In brief: Brewery looking for new CdA home

After losing their lease, owners of Coeur d’Alene Brewing Co. say they will move out of the location within 45 days.

They’ve begun looking for a new location, co-owner Spencer Stromberg said.

The brewery and restaurant has operated in downtown Coeur d’Alene at Second and Lakeside streets since 1987. Its current owners took over in 1999.

In June, property landlord Don Smock informed them the brewery and restaurant must move out by Sept. 30.

The current batch of beer being fermented will be the last batch made in the building, said Stromberg, who is owner with his wife, Tracey, brother and sister-in-law Gage and Kelly Stromberg, and Ron and Julie Wells.

Spencer Stromberg said they’re searching for a new site in Coeur d’Alene. Smock told the owners he intends to convert the property into his own downtown eatery.

Coeur d’Alene Brewing brews about 10 beers year-round and a number of seasonals, Stromberg said. The business will continue selling beer there until the end of September.

Staff report

WASHINGTON – Banks have eased lending standards for small businesses for the first time in nearly four years, the Federal Reserve said Monday.

In its new survey of bank lending practices, the Fed found that the loosening of loan standards was occurring primarily at the country’s largest domestic banks.

Banks had been reporting relaxed credit standards for big corporations. But the new survey marked the first indication that credit was beginning to ease for smaller companies.

Associated Press

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The No. 2 home improvement retailer joined a long line of companies in sounding a cautious note about consumer spending and cut its yearly revenue guidance as worries grow about a stalling economy.

Lowe’s CEO Robert Niblock said in an interview Monday with the Associated Press that Americans are responding to programs such as the federal cash-for-appliances rebates and sales but says 2010 is a “bouncing along the bottom” year.

Associated Press

SEATTLE – Dell Inc.’s purchase of a storage provider for $1.13 billion marks another step in the personal computer industry’s quest to expand into more profitable businesses.

As PC prices have plummeted in recent years, computer manufacturers such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard Co. are moving to meet emerging demand for technology services – hoping they’ll find better profit margins there.

With the acquisition of 3Par Inc., which makes enterprise data storage equipment, Dell is boosting its ability to help companies manage information technology in new ways, through services generally referred to as “cloud computing.”

Associated Press