Book Store Up And Moves From Downtown To Valley
The Spokane area’s oldest vendor of vintage tomes, Clark’s Olde Book Store, has relocated to the Valley.
The business was purchased by Robert and Linda Hammer last November. Since then, the Hammers had operated the store at 318 W. Sprague, its longtime location.
Why move? After all, the downtown business had been around since 1910 as Clark’s Old (no “e”) Book Store.
Robert Hammer said downtown foot traffic was falling. And, he paid rent at the other site. He now owns the remodeled home at 12724 E. Sprague that now houses the store.
While the building isn’t the same, there’s no reason for customers to worry about the store’s selection. It took Hammer two weeks to pack and ship the 17,000 volumes stocked by Clark’s.
He found his new building didn’t have enough space to accommodate the inventory. Family members who helped put up and organize shelves didn’t count on that many books.
“They didn’t know we had that many,” Hammer said through a sigh. “I knew, because I moved ‘em all.”
Hammer is adding onto the building, and when the dust settles he should have plenty of room, he said.
The store will also carry a selection of homemade gifts crafted by local artisans.
While the planned addition may take a while to complete, bookworms are invited to burrow in now.
“We may not know where everything is yet,” Hammer said, looking around at his stacks. “But the doors will be open.”
Mandell’s closes out
Mandell’s Jewelers plans to close its University City Shopping Center store.
Owner Barry Solomon said decreased foot traffic at U-City and security problems there are reasons for the move.
The Valley Mandell’s has been open for 14 years. The company has been in business in the Spokane area for 50.
Solomon has yet to announce an exact day of the closure. That depends on the success of an inventory clearance sale the store is currently having.
“If things go well, we’ll extend the sale beyond the end of the month,” Solomon said.
The rest of the store’s inventory will be consolidated with the downtown Mandell’s.
Bank opens
Washington Trust Bank is holding a grand opening for its new Valley branch this week.
The bank is located at 407 N. Sullivan, at the northwest corner of the intersection of Sullivan and Valleyway.
Spokeswoman Lea Werner said the new branch is geared toward commuters, offering five drivethrough lanes, one of which is a 24-hour automatic teller. Full-service lobby banking is also available inside.
The bank’s weekday drive-through hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The lobby is open weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Both will be open Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Werner said the celebration really gets wacky on Saturday, when tellers will service the commuter lanes via in-line skates.
There will be taffy for children and dog biscuits for commuters’ furrier dependents.
The new location is Washington Trust’s 25th branch, 14 of which are in the Spokane area.
Pawn shop opens
Evergreen Jewelry and Loan recently opened a Valley store at 15205 E. Sprague in Veradale.
The original Evergreen store at 3609 N. Division has been open for eight years.
Owner Jeff Levitch said he opened the Valley store because of growth here. He also said the availability of a building in a high-traffic area was another plus.
Evergreen’s new building, a former gas station and convenience store, sits next to the Valley Kmart.
Another of the location’s strengths, Levitch said, is that the building is set right on the street, not recessed into a lot.
“It’s free-standing and real noticeable,” he said. “It doesn’t blend in like it would in a strip mall.”
The shop handles jewelry, electronics and other general items. Levitch hopes to carry firearms there later.
Levitch said all electronic items come with a 30-day guarantee, and jewelry purchases are refunded if a customer can prove the new retail value of the item is less than twice the Evergreen price.
, DataTimes