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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Map store charts new course in U-City

Steve and Linda Mitrovich have relocated the Northwest Map and Travel Book Center to 10525 E. Sprague Ave. in a commercial strip behind Fred’s Appliance at University Road and Sprague.   (Jesse Tinsley)
Juli Bergstrom-Wasson

After serving customers for more than two decades from downtown Spokane, owners of a local mapping business decided it was time to chart an alternative path.

Linda and Steve Mitrovich relocated their Northwest Map and Travel Book Center to Spokane Valley in July after 24 years in downtown Spokane, most recently near the corner of Howard Street and Sprague Avenue.

“We do cover the world,” says Linda Mitrovich, who said the timing was right for the couple to make the move. They live nearby and mostly take turns managing the daily operations of the store.

Customers will now find them in the U-City North Shopping Plaza.

Northwest Map & Travel Book Center features a broad selection of maps, ranging from hiking trails across the Inland Northwest to cities and countries across the ever-changing political landscape. Their maps are useful as well as decorative, and include nautical cartography of nearby lakes as well as street atlases – many of which were created by the Mitroviches themselves.

They also sell U.S. Geological Survey Maps, Forest Service ones for the Northwest, and Washington State Department of Natural Resources maps and hiking guides for the United States and Canada.

The shop has long been popular to those seeking detailed maps of the Inland Northwest and Canadian Rockies for outdoor recreation. In fact, the business is an outgrowth of the couple’s personal interest in hiking the Canadian Rockies and charting the territory. Steve Mitrovich is a mechanical engineer with a background in geography.

The couple moved to Spokane from the East Coast in 1984, largely because of the Inland Northwest’s outdoor opportunities.

Many of their customers include local utility companies, fire and school districts, home delivery services and marketing and sales companies wanting to outline territories.

Customers also will find store shelves lined with guide books for world travel, map accessories and globes for sale. The Mitroviches also offer custom framing and laminating services.

Are you opening a new business in the Spokane Valley? Is your business expanding, moving or remodeling? Are you wondering about that new store that has opened in your neighborhood? Send an e-mail to Juli Bergstrom-Wasson at juliwasson@gmail.com or contact us by fax at (509) 927-2175 or by writing to Business Notebook, Valley Voice, 13208 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley, WA 99216.