ISSUE 107
NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 2020
@home
WITH COLDWELL BANKER TOMLINSON
looking outside the box
The Spokane Symphony has been forced to slash budgets and furlough staff, but they're aiming to emerge stronger in the end Excerpted from an article by EJ Ianelli
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eff vom Saal has turned his basement into an underground command center. Now outfitted with a massive whiteboard full of brainstorming ideas, a repurposed filing cabinet and a printer he sourced on the cheap from Facebook Marketplace, the space has become the unofficial strategic headquarters for the Spokane Symphony and the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox in the age of social distancing. As executive director of the symphony and the venue it calls home, vom Saal, like executive directors everywhere, has been engaged in nonstop damage control since COVID-19 restrictions first went into effect in mid-March. By now, it's an all-too-common story among performing arts organizations. At first, there was the hope that the initial limits on social gatherings were all just temporary. A few postponements and a little belt-tightening would suffice. It wasn't the venue going dark so much as briefly dimming the lights. But circumstances kept evolving. And with every change in infection counts and public health guidance, vom Saal and his staff have had to respond in kind. That ultimately led to the symphony's decision to create the only certainty they could. In late July, the entire 2020-21 season — its 75th anniversary, no less — was moved to next year. "There have been some fits and starts where we thought that the late fall could be a time for activity, and then that sort of got pushed into the early spring. It's hard to capture just what's around the next corner. All of us have had to not just readjust but really recalibrate and reimagine," he says, and that applies to the symphony and the theater alike.
says. "Up until coronavirus hit, I was always very proud to say that we've really grown both the range and the number of concerts, shows and events that we would present at the Fox every year." Vom Saal estimates that those events numbered over 100 annually. Now they're all on hold, which likewise means that box office attendants, stage crew and front-of-house managers — roughly 150 for any given payroll cycle — are all currently on "standby" along with the symphony's musicians. All that's left is a "barebones skeleton staff of a few people working a very few hours per week." The organization did secure a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for $720,000 that will help pay the remaining staff through December. To help ease the budgetary strain a little further, both vom Saal and music director James Lowe forgave their salaries for three months. In July, their pay resumed at a "significantly reduced" rate. Their forgiven salaries are partly being used to pay for 100 percent of the musicians' health insurance as opposed to the usual half. The audience has played its part, too. Requests for season ticket refunds have been "pretty close to zero." The Symphony Association also set up a musicians' relief fund that has taken in roughly $110,000 in community donations, with $15,000 of that awarded to musicians so far. "We need authentic optimism, not blind optimism — really looking for the things we can control and that we can imagine together for the future," says vom Saal. "And there will be a day when we look back on this in the rearview mirror. There will be a point when we are extremely busy again."
"The organizational impact has been substantial," vom Saal Reprinted with permission by The Inlander
Community Over Competition: Supporting our local farmers Submitted by Abbey Parsons, Coldwell Banker Tomlinson
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their community, particularly its youth, techniques of sustainable agriculture on small parcels of land. In only two years, they have created, worked and mentored six urban farms in the Spokane area, all of which are now being run successfully by people eager to learn the trade. In cooperation with other farmers throughout You can join these programs as a community member by paying the Pacific Northwest, they now offer much of the for a share of the harvested produce. We paid for our share up Spokane region a bountiful, locally-produced fresh box front in March and we receive a weekly delivery to our door. This throughout the year. ohlrabi – I had to GOOGLE it; I had no idea what this vegetable was, until a bag of fresh produce showed up on my doorstep in early May of this year. Our family decided to try a Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs) subscription.
has expanded our vegetable choices while supporting a local family business that keeps money in our community.
giving back Since the community keeps them going, they are eager community is key to give back to the community. Since 2018, they have Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA is a farm donated hundreds of pounds of wholesome food to marketing model that allows the consumer to buy shares the Farm to Food Pantry Program, Catholic Charities, of a farm’s harvest before the growing season starts. Food For All, as well as providing their packages free Thus, delivery through the winter months may include of charge every week to families in need. beets, corn, broccoli, onions, turnips, radishes, carrots, cilantro, kale, mustard, spinach, basil, lettuce and, of if you're interested course, kohlrabi! There are also such frozen options Twenty consecutive weeks of deliveries are available for as blueberries, peaches, berries and peas. Customers $800. For more information, call or text (509) 270-7264 may also choose from prepared foods, ingredients for or visit their website at www.couragetogrowfarms.com. which are raised on local farms, such as hummus, soups, sauces and jams. farming is their passion Courage to Grow Farms is a first-generation, family-owned urban farm that practices zero-waste regenerative agriculture and employs organic methods. It was established in 2018 with the idea of teaching
KXLY’s Coats 4 Kids In a time of crisis, more important than ever Article by Cindy Hedin, Coldwell Banker Tomlinson
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ith fall just around the corner, we at Coldwell Banker Tomlinson are beginning to gear up for our annual Coats 4 Kids campaign with KXLY. Though, due to the current COVID pandemic and school closures, the Coats 4 Kids campaign will look a little different in 2020, its success is more urgent than ever!
The good news is that we will still be receiving new and gently used coats and monetary donations at Coldwell Banker Tomlinson offices throughout the Spokane area. Dr. Bob Lutz from the Spokane Health District was consulted to ensure we are observing proper procedures regarding COVID-19. Unfortunately, we have Coats 4 Kids is an area-wide annual fall had to eliminate some of the events What can YOU do to help in this year’s event and has several local sponsors, we’ve done in the past. campaign? 1. Check your closets for including Coldwell Banker Tomlinson. In any gently used coats you would like to addition to its corporate contributions, This year marks the 35th Anniversary donate. 2. Bring them to any Coldwell Coldwell Banker Tomlinson Real Estate of Coats 4 Kids. With your support, we Banker Tomlinson office, or: 4. Call your agents throughout our region have have been able to collect hundreds of Coldwell Banker Tomlinson agent; they worked in the past as liaisons with local thousands of new and gently-used will be happy to pick up your donation. schools and businesses in collecting coats for children throughout our region. We need all coat sizes. 3. Donations of coats. We will miss working directly This year’s collection will begin October new coats and monetary donations are with our school and business partners 1st and run through October 30th. We also most welcome. Your contributions this year. However, we know they will want to make sure every child in our area will put smiles on many, many children continue to do what they can to help. has a warm coat to wear this winter! in our community!
Open Shelving in the Kitchen—Yay or Nay?
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atch any home improvement show from the last several years, and you’ll see it: open shelving in the kitchen. But is this trend something you should embrace in your own space? Will you love it or regret it if you rip out all your upper cabinets? Those are the questions we’re posing today as we examine the pros and cons of open shelving. Rise in popularity If it seems like open shelving is everywhere, that’s because it is. “Open shelving is one the most popular—and also the most controversial—kitchen trends of recent years,” said Apartment Therapy. Some kitchens, in an effort to look updated and open, have eliminated upper cabinets entirely, integrating open shelving instead. Others utilize the trend more marginally, replacing just one or two smaller sections of upper cabinets. If you are wary of converting your entire kitchen to open shelving, this is a good starter. Another way to get your feet wet is to simply remove the front of your cabinets instead of taking them down all together. This way, you can get the look without a major change, and you can always put the doors back on when the fad eventually passes.
Light, airy, and open That’s what a lot of people are looking for when they make the decision to go with open shelving. And it works— sometimes too well. Getting rid of all the typical upper cabinets can sometimes make a space look too minimalist. “Open shelving can also look a bit… unfinished,” said Apartment Therapy. Showcasing the goods Then again, it’s a great way to highlight china, nice dishes, or décor items. It’s dusty in here Regardless of what your dishes look like, they’re likely to get dusty without the benefit of being behind closed doors. “While we love looking at neatly arranged dishware on an open shelf, the reality can be a bit frustrating. Namely, due to all the dust and grease that end up on the carefully-arranged plates, bowls, mugs and glassware,” said House Beautiful. In fact, the site is so adamant about its stance on open shelving that the trend made it list of “9 Trendy Home Features That Are Secretly a Pain.”
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ISSUE 107 | SEPTEMBER 2020 ©2020 Coldwell Banker Tomlinson. All rights reserved. Each office is independently owned and operated. If you currently have an Agent assisting you with the purchase or sale of property, this is not a solicitation for business.
SPOKANE REAL ESTATE MARKET STATISTICS – Market update august 2020
$336K 19
average sales price
days on market
534 747 current inventory listings
closed sales
August 2020, as compared to August 2019. Information pulled on 9/10/2020
The information in this report is compiled from a report given by the Spokane Association of REALTORS® and to the best of our knowledge is accurate and current.
As we approach the fall, our local Spokane residential market continues to steam forward with robust activity. The average sales price for August ‘20 increased to $336,000, driven upward by high buyer demand, accentuated by sub-3% mortgage interest rates, and home inventory supply shortages across Spokane County. Our home listing inventory in August was a mere 422 units, severely down from over 1500 active units in 2019. This year is also bringing increased activity to the luxury home market, as we saw an impressive 51 units sell over the $1 Million dollar price point in August! 735 Residential listings sold over all price ranges for the same period, and it looks like September & October will remain equally strong, as they did in fall 2019. Article by Russ Marshall, Realtor®
CONTACT ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR FOR DETAILED MARKET INFORMATION.