Halpin’s Pharmacist Caps Career

A former owner of Halpin’s Pharmacy & Treasure Room is retiring Friday.

Gary “Chris” Christensen, 61, has worked 36 years as a pharmacist at Halpin’s, 11406 E. Sprague.

He and partner Frank Terhaar bought the store in 1969. They sold it to employees in 1992. Halpin’s has been at that location since 1949.

An open house will be held in his honor Friday at the store.

Christensen plans to spend his retirement at the Oregon coast. His two children live in Oregon.

Bagel Company opens

A new bagel shop opened in the Spokane Valley last Wednesday.

The Bagel Company, 12905 E. Sprague, has replaced Finiky’s, which closed last November.

The new restaurant is a venture of owner Shareen Minor and her husband, Ron, who bakes the bagels. The 20 varieties of bagels made daily range from pesto to pumpernickel.

Various bagel sandwiches, soups, salads and espresso drinks are also on the menu.

The Minors are returning to the Spokane area from Anchorage, Alaska, where Shareen’s family runs two bagel shops.

Finiky’s, a bagel and espresso shop, had opened last July.

The Bagel Company is open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.