Melodie Little

After years of painstakingly restoring the E.J. Roberts' Mansion in Browne's Addition, Mary Moltke may soon reap a tangible return on her sweat equity. "I've basically done a room a year for the last 24 years," said Moltke, who recently received official city approval to host special events at the mansion and to open a restaurant in an adjacent historic house that's across from the Elk Public House, at Pacific Avenue and Cannon Street.

The River Ridge Yoke's is closing after more than a decade of operating in the shopping center at Wellesley Avenue and Assembly Street in northwest Spokane. Over the years, the center housed a series of food markets, including the Ben Hogan store, which opened in 1951. The store was later sold to Rosauers before becoming River Ridge Food and Drug and finally a Yoke's Pac 'n Save.

Pinecroft Business Park is expanding as it caters to a growing number of national, international and regional companies seeking office space with ample parking, picnic areas and even basketball courts. "We're trying to create an environment that is comfortable," said John Miller, managing partner for Pinecroft LLC, a group of nine investors and companies that owns the park.

After nearly a half-century of living in a three-bedroom house, Mary Pichette is ready to downsize. But before she can simplify her life, the 84-year-old mother of five has to work through the complicated process of paring down a lifetime's worth of possessions and selling her North Spokane home. "I've got a lot of boxes, that's for sure," she said. Pichette is among a group of people who've turned to senior real estate specialists to get help with the financial, lifestyle and transitional aspects of buying and selling property. Her Realtor, Kathy Bryant of Keller Williams Realty Spokane, helped Pichette ready her home for sale and is advising her on how to get rid of mementos and household items so she can fit comfortably into a small apartment.

It's the kind of extravaganza that could inspire out-of-town visitors to spend money. But local antique store operators are more excited about going to Saturday's "Antiques Roadshow" event than they are about potential customers bursting through their doors.

America the Beautiful Dreamer, a store specializing in bedroom furniture, is moving out of NorthTown Mall and into its own building at 7306 N. Division St., near Costco. The 12,000-square-foot store is a little bigger and the stand-alone building can become more of a destination for furniture shoppers than the current site, said Doug De Grange, an owner of the business.

A soda chain that sold "stubby" bottles of pop that customers could mix and match has reopened after a two-decade absence. The Pop Shoppe, a familiar name to pop-lovers who lived in the area during the 1970s, recently opened in a 350-square foot store at 1002 S. Perry St.

Northern Quest Casino will undergo a $275 million expansion that will add a 350-room hotel with a nine-story glass atrium featuring indoor waterfalls and a winding river. Kent Caputo, chief operating officer for the Kalispel Tribe's economic enterprises, said it has taken a year and a half of planning to come up with designs, which include a casino that's nearly three times the size of the existing operation, a 2,300-seat event hall, a 10,000-square-foot luxury spa with a pool, and a six-story parking garage.

A store offering custom furniture and accessories, design services and gifts is opening in a new building at 13th Avenue and Grand Boulevard. Artios Home will offer three floors of furniture, artwork, gifts and personal accessories, including a full line of Vera Bradley travel and handbags.