Charlie’s Tavern reborn as Jackson Hole II

The idea might have been planted back in the mid-1980s, when Randy Sales visited the old Jackson Hole Tavern on Bowdish Road.

He, his wife, and his wife’s sister and husband frequented the bar and formed strong memories of the watering hole. Now, 20 years later, they’ve decided to run the bar themselves.

“We always wanted to own a bar,” Sales said. “We were just surprised we hadn’t done it earlier.”

Sales was fixing a rotating bar stool last week during a calm afternoon. He said the challenge of owning a bar lies mostly in the paperwork.

“The gambling and pull-tabs aspect is difficult,” he said. “It’s hard just learning everything.”

Sales and his three family members took ownership of the bar on Feb. 24 and renamed it from Charlie’s Tavern to Jackson Hole II in tribute to the old bar, which was owned by Ron and Sally Jackson.

Sales and the owners plan on rebuilding the old outdoor beer garden within the next few months.

Business has been good since the ownership change, Sales said.

“Some of the same people from our old days are still coming back,” he said.

Pizzeria sleeping with the fishes

The last Godfather’s Pizza in the Spokane area was closed this month as the national pizza chain proceeds with its plan to leave the West Coast.

The store at 15402 E. Sprague Ave., near Sullivan Road, closed its doors in early April with a sign thanking patrons for many years of dining.

A spokeswoman for G&B Realty said the store was owned by the Godfather’s Pizza corporation, and the company is trying to leave most of its West Coast markets.

Inside the locked doors, old pizza pans and posters lie stacked while chairs and tables are pushed against a wall.

Godfather’s Pizza already has closed its other Spokane restaurants.

Godfather’s Pizza headquarters in Omaha did not return phone calls.