Vacuum System May Pull In Business At Coeur D’Alene Car Wash

Finding an excuse not to vacuum the car is difficult when you visit Silver Lake Car Wash in Coeur d’Alene.

The place has 16 hoses conveniently located on both sides of the drive as cars queue for washing. The powerful vacuums run off a 50-horsepower central system. And they’re free.

Of course, you don’t have to vacuum the vehicle if you don’t want to. You can just have the car advance through the 100-foot washing and waxing tunnel for the basic $7 job. Or you can add processes, such as the Ultra-Shine Sealant or the ultraviolet screen for sun-damage protection. The ultimate job costs $11. It’s all a touchless wash with guaranteed bug removal and free whitewall cleaning.

And if you think a having dirty car is a crime, the car wash is conveniently located across the street from Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.

Silver Lake Car Wash opens next week with hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

Owners are Randall Fast and Mark Dickhausen, who came to North Idaho from Great Falls, Mont., where Fast had been in the car wash business since 1978. Dickhausen originally is from Red Lodge, Mont. They’ll employ 10-12 people at the car wash.

Up the street, at 7352 Government Way, and conveniently across from Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens Funeral Home and Cemetery, Expressions of Nature floral shop will open Nov. 1.

Already open for orders, owner Lisa Winnop will offer fresh flowers, potted plants, dried and silk arrangements, fresh candies and chocolates and gift baskets. Delivery will be free in Hayden and Dalton Gardens.

Winnop worked in the floral business in Riverside, Calif., before coming to North Idaho with her family in 1987. Hours in the 1,440-square-foot new shop will be 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends. Phone 762-1067.

The Patchwork Pony opened last month at 6264 Government way (across from Feed ‘n’ Farm - handy for a pony, of course).

Actually, the 4,400-square-foot store offers new and used clothing and items for children. Owners Pamela Penley and Julie Brison sell, buy and trade clothing, toys, furniture, accessories, and other things for kids. They moved the 2-year-old business from a 900-square-foot space in Post Falls.

Originally from York, Pa., Penley moved to North Idaho 10 years ago after vacationing here a year earlier when her family “fell in love with the area,” she said.

Brisson returned to Coeur d’Alene in 1991 as she remembered the area fondly after traveling from her home in Eugene, Ore., to Montana when she was a teenager.

Phone the Patchwork Pony at 762-7669.

Horizon Credit Union is planning for its 10th regional branch.

The new facility, to begin as a double-wide modular unit by the end of the year, will be in Post Falls at 565 Vest St., across from the under-construction Hot Rod Cafe.

Ground will be broken next week and drive-throughs will be added to the modular unit, which eventually will be replaced by a permanent building. Kelly Browning of Post Falls will manage three employees. The 50-year-old company has its headquarters in Spokane.

Utilizing new technology that will detect insulation weaknesses and loose connections in wiring, River City Electric is a new business at 503 E. Railroad in Post Falls.

“The technology is based on a computer print-out of temperatures,” explained owner Will Stan. A Spokane native, he came to Post Falls 28 years ago. Phone 773-2448.

Rumor-squelching tidbits:

Sterling Savings is not establishing a branch in Coeur d’Alene. “We have several employees from Idaho, but we aren’t chartered for Idaho,” said spokeswoman Heidi Stanley. The company is putting a technology support system in the Humanix Building in Coeur d’Alene.

Construction on Huckleberry Beach near Moscow Bay on Lake Coeur d’Alene is not a new Hagadone Hospitality facility. The property was sold years ago. Although huge, the new building is a private residence.

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