Big Easy upbeat on future
Activity is picking up around the Big Easy concert house with the launch of a new coffeehouse and small live music venue and progress continuing on the upscale casino that is scheduled to open in March.
The downtown Spokane block bounded by Sprague, First, Monroe and Lincoln already holds the Big Easy, the Metropolitan Performing Arts Center, and a live music stage at the Bourbon Street Uptown restaurant. Last week, Rock Coffee opened in 1,800 square feet facing First Avenue. The shop will sell coffee drinks, snacks and sandwiches, but also will feature live music two to three nights a week on a small stage.
Owner Todd Rothrock said he’s hoping to ride the Big Easy’s coattails by offering music along the same genre before or after the bigger concert venue’s shows.
“We’re trying to provide a venue for people who don’t want to spend time in a bar or are too young for bars,” said Rothrock, 29, who opened the coffee shop with his wife, Misty. Rothrock also has owned Kairos Heating and Air Conditioning in Spokane for several years. The coffeehouse was his wife’s idea, he said.
“It started out as a drive-through and really evolved.”
Rock Coffee will be open from 7 a.m. to midnight most days and will try to create a schedule of performances that’s compatible with the Big Easy, Rothrock said. He’s planning to feature exclusively local, young bands.
Big Easy Manager Greg Marchant said he’s thrilled.
“I’m excited they’re going to be doing live entertainment. When the casino opens up there’s going to be five live venues on one city block,” Marchant said. “I think that’s amazing. We’re ecstatic about the additional foot traffic.”
Marilyn’s on Monroe, an upscale casino and lounge, is scheduled to open in late March on the west side of the block, said Haig Kelegian Jr., one of the owners. In addition to house-banked card tables, Marilyn’s will include the Rat Pack Lounge, which will seat 60 to 80 people and will serve food and offer live music and comedy. Kelegian said he’s pleased to see activity picking up on the block, noting the pending opening of the Montvale Hotel across the street.
The leasing agent handling the block said he’s also talking to people interested in opening a pizza parlor and a musical instrument store. About 1,300 square feet of retail space still is available for lease on the ground floor, inside the building’s breezeway. Up to 7,000 square feet of office space remains available on the second floor, said Doug Dittamore of Kiemle and Hagood.
The Montvale, which sits kitty-corner to Marilyn’s at First and Monroe, is scheduled to welcome its first guests Friday with a soft opening for friends, family and business associates. On Wednesday, crews were moving furniture and televisions into the rooms and working to complete the lobby. The hotel will hold its grand opening in February. In the spring, a restaurant called Latitude will open on the hotel’s ground floor, said Chad Hutson, vice president of property owner ConoverBond.