Friday, July 30, 2010

Handle on Business

Breakfast Nook in Post Falls sees busiest opening ever, Nils Rosdahl says.

CdA corner to add furniture store

Paul and Robin Wiles just opened Breakfast Nook in Post Falls. (Kathy Plonka/The Spokesman-Review)

Nils Rosdahl
Correspondent
November 3, 2005

The busiest traffic corner in Coeur d'Alene – with Highway 95 headed north to the "suburbs" and the mountains and Appleway carrying thousands of cars to points east and west – obviously is one of the best commercial locations in North Idaho. That's why two more businesses are finding homes in the former Rosauers building in the northeast corner of that intersection.

Selling upscale furniture, accessories and lighting, Colorado-based Mountain Comfort Furnishing & Design will occupy 9,000 square feet in the northwest corner of the building by early December. Mountain Comfort's primary brand-name styles are mountain lodge, Western, rustic, traditional, transitional and eclectic.

Starting in Frisco, Colo., in 1986, the company has seven stores in thriving mountain areas of Colorado, Nevada, California, New Mexico and Oregon. Coming from Colorado, manager Andy Jarski will start with five employees and plans to gradually expand that to about 15. The website is www.mountaincomfort.net.

Mamma G's, a pizza and sandwich shop, will be in the southeast corner of the old Rosauers building in January or February. With seating for 40 customers, the eatery will occupy 2,700 square feet next to the Tuesday Morning store, on the Appleway side of the building.

Owners Susan and Harold Smith plan to have 10 to 12 employees and be open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Originally from Challis, Idaho, Susan met Harold in Michigan, and they came to North Idaho in 1988. They previously owned Slate's Restaurant and two Christmas stores in the Sandpoint area. They plan to have a second Mamma G's in Ponderay.

Breakfast Nook, a successful downtown Coeur d'Alene café the past few years, is finding new homes in buildings formerly occupied by A&W drive-ins. The business eventually is being forced out of its Sherman Avenue space by the emergence of the Parkside condominium taking up most of that block.

Nook owner Paul Wiles purchased the former A&W building between Third and Fourth streets and is renovating it for his eventual Coeur d'Alene location. He plans to open early next year with about 20 employees, serving a main room with 125 seats and a meeting room for 50. Wiles has eight employees at the current CdA place.

Wiles has also opened a Breakfast Nook in the former Post Falls A&W at 115 W. Seltice Way.

He opened there Monday with six employees and plans to add six more. The place seats 52 customers and most recently was the Las Canastas Restaurant. Hours are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Phone 777-6919.

Originally from Portland, Wiles came to Coeur d'Alene from Bend, Ore. He said he has had 10 restaurants over the years, and his Post Falls opening was the busiest ever.

Withstanding the barrage of the big-box stores, Ace Hardware Ranch & Home is expanding to 20,000 square feet on Seltice Way (across from Tidyman's) in Post Falls.

The number of employees will expand to about 20 when the project is complete in March.

The store started as a Coast-to-Coast affiliate in 1979 and moved to its current building in 1987. Owners are Sandy and Nancy Seright, who came to North Idaho from Missoula. They're originally from Stanford and Miles City, Mont.