Paul Forster that the shop reminds them of a hip vintage store out of New York City’s SoHo district — the ultimate compliment. And, vintage dealers all the way from Japan come to Teleport to stock their shops with coveted Americana fashion.
719 W. Garland Ave., instagram.com/collectivethreadzvintage, 509-368-9416
Debuting in the Garland District in fall 2022, Collective Threadz’s name is a nod to the fact that numerous local vintage vendors help stock its racks with T-shirts, denim, flannel button-ups and more. While much of the shop’s inventory is clothing from the 1980s, ’90s and early 2000s — decades that remain ultra popular among the Gen Z crowd — its inventory spans all decades and styles, including collectible band Ts, 20th century military-issue uniform pieces and worn-in workwear. Owners Grant Quine and Tyees Cardwell both sell their own finds at Collective Threadz alongside local vendors including Time Machine Workshop, Bee’s Vintage and Redux Vintage.
Fashion trends are fleeting, but an appreciation for vintage threads never goes out of style. Here’s where to find them.
BYBoulevard Mercantile young kwak photo Teleport Vintage + Co. is packed to the rafters with retro threads. ERICK DOXEY PHOTOS
7 W. Main Ave., instagram.com/chosenvintage 509-443-3602
As soon as you step inside the entry of Chosen Vintage, there are clothes everywhere. Of all the vintage shops in town, this spot can be a little visually overwhelming at times, with garments literally hanging from the ceiling and racks of clothing tucked in every nook and cranny. But for those who enjoy the thrill of finding a totally unique, special piece for their wardrobe, many hours could be spent flipping through hangers if you want to be thorough. And just when you think you’ve seen it all, another nook or hallway branches off to even more clothing. More than a dozen vendors team up to fill this historic brick building on downtown’s east end with threads of the past, each specializing in an era or aesthetic that caters to a wide array of fashion sensibilities.
1012 N. Washington St., instagram.com/boulevardmercantile, 509-327-7547
While this popular spot stocks much more than clothing — like an always-rotating array of collector-quality midcentury furniture — Boulevard Mercantile is an outpost for several of the Inland Northwest’s vintage fashion powerhouses: Red Leaf Vintage, Evening Star Vintage, Vagabond Soundtrack, Worn Culture and several others. In fact, nearly all of its dozen-plus vendors have some part of their space devoted to retro threads, with a range of eras and price points to choose from. Boulevard consistently wins the hearts of Inlander readers, too, taking home the No. 1 spot in our Best Of Readers Poll for both Best Vintage Clothing and Best Vintage Home
&
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Visit cdacasino.com to view our complete list of our services or to book your treatment.
BY CHEY SCOTT
If you’re new to or just getting into the vast world of vintage, knowing where to start can be daunting. I’ve was there, too, when I got back into wearing vintage fashion about three years ago. To help others on their journey, here’s some of the most helpful insight I’ve gleaned since.
As with modern clothing, vintage sizes are hardly consistent, and industry standards have varied wildly over the decades. Besides trying something on (which isn’t always possible) how do you determine your size? Measure yourself! Or, even better, measure a couple pieces of clothing you already have that fit well. Get a flexible measuring tape, and measure the following while standing relaxed: shoulders, bust/chest, natural/high waist, hips, inseam, rise. While important, body measurements don’t always determine a perfect fit. You’ll still need to consider ease of movement, comfort, and how a piece is meant to be worn.
While most local vintage boutiques have fitting rooms, there’s nothing worse than seeing an amazing item on the rack, only to find there’s no way you’ll ever zip it. To avoid this heartbreak, I carry a pocket-sized, retractable measuring tape to double check garment sizes on the hanger. When you’re trying on vintage — especially pieces that are 50-plus years old — try to be gentle, and never force a tight fit because old fabrics and seams can be more delicate. It’s also important to remember that most vintage vendors don’t accept returns, and everything is sold as-is. Inspect each piece carefully and know your limitations when it comes to cleaning and repairs.
Wearing head-to-toe vintage isn’t for everyone, but pairing, say, a vintage sweater with modern pants is very easy to do, while also looking stylish. Outfit inspiration is also everywhere: period movies/TV, historical photos, and even modern brands recycling silhouettes of the past. Another benefit of vintage is that much of it was made to last. Non-synthetic fabrics (wool, silk, cotton, rayon) and garment construction also tend to be of better quality than today’s clothes — especially fast fashion! Plus, shopping secondhand is always better for the environment. Some fabrics, however, often need special care. Dry cleaning or hand washing and air drying vintage duds are safest. If you’re unsure, there are many online resources — check out vintagefashionguild.org or denisebrain.com.
From Here supports local artists and makers. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO
Ilove gift-giving. I love picking something out that I know a certain someone will love and then surprising them with it and making them feel all special. But sometimes, I find this really cool or funny thing staring back at me from the shelf of one of my many favorite local gift shops/boutiques and I have to rack my brain for who I could buy it for. Let’s just say random colleagues and my mailman have made out pretty well. Kidding aside, we’ve got you covered for the perfect gifts you didn’t even know to look for. (Hint: some of these could easily be a one-stop shop for your entire Christmas list.)
River Park Square, 808 W. Main Ave., fromherespokane.com, 509-808-2943
Another innovative step by the local arts nonprofit Terrain, From Here is a River Park Square shop that further catalyzes its mission to build community and economic opportunity for local artists, makers and culture creators. A vibrant visual of our region’s impressive array of talent, From Here is truly a sensual experience where you can almost hear the artists at work — a sort of industrial white noise, layered with the store’s fresh indie playlist. From deliciously kitschy pottery to cutting-edge jewelry, color-poppin’ local nostalgic pics to exquisite leather bracelets and handbags, heavenly home and personal scents to locally authored books, you’ll have a hard-time leaving empty-handed, and well, just leaving.
914 W. Garland Ave., fb.com/vintageprint.us 509-443-5275
You could say it was pure kismet when artist Chris Bovey found a home for his more-than-a-screen-printing business of local landmarks, smack-dab between the Garland Theater and the Milk Bottle. Over the past decade, Bovey has made a name for himself with his fun, color-saturated prints that any local — or area newbie, for that matter — can relate to with an “Oh yeah!” moment. You name it, you can find it in Bovey’s 500+ design collection: Dick’s Hamburgers, Expo ’74, Priest Lake, Auto Vue Drive-in, to name a few. Bovey also hosts fun Print ’n’ Pint Nights and family art events.
222 N. Howard St., fb.com/AtticusCoffee, 509-747-0336 Walk into Atticus Coffee & Gifts, and it feels like you’ve walked into a big hug: the cozy, cool vibe instantly slows your heart rate and fills all the senses, making you want to set aside a good half- to four-hour chunk of your well-deserved time here to see, touch, smell, taste and absorb.
With the help of these super-cool local gift shops, you’ll look like a natural at choosing the perfect gift
BY RENÉE SANDEVintage Print + Neon is in the heart of the Garland District.
Get lost in a beautiful, old book, find a new journal, snatch up your new favorite candle scent, be entertained by inappropriately hilarious gift items, and discover the handmade mug you can’t do without. And of course, you’re not getting out of here without grabbing a cup of their raved-about drip or espresso or tea, perhaps a cookie or pastry from local bakeries, or maybe one of their house-made Parisian-style baguette sandwiches. You get it, this store is not to be missed.
513 and 305 Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene, mixituphomeandgift.com, 208-930-0001
Voted by Inlander readers as having the Best Gifts in North Idaho, Mix It Up Home and Mix It Up Gift, both in the heart of downtown Coeur d’Alene, make you feel like you’re home when you walk in, from the love staff lavish on customers to the ultra comfy atmosphere. With a beautiful, fun and funky selection of unique gift items, art, home decor, and furniture, it’s a store at which you’ll want to make regular appearances. Among many recent sights, sounds and smells are heaven-scented candles and body care items, artist Michelle Allen’s quirky designs (including a clock that looks like a sewing machine), and a mermaid planter that makes you instantly happy. Then there’s artist Houston Llew’s “SPIRITILES,” exquisite art pieces of glass fired to copper, wrapped in thoughtful quotes, and so. much. more.
River Park Square, 808 W. Main Ave., fb.com/Thesmallbizshoppe, 509-570-4614
With so friggin’ much impressive talent in our neck of the woods, thank goodness for stores like Small Biz Shoppe getting these goods out, front
7.5” wide by 2.37” high
ADORKABLE FLOWERS & GIFTS
1326 N. Liberty Lake Rd. Liberty Lake adorkableflowersandgifts.com
509-922-6300
BOO RADLEY’S
232 N. Howard St., fb.com/BooRads
509-456-7479
FERRANTE’S
4516 S. Regal St. shopferrantes.com
509-443-6304
THE GREAT PNW
1098 W. Summit Pkwy. thegreatpnw.com
509-315-5057
LOLO BOUTIQUE
319 W. Second Ave. lolospokane.com
509-747-2867
MARKETPLACE GIFTS
210 Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene 208-930-0036
MEL’S HOME & CLOSET
12501 N. Division St. fb.com/MelsSpokane
509-467-5132
PAPER NERD
808 W. Main Ave. River Park Square
RITTERS
10120 N. Division St. 4ritter.com
509-467-5258
SIMPLY NORTHWEST
11806 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley, simplynorthwest.com
509-927-8206
WINDFALL
At Northern Quest Resort & Casino northernquest.com/shopping/ windfall, 509-481-4900
WONDERS OF THE WORLD
621 W. Mallon Ave. wondersoftheworldinc.com
509-328-6890
and center! The shop’s jam-packed with a fantastic inventory from artists like Renken Creations, which makes custom water bottles, including designs that look like your favorite little athlete’s uniform, complete with shoelaces and jersey number. Also find super cool baseball hats by Zehr Designs, featuring engraved-leather renditions of Spokane icons, and Kinder Kandles, whose “Ma, Mama, Mom, Bruh” candle feels like it was personally designed by your son. They also create all sorts of yummy-scented items, including “man” aromas like Whiskey Neat and River. You won’t leave with empty hands, or heart. u
Resin art is having a moment right now. More than a fleeting trend, though, these pieces of wearable art in the form of earrings by Medical Lake-based artist Gwyn Pevonka can punch up anyone’s style with bright candy colors and funky shapes. Encased in each piece of cast resin are slivers of acrylic paint from Pevonka’s abstract painting process, which involves carving thick layers of dried paint, making each one-of-a-kind. gwynpevonka.com
From her family’s pine-dotted homestead outside of Rathdrum, Idaho, Steph Sheraton of Watson & Mayberry (with occasional help from her three kids) breathes new life into old textiles. Taking worn-out vintage/antique quilts and other materials like leather scraps, Sheraton repurposes these pieces into cozy coats, sturdy tote bags, baskets, pouches and more, each with a story to tell. Shop updates sell out fast due to W&M product’s handmade, limited nature, so sign up for notifications. watsonandmayberry.com
Stephanie Guerra launched her natural skincare line in 2015 after struggling to find products that didn’t wreak havoc on her sensitive skin. Kani’s growing lineup is thus made with all-organic and natural ingredients, from its face masks and mists to its balms and body scrubs. All free of harmful synthetic chemicals, packaged in recyclable materials, never tested on animals, and made right here in Spokane — now that’s a lot to brag about. kanibotanicals.com
Combining a worn-in, vintage vibe with an affection for all things local, Staggs & Staggs Sign Co.’s wall-worthy decor can spruce up any space while also giving it a personal touch. Among the local outfit’s many designs — custom signs are always an option, too — are homages to regional universities, historic landmarks and other beloved landmarks of the beautiful Inland Northwest. staggsandstaggs.com
Sorry, Squishmallows — these locally made buds take the cake with their utter cuteness. From egg-shaped baby chickies to huggable dinos; turtles to the happiest little bumble bees you ever did see, local maker Dulcie Crochets brings these soft, squishy pals to life with just yarn and a crochet hook. They’re perfect for kids and grownups with a heart for whimsical plushies. Find them at the Small Biz Shoppe in River Park Square. instagram.com/dulciecrochets u
INTERVIEWED BY CHEY SCOTT
In 2010, Summer Hightower cashed out her bank account and jumped headfirst into becoming a small business owner. She’d had success selling her handmade jewelry and accessories on the go from a little blue suitcase, and with an overflowing closet of vintage finery of her own, she figured she needed an outlet. Her Veda Lux boutique has been part of the vibrant South Perry District ever since, where its dollhouse-sized cottage space overflows with handpicked clothing, jewelry and accessories from all eras and for all budgets and tastes.
When Hightower’s not traveling the U.S. to source unique pieces for Veda Lux, she’s crafting jewelry at her home studio — earrings, necklaces, body chains and more — that showcases her sometimes moody, but always fun and eclectic aesthetic. Locals can shop in person at 1106 S. Perry St., while select jewelry collections are at vedalux.com.
HIGHTOWER: Growing up in Hawaii, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother, Rachel. She was always super funky and eclectic and always wore the craziest
What’s a ‘holy grail’ vintage item you’d love to find?
Old vintage Hawaiian barkcloth pieces are definitely my grail pieces that I look for, and old folk art pieces.
Describe your personal fashion aesthetic.
outfits. Even as a grandmother, she would be rocking Levi’s daisy dukes, bikini tops, always red lips, fingernails always dialed, always fake lashes. So I feel I just was kind of around that lifestyle and that vibe, and it’s just something that always carried on with me. I always liked eclectic and funky and older stuff.
Why do you think so many people want to wear vintage fashion now?
Well, for one, the environment. We always do a bag-filler sale during Earth Day and that’s one of our bigger events, and people look forward to it.
You come and just fill a bag for $20. I also think vintage has gotten more hip. Before, I feel like people didn’t realize that it is cool and it is historical and something [vintage] has a story. It has a soul. It has a history of its own.
I also feel like the right items find the right owner. It’s really cool to see when somebody comes in for a prom dress and it fits like a glove — and we’re talking a 1950s ball gown that was handmade. It’s so beautiful it makes you cry. And it’s one-of-a-kind and nobody in the world is going to have that dress.
If Carmen Miranda and Elvira had a baby with some Jack Burton and Lo-Pan [from Big Trouble in Little China] on the side. Tropical goth meets boss bitch with a twist of spicy margarita, a pinch of dark magic and a side of mac salad.
What’s one thing from your collection you’d never part with?
My floral tapestry trench coat. It’s long, like a duster, and it’s a burgundy floral brocade. I will never sell that piece.
What’s your favorite vintage decade?
That’s hard to pick just one, but style-wise, and just for the sheer essence of the garments, the 1930s through ’40s.
How do you source your vintage inventory?
People are always like, “Where do you get your stuff?”
I mean, I travel a lot for it, I go down to Arizona a lot. My parents have an Airbnb down there, so I get to go shop in the off-season, which is nice. I personally love doing flea markets, and I love when people call me and they’re like “Hey, I have some old stuff in my basement, are you interested?” I will go anywhere to find the best vintage. I will do anything. I will dig for crazy shit! I think that’s what you gotta do, you know? u
Maps of Eastern Washington and North Idaho are dotted with small towns and rural stopovers, ranging from once-thriving farming and mining communities to enclaves big enough to boast the title of county seat. Packed with history and home to folks seeking a less-frantic lifestyle, these places are a great escape next time you want to get out of town. When you do, make a point to stop by the following storefronts that call such charming places as home sweet home.
30 S. First St., Rockford, WA
Down the road from silos and vast wheat fields lies a small boutique in Rockford, Washington.
As soon as shoppers step foot into Hurd Mercantile, the seemingly small shop reveals an enormous collection of furniture, home goods, gifts, decor and more, all organized by theme and aesthetic.
While Hurd Mercantile dates back to the late 1890s, current shop owner Jill Townsend bought the building from the original Hurd family in 2000.
“Mrs. Hurd was very particular about who she sold the store to,” Townsend says. “The store had been built by her family back in 1896, so she was very sentimental about who it went to going forward. So I presented my idea to have a gift shop in here with antiquing and gifts, and I invited her to come see my little shop which I was running at a barn in Valleyford. At the time, I was doing a lot of furniture and had just a couple little lines of new gifts that I carried, and she enjoyed what
she saw and she let me buy the building. I was very blessed that she chose me.”
To honor the Hurd’s legacy, Townsend kept their name as part of her business. Hurd Mercantile today contains over 8,000 square feet of inventory, but Townsend and her business partners organize the shop in a way where visitors can meander along aisles without feeling overwhelmed. The shop refreshes its displays and inventory each season, and hosts a big pre-Christmas celebration each November.
“My mom, growing up, was really into antiquing and she always had a beautiful home where she would mix a new couch with something old that she had maybe inherited or found at a sale,” Townsend says. “And so I just grew up mixing looks like that.”
“I just have always had a little dream to have my own shop,” she adds. “I never buy anything that I wouldn’t put in my own home.”
220 N. Main St., Colfax, WA
The eclectic and unique collection of furniture, clothing, decor and more at Bully For
You in Colfax makes it a fun destination for shoppers seeking a bit of mystery.
Whether it’s vintage products or new, highly discounted overstock items from highend brands like Pottery Barn, Anthropologie, J. Crew and more, owners Laura and Austin Storm provide shoppers with a memorable experience each visit.
“I definitely feel like the emphasis is on discovery,” says Austin Storm. “I hope that it’s an entertaining place to walk around and see things, even if you’re not shopping for something in particular.”
Follow Bully for You on social media for updates on sales, new product arrivals (their container shipment events are epic!), special events and more.
2 S. Third St., Harrington, WA
In the small rural town of Harrington, about an hour west of Spokane, The Post & Office serves as the community’s versatile onestop shop for coffee and gift shopping needs. Primarily operating as a coffee shop, owners Heather and Justin Slack offer a variety of coffee shop drinks, breakfast and lunch items, and baked goods.
The Post & Office building was, as its name implies, once home to Harrington’s historic post office and was restored to house the business today. It also offers a rentable office space and a conference room, plus a small gift section with many locally made items that adds to the shop’s rustic farmhouse look and makes it a gathering space for many in the surrounding farming community.
107 S. Third St., Harrington, WA
Another round of restoration in Harrington’s quaint downtown brought about The Mercantile. Located in a corner space on the main floor of the historic Hotel Lincoln, currently being restored, the Mercantile carries a variety of name-brand clothing along with apparel from owner Julia Jacobsen’s line, Ag Swag. Jacobsen, a rancher herself, designed the line to give people a way to show off their love of the rural lifestyle and spark conversations around the topic.
The Mercantile opened in spring 2023, and Jacobsen is excited to provide the town with a local clothing and gift store. The shop also offers a small selection of fresh food and take-and-bake products. u
These quaint, small-town boutiques are a great reason to hop in the car for a day of exploration
Spokane’s new buy-sell-trade Lego shop in the Garland District is a creative hub for all ages
If you build it, will they come?
BY SETH SOMMERFELDFrankie Foote and Bryce Colvin certainly hope so. The couple opened the independent Lego store Brick Buy Brick across from the Garland Theater in spring 2023. As the brick and mortar’s owners and only two employees, they hope its imaginative and nostalgic offerings bring in hordes of kids and kids at heart.
Opening the door to Brick Buy Brick transports customers into a wonderland of plastic construction blocks. An 8-by-4-foot table is filled with a rainbow assortment of Lego pieces. Customers can select one of three sizes of bags and fill them to the brim with bulk Legos for their own creative whims. Similarly, there’s a smaller table filled with various Lego mini-figure (the humanoid characters) parts, allowing patrons to build their own. But that’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
resale market BrickLink and various other online and local sellers. While Foote and Colvin are willing to buy Legos from locals, they don’t accept walk-in sellers, so those looking to unload their bricks need to schedule an appointment via their website. (Local Lego lovers are also looking forward to a new corporate Lego store opening soon in River Park Square.)
More than just a store, Brick Buy Brick hopes to become a hub for local Lego enthusiasts.
“It’s a good feeling having a place where the Lego community can finally start to come out of the woodworks and come together and stop feeling kind of alone,” Colvin says. “Because Lego, in my opinion, is more of a solitary, singular — you go home, it’s kind of a quiet room, or you got music on, and you sit down by yourself and build Legos. So I feel like a lot of Lego people are more introverted, so this is a great place to get people out to start sharing.”
FIGPICKELS TOY EMPORIUM
210 E. Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene figpickels.com, 208-667-2800
FRENCH TOAST
1170 W. Summit Pkwy. frenchtoast.myshopify.com, 509-315-8200
NEVER ENOUGH TOYS
907 W. Boone Ave. never-enough-toys.square.site, 509-995-0417
TIME BOMB COLLECTIBLES
600 W. Garland Ave. fb.com/Timebombcollectibles, 509-326-6949
WHIZ KIDS
808 W. Main Ave. (River Park Square) whizkidstoys.net, 509-456-8697
There’s also a wall packed with current new models, so Brick Buy Brick can stay up-to-date with the big-box stores, and vintage box sets for sale. Other fixtures are loaded with Lego sets reassembled by consignors. There are Duplos for toddlers, and a wall filled with smaller sets in bags. And then there’s the display case and big ticket items.
The store sources its inventory from the Lego
To that communal end, Brick Buy Brick has party rooms available for groups of all-ages (mainly used for kiddie birthday parties so far). The store closes during such parties, which are designed for 10 kids to free build, play games with a Lego board mounted to one of the walls, and enjoy normal birthday activities like presents and cake.
Prior to Brick Buy Brick, a lot of the local Lego community only connected via Reddit, but Colvin and
Foote hope to remedy that. For an older subset, the pair has lots of ideas brewing, like “bricks and brews,” “Legos and libations,” possible Lego team-ups with the Garland Theater, and even some adult show-andtell events for adults who craft their own impressive Lego creations.
In a way, Brick Buy Brick is the ultimate “MOC,” Lego shorthand for “my own creation,” a custom build. Colvin and Foote hope running the business continues to feel like the satisfaction of completing a massive Lego set, and less like the pain of stepping barefoot on a stray piece. u
Macklemore
The Ben Tour
SPOKANE ARENA
Tuesday, October 10
Skillet & Theory Of A Deadman
Rock Resurrection Tour
THE PODIUM
Saturday, November 3
Lauren Daigle
The Kaleidoscope Tour
SPOKANE ARENA
Saturday, November 17
Bluey’s Big Play
FIRST INTERSTATE CENTER
Thursday, January 18
Johnny Cash
The Official Concert Experience
FIRST INTERSTATE CENTER
Thursday, January 30
Don’t wanna drink? Consider ax-throwing, laser tag, escape rooms, arcades, cabaret, poetry!
Get a healthy dose of belly-deep laughter when local and national comics take the mic.
The region’s major casinos bet you’ll want to check out their new hotels, dining spots and more.
“It’s really important for a town… to have a place where amateur musicians can play…”
— Dan Hoerner, Sunny Day Real Estate guitaristPAGE 192 PAGE 188 PAGE 196 PAGE 190 Riverside Place is an unexpected EDM music hotspot. COLEE.ONE PHOTO
In the local nightlife ecosystem, there’s no shortage of breweries and bars. Our Fireball-whisky-lovin’ cities have establishments that combine wine and painting, beer and yoga, cocktails and adoptable dogs. But what if your Tinder date doesn’t drink, or you’re simply in the mood for after-dark fun without alcohol? We’ve got you covered!
Open Friday through Sunday till 10 pm, Spokane Valley’s JEDI ALLIANCE (5908 E. Broadway Ave.) is packed with nostalgic arcade cabinet games and pinball machines. A labor of love run by passionate gamers, the air-conditioned Jedi Alliance even has a pop culture museum filled with retro movie props and memorabilia.
CHAOS ARCADE (1020 W. Francis Ave.) is a more modern video and virtual reality arcade with a ticket-based prize counter. Chaos serves savory foods like pizza and nachos as well as sweet snacks and drinks
including boba tea. Open Wednesday through Sunday, Chaos offers prepaid game credit cards that don’t expire.
When you feel like trying to get away, the region has multiple escape rooms to choose from. The simply named ESCAPE has two locations (7456 N. Division St. and 12928 E. Indiana Ave. in Spokane Valley) and multiple room themes to choose from, with an entry fee of $30 per person. It’s open until 9 pm daily (until 10 pm Friday and Saturday).
Located in the heart of downtown Spokane, the mentally challenging THINK TANK ESCAPE ROOMS (327 W. Third Ave.) provides private, themed rooms for escapists age 11 and up to solve in 60 to 75 minutes. Spokane Valley’s UNIT 55, meanwhile, calls itself a “multi-room, horror-themed escape game experience” recommended for players ages 13 and older (those under 18 require a guardian). Entry to Unit 55 is $25.
In Coeur d’Alene, CRIME SCENE ENTERTAINMENT (2775 N. Howard St.) hosts themed murder mystery parties, offering guests the choice of being a character in the night’s story, or a mere bystander. Each evening event is fully interactive, and past event themes range from the Salem witch trials to Edgar Allen Poe’s writings. Tag, you’re it! LASERMAXX SPOKANE, located in the
Laser Quest building at 202 W. Second, stays open till 11 pm on Friday and Saturday. Each 15-minute laser tag game costs about $9 for players ages 5 and up. Multiple floors of play and a fogfilled ambience enhance this laser tag battleground.
RAGE XSCAPE (122 S. Division St.) welcomes destruction within its walls! Sure, the entrance looks a little rough, but isn’t “punk rock” the vibe you want? Patrons ages 12 and up can suit up with coveralls and protective gear, choose their tools — like a baseball bat or golf club — and destroy provided breakables or even bring in their own. Transform stress into broken glass.
Keep those closed-toe shoes on if you’re hitting up either of the following hatchet-throwing establishments. JUMPING JACKALOPE AXE THROWING has two North Idaho (Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint) locations and one in downtown Spokane. Patrons ages 6 and up can throw hatchets or knives! Jumping Jackalope accepts walk-in clients and offers discounts for teachers, first responders and military members. HEBER HATCHETS AXE THROWING (2015 N. Division St.) is another franchise with a local branch. At its Spokane spot, it’s about $20 per person, per hour.
In Spokane Valley, ATHLETIC EDGE SPOKANE (11110 E. Empire Ave.) is open from 4-9 pm weekdays (9 am-6 pm weekends). An hour in the cages, for up to five people, is $40. HITTERS (3700 E. Francis Ave.) is open daily till 9 pm or later. A batting cage facility with plenty of bells and whistles, Hitters’ hourly cage rate is $60 and $35 per half-hour. They also have a golf simulator.
The region is home to several “bar-ternatives” like LUNARIUM (1925 N. Monroe St.), a late-night tea and coffee house that also sells scratch-made baked goods. Speaking of sweet treats, a new late-night dessert spot called INSOMNIA COOKIES is, as of press time, opening soon at Cataldo Square on North Division near Gonzaga.
REVIVAL TEA COMPANY (415 W. Main Ave.) is a local tea company that’s been attracting major attention, much like a whistling tea kettle. Open till 9 pm on Friday and Saturday, Revival offers premium tea options (both caffeinated and non-caffeinated) in their tasting room and basement bar housed in a former speakeasy.
The Grain Shed Taproom (111 S. Cedar St.) hosts free, all-ages open mic nights (music and comedy) every other Friday, June through November. They also offer nonalcoholic options.
The monthly “3 Minute Mic” poetry open mic series at Auntie’s Bookstore (402 W. Main Ave.), hosted by former Spokane Poet Laureate Chris Cook, happens the first Friday of the month.
The South Hill’s Bijou (2910 E. 29th Ave.) hosts a free literary open mic every Tuesday, 7-9:30 pm. On Wednesdays at 6:30, Neato Burrito is home to the long-running Broken Mic poetry open mic. Late on Thursday nights, Neato also hosts the Guffaw Yourself comedy open mic run by local comic Casey Strain.
Atomic Threads puts on a themed cabaret show every second Saturday of the month at 8 pm in the basement of its brick flatiron building (1905 N. Monroe St.). The Bombshell Revue is an LGBTQ+ centered show geared toward open-minded adults in the mood to laugh and think. Tickets required. (ELISSA BALL)
Sometimes, generally being nice and introducing yourself in the right place at the right time can change your life.
For Andrew Allard, owner of Mahalo Promotions, that’s how a job selling tickets at the Knitting Factory turned into a side gig booking some of the largest names in electronic dance music, or EDM, at venues in Spokane.
Several years ago, he got to meet bass music giant Excision’s photographer, who kindly put him on the guest list for Lost Lands, the Ohio music festival founded by the artist. While there, Allard put his all into meeting artists’ managers and talking up Spokane every chance he got.
One of the key people he spent time with that weekend was the manager for bass artist known as Carbin (McKenzie Morrow), who helped him network. The two ultimately worked together to bring Carbin to Spokane, and from there things started to ramp up.
Mahalo, run by Allard and a crew of rave-loving,
BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEILhospitality-oriented pals, soon booked dubstep favorite Downlink, and then Bear Grillz.
“That put my foot in the door to do everything after that,” Allard says. “The managers love that every single time they bring an artist, they know Mahalo’s going to sell it out and have a great show.”
sophisticated architecture doesn’t necessarily scream “lasers and headbanging welcome here!”
However, Allard remembered at least one major electronic show happening there circa 2010 or 2011, and figured it was worth a shot, especially since the auditorium can hold up to 1,200 people.
After a walk-through with the owner, Allard says the team knew they’d have to prove they weren’t just trying to throw big parties. They’re professionals who handle everything from booking artists and setting up green rooms, to hiring security and selling tickets.
“Going into Riverside Place, they didn’t like EDM… the crowd they thought it would bring,” Allard says. “That very, very drastically changed in a good way after we brought in Champagne Drip. The events are so put together, the crowd that we bring out is super nice and super genuine.”
Photos of the sold-out crowds, combined with the respectful treatment of the space thanks to the PLUR (peace, love, unity, respect) vibes of the electronic music crowd, quickly convinced the venue to welcome future Mahalo gigs with open arms.
To run a smooth show, the crowd enters Riverside Place from Main Avenue, where security greets people at the door. Guests can check their coats, grab a drink from the bar, and head into the auditorium. Inside, there’s plenty of open space for dancing (Allard has capped most shows around 800 for breathing room), and the theater-style chairs lining the walls offer good views for those who want to relax.
Mahalo’s Vibe Tribe also helps make sure guests are safe. They’re trained in CPR and and offer education on harm reduction.
mahalopromotions.com
Instagram: @Mahalo_Promotions
Also on Facebook, Twitter, Discord
Prior to the pandemic, Mahalo was regularly booking shows at the Pin. After the permanent closure of that roughly 300-person venue, and with the hope of bringing live shows back after COVID, Allard says the team started to look for another option.
That’s when they landed on a somewhat surprising choice: Riverside Place.
The neo-classical Masonic Temple in the heart of downtown Spokane is often used as a wedding venue or formal event space. And while its Corinthian columns are illuminated at night with colorful lights, the
Mahalo has since brought some of the biggest names in EDM to Riverside, including Getter, Virtual Riot and Wooli. For fall 2023, they’ll feature Borgore (Oct. 13) and Habstrakt (Nov. 10), with more announcements planned. Most shows are booked for the off-festival season, with artists available fall, winter and spring, and Allard has managed to keep tickets in a reasonable price range of around $35 to $45.
For its 2023-24 season, Mahalo is planning one of the biggest EDM lineups Spokane has seen in years, and Allard says he’s excited to be fulfilling a dream.
“I always loved going to shows and that whole aspect of meeting new people, making a connection with somebody at a show that lasts a lifetime,” he says. “That was kind of my turning point, I wanted to start friendships and bring people together over the music.”
Before emo was part of the mainstream musical lexicon, Seattle’s Sunny Day Real Estate was defining what the genre would become with its touchstone 1994 album, Diary. A swirl of emotive and melodic lyrics and angst-filled rock riffs, that debut LP got Rolling Stone’s nod for the greatest emo album of all time. While the band broke up before it could get its proper due, the group has since reformed and is way bigger than ever — headlining festivals and selling out huge venues across the country. And Spokane native Dan Hoerner has been along for the whole ride, crafting that wildly influential emo sound as the group’s lead guitarist.
He’s also been doing his part to keep the local music scene alive. Since 2014, Hoerner has owned downtown all-ages venue the Big Dipper with his wife, Dawson. It’s a vital spot for kids to see shows, local bands to get stage time and for the thriving metal/hardcore scene. But the Hoerners are putting their Dipper days behind them and handing the reins to Monumental Booking’s Ryan Levey.
HOERNER: The love of the crowds is palpable. There’s just never a bad show. And it’s crazy — like 70 percent of the audience is under 21. I just can’t even compute it, because I always just assumed as we progressed in time, the audience would just kind of progress with us, and it would eventually be a sea of gray hair. But it’s incredible to have so many young people who are so passionate.
What’s the state of Spokane’s music scene?
As it often does, it goes through periods of drought, and then it gets really verdant, and then there’s a drought again. I would say that we’re in kind of a drought-ish time now, exasperated by COVID still.
Who are some local bands people should check out?
No. 1: Itchy Kitty. They’re amazing. Kadabra is super heavy and has international fans. And
What do you think still resonates about Sunny Day’s music?
It’s just f---ing good music, man. [laughs] I am Sunny Day Real Estate, but I’m also like Sunny Day Real Estate’s biggest fan. I realized that there’s lots of people who hate Sunny Day Real Estate with the intensity of 1,000 suns, but I love it. I think [singer] Jeremy [Enigk] has a vocal register that is extremely uncommon — the shape and the timbre and the tone. I think that is something that is timeless.
Why is it important to have all-ages venues like the Big Dipper in Spokane?
I played my first show at the Big Dipper. I was 20. I was not a professional musician — I was as ama teur as amateur gets. And it was hugely impactful for me. It made me feel like there was a possibility that I could keep doing it, and here I am, however many years later still doing it. It’s really important for a town, especially the size of Spokane, to have a place where amateur musicians can play on the same stage as professional musicians — that mixing of those worlds.
What made this the right time to let some one else take over the Big Dipper?
Dawson and I have been doing it for 10 years, and it is time to have some young blood in there. We’re getting older, and have three kids. It’s been really fun but really challenging. And I want to see the Dipper continue to grow, and Ryan really has just an incredi ble finger on the pulse of music in Spokane.
there is a pretty strong metal scene in Spokane.
What are good ways to connect to the local music scene?
The easiest one is to just go to shows. If it sucks, you can leave, and if it’s good — stay. If an artist plays that you like, buy some of their shit — T-shirts, CDs — directly from them. There’s no better way to help artists than just to directly give them money. And then the more complicated and more impactful thing is, if you’re interested in music, start creating music.
“Laugh often, long and loud,” George Carlin said. If you get side glances for laughing too much at a movie theater, or you’re slinging great one-liners at work, try swapping a concert for a stand-up show next Friday night. This region’s comedy scene punches above its weight in talent and variety, so whenever you need somewhere to unwind, crash at one of these clubs and prepare to be entertained.
You can count on these clubs to be filled with funny people, plus enough alcohol to make you think you’re funny, too. But keep your mouth shut and leave it to the professionals, please.
315 W. Sprague Ave., spokanecomedyclub.com
Spokane Comedy Club is the home for comedy in the Lilac City. As part of a national chain of clubs, it gives local performers a chance to rise while also regularly booking comedians touring the country. Check out new talent in Spokane with free weekly open mics and see if you can guess who could work their way up to headlining. Join chaotic events like the Dope Show, where comedians have to perform while high. Keep your eye out for the next big names in comedy and even top performers who are working out material for theater or stadium shows. Previous headliners include John Mulaney, Taylor Tomlinson, Margaret Cho, Marlon Wayans and Whitney
Cummings. Local comics you’re likely to see at the club — and maybe on tours of their own someday — include Harry J. Riley, Phillip Kopczynski, Blade Frank, Charles Hall Jr., Ying Vigilan and Laura Branning.
4436 W. Riverbend Ave., Post Falls, draftzonepf.com
Beer, pool, darts, ping pong, cards, board games, trivia and stand-up — The Draft Zone in Post Falls has pretty much everything you need to have a good time. The Inland Northwest’s newest sports bar and comedy club is smack-dab between Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. Open mics start at 7 pm on Thursdays and sometimes include cash prizes for the best jokes, plus the best local comics headline special events throughout the year. Local comic Chris Jessop hosts Trivia on Tap on select Tuesdays if you like to make other people feel stupid (or maybe feel stupid yourself) while you laugh. If you need a night of good beer, funny people and nonstop entertainment, just turn off I-90 at Exit 2 and let The Draft Zone do the rest.
232 W. Sprague Ave., nynebar.com
Looking for a night out that’s fresh, friendly and hilarious? Head to nYne for a queer open mic every Tuesday night. Anyone can perform, but you’ve got to be funny (in case you haven’t heard, homophobia, transphobia, racism and ableism aren’t funny). The supportive space encourages a lot of new people to try stand-up for the
Let out the snorts, giggles and belly laughs with the funniest people in the Inland NorthwestLocal comic Brian Hood (above) performs at Spokane Comedy Club. Josiah Carlson (right) host monthly stand-up at the Garland Theater.| ERICK DOXEY PHOTOS
first time, so don’t be surprised if you’re inspired to crack a few jokes of your own. nYne’s open mic has been so successful so far, it’s already spawned a special spacethemed, one-off showcase. If you’re craving the sparkles, quips and community you might find in Greenwich or Chelsea, nYne Bar might be the mic for you.
924 W. Garland Ave., garlandtheater.com
The founders of the Spokane Comedy Film Festival are moving from screen to stage, bringing stand-up comedy to the Garland Theater on the first Thursday of every month with their new series, Funny Funny Funny Joke Joke Joke. Join Josiah Carlson (above) and his team for live shows in the historic venue. At 7:30 pm, hang with funny people for an hour of drinking and socializing, aka “pre-funk.” Once everyone is properly warmed up, performances start at 8:30. Mark your calendars early and be one of the OGs at what could become one of Spokane’s most popular comedy nights.
Trying to be spontaneous? Learn from the experts — improv experts, that is.
815 W. Garland Ave., bluedoortheatre.com
Wanna see something that will never happen again? The Blue Door Theatre hosts improv shows every week for just $9, with titles and themes like Ink Blot, Safari, and No Clue (an improvised murder mystery). Wanna join the action but don’t know how? Test out your funny bone with an improv class! Blue Door also hosts the Spokane School of Improv to get YOU onstage, no matter how much or little experience you have. Are you a non-funny professional? Try the improv class for lawyers. Are you an anxious person? Try the improv class for self-care. Think you’re pretty good with words? Try an improv class for poetry, or bust your chops with a pun workshop. A baker’s dozen of hilarious faculty are sure to improve your dad jokes, and some instructors, like Michael Glatzmaier, can introduce you to the stand-up scene, too.
levitytheatre.com
If you’re looking for something refreshing, light and fun for the whole family, this budding new local improv troupe in Coeur d’Alene has got your back. Levity Theatre is committed to high-quality improv that entertains the Inland Northwest while showcasing all that improv can be, from shows inspired by local authors, whimsical debate questions, or you, the audience. The theater also offers classes, and promises that you don’t have to have any experience or even think you’re a
funny person — improv comes from authentic reaction, so if you’ve ever felt an emotion, you are enough. Classes are currently for teenagers and adults, but check back in for classes for kids. According to Levity, “everyone’s weird — learn to own it.”
Pop-up events can be flaky and hard to predict, just like your date. But keep an eye on these spots for occasional comedy events and open mics, and you might get lucky.
moscowcomedy.com
The second annual, three-day comedy extravaganza was back in Moscow Sept. 28-30, 2023, and chances are good it’ll return for a third year in 2024. Twelve of the Northwest’s top performers bring their best material to the Palouse. Festival passes include tickets to Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows plus special discounts at bars, burger joints, vinegar tastings and a bookshop all around Moscow. It’s a perfect weekend trip for anyone who wants to laugh, eat and explore a growing downtown.
fb.com/ShotgunStudiosSpokane
If you like George Carlin and Bob Ross, have we got a show for you! Shotgun Studios, an avant garde art gallery in Spokane’s Peaceful Valley neighborhood, often invites local comics to its Art Meets Comedy series, hosted monthly by artist Audreana Camm. Let people who have no idea what they’re talking about redefine how you think of fine art. Check Shotgun’s website and/or Facebook page for upcoming shows, or stop in and ask next time you pass by — if you see the majestic brain camel, it means the gallery is open.
ESTI BRAVO is a dance and nightclub in Pullman known for hosting popular events, including open mics and stand-up specials. Keep tabs on this swanky bar for performers, dance parties and cocktails. IOLITE LOUNGE is a speakeasy with a modern twist in Spokane Valley that hosts private and public parties. Look for comedy nights or “Drink ’n Debates,” evenings where funny people have to get drunk before they argue.
Bookers and comedians are always testing new venues and audiences. Who knows where they’ll be in the future, but in the recent past funny people have shown up in places like BULLDOG’S FAMOUS BBQ & BREWS and SPECIAL K PUB & GRILL in Spokane, PUBLIC LYFE HOUSE in Coeur d’Alene, HAYDEN CINEMA, PADDLERS ALEHOUSE in Ponderay, SIRINYA’S THAI RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE in Airway Heights, and the FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES in Spokane Valley.
For a big night out, glam it up with tickets to your favorite comedian at a major theater or stadium show. The FIRST INTERSTATE CENTER FOR THE ARTS (firstinterstatecenter.org) regularly attracts major headliners, and its late-2023 lineup includes Taylor Tomlinson and Fortune Feimster.
Why go to Vegas when you can see glitzy shows at NORTHERN QUEST RESORT & CASINO (northernquest.com), like the cast of Whose Line Is It Anyway? THE FOX THEATER (foxtheaterspokane.org) also attracts both established and rising stars, in the past hosting social media phenoms Trey Kennedy and Matt Rife.
Smaller, historic theaters like the BING CROSBY THEATER (bingcrosbytheater.com) in downtown Spokane and the PANIDA THEATER (panida. org) in Sandpoint also often book comedians who are getting too popular for clubs. (ELIZA BILLINGHAM)
BY SETH SOMMERFELD
Seeing live music can be bliss. Dealing with other people at shows and other various quirks of the concert-going process can be a headache. As someone who routinely attends 100-plus concerts per year, I feel comfortable declaring myself as something of an expert in the field. With that in mind, here are some tips and etiquette to maximize the experience at your next concert.
While ticketing sites with exorbitant fees like Ticketmaster have been the bane of music fans’ existence since early inception, things have gotten way worse over the past couple years. Getting tickets to big shows now seems like almost a hopeless plight due to bots, resellers and “dynamic pricing.” But there are a couple ways to maybe make that hellscape slightly more bearable.
For starters, look for presale codes. While it’s no guarantee, many big artists offer multiple staggered presales in the days before tickets go on sale to the general public. Usually, signing up for a band’s or venue’s email list will get you some codes, while others can be searched for on
Reddit and various social media sites.
If you’re coming up empty once general sales open, keep trying. Just because it appears a show is sold out on a ticketing site doesn’t always mean every ticket has been bought. Keep checking back periodically because sometimes tickets are released back into the mix after being flagged for scalping, or someone fails to actually buy the tickets in their digital cart. I was able to snag a ticket for Foo Fighters at the Spokane Arena just by checking back after it appeared the show had sold out.
Another tip? Have extreme patience. For bigger shows with limited or no seating, I’ll often check for tickets on resale sites like Stubhub within an hour of the show starting. You’ll often find people who couldn’t go selling seats below market value at the last minute in order to not take a complete loss. It’s kinda cruel, but let their bummer be your gain.
It never hurts to hop on a venue’s website to see if they have any unusual or quirky rules before heading to a gig. Can you bring chairs and food to a Spokane Pavilion show? Yes. What bags can you bring into the Spokane Arena or First Interstate Center? Only clear ones if they’re bigger than 4.5 x 6.5 inches. Knowing before you go will prevent any frustrating headaches when you show up at the venues.
Crazy thought: Experience the concert while you’re at it. Capturing moments on your phone can be fun to share on Instagram, but pick your spots so you’re not blocking other people’s view with a glowing screen the whole time. Be even more judicious with video. A short clip of a song is fine, but don’t be filming a whole show because you’ll probably never watch it all and you’ll ruin actually seeing it in the moment.
Related: Shut up. Don’t talk during songs! Just don’t do it! If you must, head to the back of the room to chatter, but I guarantee nothing you’re discussing is so vital in this exact moment that it’s worth ruining the sound for those around you with your insipid chatter. Just say what needs to be said between songs, between set changeovers or over a drink after the gig.
Obviously, everyone wants to be able to see at a concert (if not, we’d all just stay home and listen to the record), so plan accordingly. If you’re short and want a spot up front, show up early. You shouldn’t get to push your way in front of people who showed up early to claim a spot just cause you’re tiny (in fact, just don’t push in front of people, ever). If you’re very tall, try not to block shorter people — stand slightly off to the sides. Also, if it’s a seated show, standing and dancing can be fun, just make sure you’re not the only one doing it — that’s a jerk move that ruins things for those around you.
This may seem obvious, but sound travels differently in different spaces. If you have the chance, at general admission shows, mill around to find a spot where the artist actually sounds the best. It’s not always front and center or at the most comfortable spot. For example, Spokane Pavilion and the Podium are not places designed for acoustics first — they’re temporary stages set up for shows. This being the case, the sound really fades if you sit or stand too far off to the sides. (One of the best spots to hear a Pavilion show is on the grass behind the soundboard… if you don’t mind a slightly obstructed view.)
If you’re a frequent concertgoer, invest in a decent pair of earplugs just in case (they’re not that expensive). Also, keep temperature in mind. When it’s cold outside on the day of a packed indoor show, maybe leave the coat in the car so you’re not sweating in the throng. Conversely, make sure to bring layers to outdoor night shows even if it’s hot during the day. A jacket can always be seat padding or tied around your waist, but being cold when the sun goes down is a bummer.
Don’t limit yourself to only going to concerts with other people. You’ll miss out on a lot if you don’t go to a show alone just because you can’t find someone to tag along. Take precautions if you feel there’s a chance it might be an uncomfortable space (I realize I have 6-foot-tall white guy privilege to go solo in spaces where a single female might not feel as safe), but also know that people will rally around you at most places if you declare your discomfort with any questionable individuals. And if you can get past that hurdle, your world can open up to many more musical adventures.
In the ever-changing world of gaming, area casinos continue to upgrade and revamp their offerings so your next experience can be different from the last. From new hotel rooms to host your getaway to tasty new food offerings and live entertainment options, here are some of the latest updates.
Mid-2023 saw the opening of a massive hotel expansion at Northern Quest in Airway Heights, with the new 192-room River Tower opening at the resort. With the new capacity, Northern Quest is now the largest casino resort in Washington state.
The design of the new hotel wing was inspired by a Native American fish weir, used to capture fish in streams and rivers and provide a community gathering place for trade and celebration. Some of the external design was inspired by hand-woven baskets.
“We’re proud to feature many important Kalispel tribal cultural elements throughout our new hotel tower,” says Apryl Hilborn, Kalispel Tribe member and the resort’s director of rooms. “Every suite not only has a room number but has been named after a tree that is native to Kalispel lands. Those names are listed outside the rooms in Salish, the tribe’s native language.”
In fall 2022, the casino also opened Highball, a luxury Prohibition-themed bar filled with dozens of sparkling chandeliers and featuring a stage for a variety of live entertainment. The menu is full of craft cocktails and decadent dinner options.
Among the new options at the Coeur d’Alene Casino in Worley, Idaho, is the Discovery Den. Inside, fans of digital slot machines — or “video gaming machines” as they’re known in the industry — can find some of the newest games being tested by manufacturers. There, players can try out these machines before anyone else in the Inland Northwest, and, if they turn out to be a hit, may end up get-
ting shared more widely around the country. Offerings are updated every quarter.
The casino also has a new restaurant called the Little Dragon Eatery, which features quick and easy Asian-inspired dishes for lunch and dinner. Guests can even order their food via QR code and get a text to know when it’s ready. The dishes come in a bowl for in-venue dining and lids make it easy to take home any leftovers.
Also new is a high-limit gaming room accessible by ultimate and executive tier Coeur Rewards members, who can place bets as high as $250. The room name Hn Lamqe’ (hen-lam-ka) means “bear.”
As of early summer 2023, there’s a new smoke-free gaming area at the Spokane Tribe Casino, adding an even cleaner air option than the main floor, which already cycles in outside air through an infloor air filtration system. The enclosed smoke-free room with a separate entrance features the new Whaluks full bar with bar-top gaming options, as well as video gaming machines and table games.
Expansion work is also ongoing at the Airway Heights casino, with the new Spokane Live state-of-the-art entertainment venue slated to open by fall 2023. The space will feature both local acts and some of the biggest names in music.
The casino floor is also expanding in fall 2023, with more bar and gaming options on the way, and work is underway on a food court that will offer more food and beverage options to complement existing restaurants.
Meanwhile, a new 174-room hotel is expected to open in 2024.
At the tribe’s Mistequa Casino Hotel in Chewelah, work continues on a 69-room hotel and conference center that will feature an event space, indoor pool, fitness room and more. The tribe changed the name from the Chewelah Casino to Mistequa in 2023 to honor the tribal member who defended his homestead there, enabling the land to remain with the tribe.
Inland Northwest tribal casinos continue finding new ways to keep gaming exciting and pamper guestsThe Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel’s high-limit Hn Lamqe’ room for Coeur Rewards members.
“I’ve been here for 10 years, and I feel like I’ve found my home.”
— Chris Lane, Redbird Cannabis
Washington’s cannabis market spent the better part of its first decade as a capitalist’s dream industry. It just kept growing, year after year. Then in 2022, something changed. Sales dropped by 8 percent compared with 2021, from more than $1.5 billion to less than $1.4 billion.
“This last year or two has seen a significant decline compared to the start of COVID,” says Joe Lima, manager of Liberty Lake’s Novo Dia Farms. “Prices have gone down. Talking to anyone from the [Liquor and Cannabis Board] to growers to stores, last year was really tough. Maybe not for the biggest ones, but for the smaller growers.”
While the drop in prices has strained some in the industry, it could be welcome news for consumers, especially considering that Washington has some of the highest taxes on cannabis in the country.
Various factors have contributed to the drop in prices.
In 2020, the cannabis industry was deemed essential by Gov. Jay Inslee and allowed to continue operating throughout the pandemic shutdowns. With little to do but stay home and with few places to spend money, cannabis sales went through the roof. As life has returned to normal, a regression toward the mean was to be expected.
Another factor that Lima sees impacting consumer spending on cannabis is that prices have risen for other goods, like gas and food.
Then, there’s the product itself impacting its price in a counterintui-
tive way: Cannabis today is better than ever before.
“People are getting more bang for their buck,” says Megan Roberts, store manager at the Green Nugget. “The budget people are all about the numbers. They want the products with high THC content.”
The joints your hippie uncle used to smoke in the 1960s contained around 2 percent THC. Good luck finding anything close to that at a dispensary today. In 2021, the average potency of cannabis seized by the DEA was just over 15 percent, but that’s only illicit cannabis. By legal cannabis standards, 15 percent is low-potency. Consumers in the legal market have more options for cannabis above 30 percent today than they do around 15.
People just want high potency. For low to mid potency, there is some market for that, but for the most part it’s in high THC,” Lima says.
Budget concerns may be top of mind for many consumers and may help to fuel the shift toward stronger products, but they’re not the only thing driving a change in consumer behavior. People in the industry are noticing other trends as well, such as the return of vapes.
That’s a notable shift from just a few years ago, when vapes appeared to be on their way out.
In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared
an epidemic after hundreds of people were hospitalized and multiple people died around the country due to lung injury associated with the use of vape products. In response, Inslee announced an emergency ban on all flavored vapes in the state.
Medical investigators ultimately determined that a chemical additive — Vitamin E Acetate — had caused the lung injuries and that the vast majority of cases were associated with unregulated products from states without legal markets. The chemical was banned from vape products in Washington, and the emergency ban on flavored vapes was allowed to expire.
Perhaps the health scare surrounding vapes has something to do with it, because retailers are seeing an increase in health-conscious consumer behavior and producers are taking note. Be on the lookout for vegan or sugar-free edibles.
“A lot of these edible companies are looking to get vegan or sugar-free options onto the shelves,” says Roberts. “People have become more cautious about what they smoke and what they consume.”
Looking ahead, the low-price, high-potency and health-conscious trends of today are on something of a collision course that could dramatically alter consumer demand and market supply down the road.
Researchers around the country have been turning their focus to high-potency cannabis, and there are now myriad studies linking it to negative health outcomes not associated with lower-potency cannabis. Could that push consumers away from the strong stuff?
The state already tried just that during the 2023 legislative session, introducing a bill — which ultimately didn’t make it to the governor’s desk — that would increase the tax on cannabis products with concentrations above 35 percent. Taxes on the strongest products were proposed to be nearly double existing rates. As of this writing, it’s yet to be seen if the bill will be revived come 2024. Should such concerns become reality, however, the trends of tomorrow could be opposite of the trends today.
BY WILL MAUPIN
These convenient pre-rolled joints (top) are locally made using technology meant for outer space. Redbird uses a high-pressure aeroponic growing system at its Spokane Valley facility, rather than soil-based or hydroponic systems. The technology was developed by NASA to grow food on a space station. It allows for precise delivery of water and nutrients to each and every plant, creating a level of consistency from batch-to-batch that’s hard to find with traditional growing methods. redbird-cannabis.com
North Spokane’s BudCo Farms takes the guesswork out of picking the perfect strain (center). Forget trying to remember what makes an indica different from a sativa, or what “hybrid” really means. BudCo products are labeled with words like “energize,” “euphoric,” “focus,” “relax” or “CBD” to give a better idea how each specific product will make you feel. Their Durban Poison, an energizing strain, is perfect for anyone looking to get out and enjoy a full day of Inland Northwest activities. budcofarms.com
One of the many brands under the Phat Panda umbrella, Spokane Valley’s Six Fifths produces a line of skin care products (bottom) that look like they belong in Bath & Body Works more than at your local dispensary. Their infused bath bombs, bath salts and body butters come in a variety of fragrances from fruity raspberry vanilla to floral chamomile. As products meant for the skin, they don’t produce a traditional high, but will ratchet up the relaxation level of your next at-home spa day. instagram.com/sixfifthswa
As a family business based out of Liberty Lake, the folks at Novo Dia Farms have generations of experience in growing flowers — the pretty, always-have-been-legal kind. They brought that expertise in the greenhouse out onto the cannabis farm and now grow some of the finest flower in the region. There’s something for everyone with their wide variety of strains, from the popular White Widow and Wedding Cake to the uncommon like Apples N Bananas. instagram.com/novodiafarms420
Most edibles on the market today, whether brownies or cookies or gummies, fall on the sweet side of the flavor divide. Spokane Valley’s Yield Farms is here to serve those with more of a savory tooth instead. Their award-winning Fire Crackers bring the heat with a hot and cheesy flavor, while their similarly award-winning Sky High Ranch crackers are on the cooler side with a ranch dressing flavor and cracker crunch. Both varieties are sold in packs containing 50 milligrams of THC, allowing consumers to scale up to their preferred dose. yieldfarms.com
CANNABIS & GLASS
605 E. Francis Ave., Spokane
9403 E. Trent Ave., Spokane Valley
25101 E. Appleway Ave., Liberty Lake
CINDER
6010 N. Division St., Spokane
927 W. Second Ave., Spokane
1421 N. Mullan Rd., Spokane Valley
FLOYD’S CANNABIS
5952 Airport Rd., Pullman
GREENHAND
2424 N. Monroe St., Spokane
GREENLIGHT
10309 E. Trent Ave., Spokane Valley
THE GREEN NUGGET
322 E. Francis Ave., Spokane
1340 SE Bishop Blvd., Pullman
HIGH LIFE CANNABIS
5978 State Rte 291, Nine Mile Falls
KUSH21
6620 N. Market St., Spokane
1212 N. Grand Ave., Pullman
LOCALS CANNA HOUSE
9616 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley
LOVELY BUDS
4107 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley
1403 N. Division St., Spokane
1919 E. Francis Ave., Spokane
LUCID
1845 S. First St., Cheney
LUCKY LEAF CO.
1111 W. First Ave., Spokane
MARY JANE’S
2829 N. Market St., Spokane
NIRVANA CANNABIS COMPANY
24713 E. Wellesley Ave., Otis Orchards
PEND OREILLE CANNABIS
COMPANY
601 State Route 20, Newport
PIECE OF MIND CANNABIS
9301 N. Division St., Spokane
2804 E. 30th Ave., Spokane
1330 S.E. Bishop Blvd., Pullman
PRIMO CANNABIS
21630 E. Gilbert Rd., Otis Orchards
ROYALS CANNABIS
7115 N. Division St., Spokane
SATIVA SISTERS
10525 E. Trent Ave., Spokane Valley
SAVAGE THC
4426 Williams Valley Rd., Clayton
SMOKANE
3801 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane
SPOKANE GREEN LEAF
9107 N. Country Homes Blvd., Spokane
TOKER FRIENDLY
1515 S. Lyons Rd., Airway Heights
THE TOP SHELF CANNABIS
1305 S. Hayford Rd., Airway Heights
TREEHOUSE CLUB
14421 E. Trent Ave., Spokane Valley
THE VAULT
2720 E. 29th Ave., Spokane
For those not interested in the recreational uses of cannabis, other applications of psychoactive THC and its nonpsychoactive counterpart CBD are out there. From helping to ease pain to potentially boosting a deeper, longer sleep, both chemical components have been shown to be effective.
In the years since hemp was legalized at the federal level by the 2018 Farm Bill, CBD topicals for pain relief have emerged into the mainstream, so much so that you can now find them on shelves at many local grocery stores.
THC topicals, on the other hand, are still confined to state-licensed dispensaries. Despite the presence of THC, these products don’t produce a high. So, what’s the point — is it just waste of THC?
The answer is no, because when THC and CBD are used in concert something known as the entourage effect occurs. Each brings its own spin on pain relief to the table, but also amplifies the other’s effects.
A 2010 study of cancer patients found those who were given a combination of THC and CBD reported greater pain relief than those participants who were given THC alone.
Getting those precious eight hours a night can be difficult. A 2023 study published by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics found that nearly one in five Americans used over-the-counter or prescription
sleep aids.
For those looking for more natural, less pharmaceutical assistance in catching their Zs, many Americans have turned to CBD.
Unlike THC, which produces a high when inhaled or ingested, CBD is not psychoactive, though it has shown promise with anti-anxiety properties. The calming effect of CBD is thought to aid in sleep as well.
A 2019 study published in The Permanente Journal on CBD’s efficacy as an anxiety and sleep aid found that sleep scores improved in twothirds of participants over the first month of use and that use of CBD was well-tolerated in more than 95 percent of participants.
There are many anecdotal reports of cannabis users puffing on a joint before bedtime, but the benefit of using CBD alone is that it does not produce a high which can linger into the morning.
After centuries of consumption by humans, and now more than a decade since the legalization wave began in the United States, the medical community is still lacking good data on many of the purported benefits the drug may provide for people. That sort of scientific data is even more sparse when it comes to veterinary uses.
However, that hasn’t stopped pet owners and their furry friends from giving CBD products a shot. The growing popularity of CBD for animals is made clear by the large checkstand displays for these products at national retailers like Petco, as well as the wide selection available at local retailers like The Yuppy Puppy.
Dr. Jerry Klein of the American Kennel Club says that while there is no hard data supporting its efficacy, he has seen anecdotal evidence of positive impacts on neuropathic pain and anxiety in dogs. The American Veterinary Medical Association has a guide for pet owners interested in CBD on its website, avma.org.
What’s your favorite strain of cannabis right now?
As a law school student before recreational marijuana legalization, Chris Lane was first exposed to the legal policy surrounding the illegal cannabis market. When Washington’s legal market opened soon after college, Lane jumped at the chance to get involved as a grower and processor. When he’s not fine-tuning his aeroponic technology, developed by NASA, the East Coast transplant is taking in the beauty of our region, spending plenty of his free time skiing and golfing. We asked him about his decade in the industry, and what it is about the Inland Northwest that makes him want to call it home.
INLANDER:
change you’ve seen in the legal cannabis industry since it opened for business a decade ago?
LANE: A really recent change that is great for the industry is pesticide testing. The safety of the product for the consumer should be the foremost thing in the industry. A lot of the producers and processors were already doing pesticide testing, and I think that’s important because you could have a “big tobacco” moment where people aren’t testing their products for certain things and that leads to implications down the
road. For me, seeing that go into place was very important to protect the industry and to protect Washington state’s market.
In Washington, at least mostly on this side of the state, credit unions have been willing to do business with us, pretty much from the beginning. It’s been nice to be able to put your money into an institution instead of having to hold cash. Coming in, that was a big worry. They don’t treat you like an off the corner drug dealer, they treat you like a business. It takes something huge off of everyone’s plate.
What are your favorite things about living and working here?
I’ve been here for 10 years, and I feel like I’ve found my home. It’s beautiful here, but the people, I feel so lucky for the people I’ve met here. Both personally and in the business. I’ve never experienced a place where you can find so many nice, hardworking and good people to their core. Everybody always asks me back east if I’m going to move back, and I don’t see myself moving back ever.
Currently — and it’s been my favorite for a long time — my favorite strain is Raspberry Dosido. The main reason I love this strain is the smell. It’s also very relaxing and makes me very hungry, so a perfect way for me to end the day.
On beautiful Inland Northwest day, what’s the best activity to pair with cannabis?
One of my favorite things to do while enjoying cannabis is watching the sunsets.
If you could make an infused version of anything, what would your dream product be?
For me, it’s not really a specific product but having a whole meal infused at a specific dose. For example, in addition to ordering what type of food you would like, you would also indicate a THC dosage that’s spread across the entire meal.
What’s one change you’d make to state cannabis regulations?
I’d add a license for on-site/public consumption, similar to how wineries operate. This means people could enjoy cannabis in public places, which is currently missing in Washington state.
Redbird Cannabis’ CEO talks about the progress he’s seen in the industry a decade after it opened
INTERVIEWED BY WILL MAUPINChris Lane has been in the cannabis industry since the start. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO
This product has intoxicating e ects and may be habit forming. Cannabis can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children.
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