Heavy Traffic Fuels Business Growth On Government Way

The oldtimers remember when Government Way was the main corridor between Coeur d’Alene and Hayden. Many out-of-towners, using Highway 95 from the north, would stop for a break in Coeur d’Alene on the way to Spokane.

I remember, as a kid coming from Montana to Spokane for eye doctor appointments about once a year, how impressed I was with Government Way being a boulevard from Harrison to downtown. We’d stop for lunch, either at the old Templin’s Restaurant or with a basket in the city park, and then head down Seltice Way (then Highway 10) into Spokane.

After the new Highway 95 opened, many of the businesses along Government Way slowed into disrepair. But now that the area has grown, and once again Government Way is blossoming,

Maybe too much so. Two lanes definitely aren’t enough. The road is scheduled to be widened from Harrison north to I-90. But from I-90 north, probably the biggest pain, will remain a problem for a while.

Meanwhile, though, businesses continue to thrive, taking advantage of the heavy traffic.

Dalton Court, a nine-space minimall, is under construction at 7680 Government Way (between Frick’s Furniture and Mark’s Marine). The 15,000-square-foot, one-story building should be complete at the end of March. Space sizes are negotiable, but they start at 1,500 square feet.

Owners are Mike and Libby Macklin, who found North Idaho while vacationing from Auburn, Calif., and Dennis and Bonnie Williams. The Williams, North Idaho natives, also own Williams Paint.

The initial tenant will be a somewhat unusual pet store called Critters `N’ Crafts, which will occupy two spaces and open late next month.

The business will combine a full-line pet shop and retail store for crafts or specialty items related to animals. The store will cater to local crafters who make things such as bird houses, dog houses and any animal theme collectibles, even jewelry.

“Our focus will be on customer service and cleanliness,” said Cyndi Foti, manager and owner along with her husband Joe. She managed a pet store and specialized in breeding exotic birds in San Diego. Teen-age sons Ryan and Eric will help run the store, and Joe is employed by Kaestner Electric.

A few miles south, Ironwood Square is getting a new owner.

Seattle-based First Western Development sold the shopping center, anchored by Albertson’s, to Wesbild Inc. of Vancouver, British Columbia. First Western is selling all its non-Washington properties for management convenience (and a great deal of money too, no doubt), a spokesman said. First Western is retaining ownership of the 30,000-square-foot pad in front of the Payless store.

Another few blocks south, just off Government Way, Arrow Ambulance is constructing a new facility at Poplar Avenue and Second Street. The one-acre complex will include a 5,000-square-foot, five-bay, two-story garage and crew building and a 1,000-square-foot office building.

With an early June opening, the facility is being built by Beck Builders and designed by Dave Salois. A meeting room will be available to community organizations.

Owner is Janis Fenton, who came to North Idaho from Manchester, England, in 1980. She has owned Arrow Ambulance, which employs about 22 people, since 1984.

Two other immigrants, Spencer and Nancy Truong, have started Child Safety Services, a videotape registration service. The object is to reduce the number of missing, lost, abducted and runaway children through parental and child education. Phone 762-5401 for information.

The Truongs came to the United States from Vietnam in 1972. He attended North Idaho College and the University of Idaho and was co-owner of the Hong Kong (now Canton) Restaurant in downtown Coeur d’Alene. In 1986 he started a computerized heating and cooling business, Energy Savings of America. Nancy majored in elementary education at a Massachusetts college and plans to teach English to foreign students.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Nils Rosdahl The Spokesman-Review