Ponderosa Village development in Spokane Valley taking shape with two new tenants and plans for more

The Ponderosa Village development in Spokane Valley is beginning to take shape with the arrival of two new tenants and plans for plenty more businesses.

The development, adjacent to Barney’s Harvest Foods at 11205 E. Dishman Mica Road, was announced early last year. It’s headed by Ken Tuntland, owner of Barney’s Harvest Foods, and Clyde Haase, project manager.

Construction was completed in May on two buildings, which now house The Mix Salon and Day Spa and Hello Sugar. Both businesses celebrated grand openings in earlier this month.

Rex Anderson, owner and pricipal architect of Fusion Architecture PLLC, is designing the Ponderosa Village project, which will be built in phases over the next three years based on tenant demand.

“I think everything has gone really well,” said Anderson, referring to the development. “They have the two buildings in and they are approaching full occupancy in those buildings.”

Ponderosa Village – at full build-out – will feature five buildings, each 5,000 to 6,000 square feet. The multitenant buildings will be built to the west and south of Barney’s Harvest Foods, which is anchoring the development.

Tuntland took a community-driven approach with the development by distributing more than 8,800 flyers with surveys asking residents about the type of retail stores they wanted in the neighborhood. Residents expressed interest in mom-and-pop businesses such as coffee shops and affordable, locally owned restaurants.

“Everyone has embraced this development. The responses have been positive the entire time,” Anderson said. “The Tuntlands realized their roots are in this community and they embraced that with this construction.”

Anderson said the development has drawn interest from national and locally owned businesses. Once tenants lease remaining space in the two existing buildings, development begin on the remainder of the project.

“I think they are gearing up for one or two more buildings in the near future,” Anderson said. “It’s really going to be interesting.”

Tamera Cole and her husband, Erik, opened The Mix Salon and Day Spa last week in Ponderosa Village. The spa offers haircuts as well as coloring, barber services, massage and esthetic services.

Tamera Cole has worked for other salons in the area but had always wanted to open her own business.

The Coles looked at potential sites in Liberty Lake and Spokane Valley. Then, the couple discovered development of Ponderosa Village was underway near Barney’s Harvest Foods.

“When we found out about it, we took it into consideration,” Cole said. “It was one of those things that was meant to be. (Spokane Valley) is where we are from and we know the people.”

Cole traveled to salons in Hawaii, Las Vegas and Nashville, Tennessee, for design inspiration and added interior details to The Mix, like Halo “orbiting” infrared hair dryers and a trail mix bar with mimosas, wine and premixed margaritas to create a “staycation” atmosphere.

Cole said it’s exciting the Ponderosa Village development will bring more businesses to the neighborhood, creating a one-stop-shop for people to buy groceries, get their hair done and eat a meal at a restaurant.

“It should have happened such a long time ago,” she said. “Everybody is super excited. I see a lot of potential and growth where we can all come together with ideas.”

Amy and Ramsey Pruchnic opened Hello Sugar last year in Kendall Yards in a shared space with Indaba Coffee Roasters that has two walk-up counters for doughnuts and specialty coffee.

“It’s definitely a tight space in there,” Amy Pruchnic said of Kendall Yards store. “We wanted a flagship location that enabled us to do catering and be available for things like weddings.”

Hello Sugar’s bite-sized doughnuts have become increasingly popular among locals, driving the need for another restaurant with more space.

“We definitely didn’t expect Hello Sugar to be what it has become,” Pruchnic said. “It forced us to look into a larger space, and we also really wanted to serve coffee. I love making coffee. It’s a big passion of mine.”

The Pruchnics considered north Spokane and Coeur d’Alene for a flagship shop but decided to open their second location closer to home in Spokane Valley.

“We were looking for a location and we live about two minutes away from Ponderosa Village,” Pruchnic said. “My husband ended up talking with the developer and it just kind of grew from there. The Valley just kind of worked out for us. We shop at Harvest Foods all the time.”

Hello Sugar in Spokane Valley has the same menu as its Kendall Yards shop with gluten-free options and made-to-order recipes, such as the “s’more” with chocolate fudge and crushed graham crackers topped with mini marshmallows, and “strawberry shortcake,” made with powdered sugar and strawberry jam.

Pruchnic said somewhat of a camaraderie has formed among her business, The Mix Salon and Day Spa and TT’s Old Iron Brewery, which opened down the street from Ponderosa Village in June.

“It’s really kind of a fun atmosphere with a sense of community,” she said.

Pruchnic hopes other like-minded local businesses consider opening in Spokane Valley to help the area flourish.

“I want to bring local flair to the Valley,” she said. “It’s really important to me as a small-business owner that we are really invested in the community.”