Nils Rosdahl

The center island in The Coeur d’Alene Plaza Shoppes will have two new businesses soon with Papillon Paper Emporium and Randy Henry’s Dynamic Golf. Aiming for a July 24 opening, Papillon will be in the front portion of the island. J.D. Gray’s Designer Jewelry was in the 1,100-square-foot space for 13 years before closing early this spring. The paper store will offer unique greeting cards, stationery, journals, calligraphy items, pens, pencils, pencil holders, wrapping papers by the sheet, gift items and butterfly collections, which sparked the name Papillon (French for butterfly).

North Idaho’s timber industry is honored by The Mill, a new tavern and eatery in Riverstone. Located (fittingly) at 2360 Old Mill Loop, The Mill is in the space of the former Smokin’ Joey’s Barbecue next to Starbucks.

More room and more visibility were the incentives for Northwest Hardware Supply to move to a new location at 7680 Government Way in Hayden. The company moved this past week from 10640 Government Way. The business now has about 4,500 square feet to display items such as door locks, cabinet fixtures and hinges. The store is open for builders and retail customers 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and by weekend appointments.

Finding items to put into this space is never a problem. Narrowing the list as to what to include can be. Even with the economy struggling nationally, printing positive business here is not a struggle. Simply notice “coming soon” and “sold” signs around town. One example is the “Mother’s Haven coming soon” on the 1890 farmhouse at 2112 Government Way. New owner Margaret Hildahl is remodeling the former Country Porch store into retail spaces on the main floor and classrooms upstairs. She hopes to be open by the end of the month.

Custom-built chopper motorcycles, hot rods and rat rods (more basic hot rods) are for sale at Marston’s Custom Choppers at 9873 Government Way, Hayden. Brothers Gary and Dave Marston also sell parts and service the bikes.

’Tis the season, and we aren’t talking Christmas. For this year’s June brides, the planning should be mostly complete. But for ceremonies beyond (and maybe even the last-minute panics), two bridal businesses have blossomed here. Affordable Elegance Bridal moved a few weeks ago to 296 W. Sunset Ave. from 1928 N. Fourth St. Erika Bates, who bought the 5-year-old business last fall, specializes in affordable wedding gowns, formal wear and flower-girl dresses. Gowns under $500 can be ready in three to five weeks. They also have formal wedding gowns.

Items and foods that have been discontinued, outdated or packaged in irregular containers are the inventory of Bargain Foods & Treasures. The discount store opened last week at 811 N. Fourth St. The 4,100-square-foot building had been the home of the Idaho Youth Ranch Thrift Store, which moved up the street half a block.

Prepared foods and ingredients from Italian recipes and around the world are the specialty at Rosa’s Italian Market and Deli. Located at 120 E. Fourth Ave. (across from Post Falls City Hall), the business plans to open this week. Its building is a house built in 1910 and is the only Post Falls house on the National Register of Historic Places.

Readers seem to eat up news about a new restaurant with more interest than other business news. So even though this place won’t open until maybe early June, here are the ingredients. Scratch, described as “a casual, fine-dining experience” in its Spokane location, will start its second location in downtown Coeur d’Alene. Remodeling is under way for Scratch in what was most recently Le Piastré in the northeast corner of Sherman Avenue at Fifth Street.

It happens this time every year – right ahead of tourist season – that downtown Coeur d’Alene sees some major changes. And, of course, it’s happening again. Some new businesses are here now or will be soon. Another one is just an announcement, but it’s major. Here we go. About two years ago this location held Señor Froggy’s, a popular Mexican fast-food eatery. Suddenly it was torn down to make way for investment property. It has taken a little while, but evidently the bucks are right for that to happen.

Featuring breakfast and lunch daily and “couples’ dinners” on Fridays and Saturdays, My Place Restaurant will open this week at Sherman Avenue and 18th Street, Coeur d’Alene. “The menu will be slightly eclectic with an Italian influence,” said chef Frank Ciccone. His boss is Rocco Zito, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., who came to Coeur d’Alene eight years ago from San Francisco after seeing a magazine article about the area.

The grand four-level building that began as Coeur d’Alene’s Montgomery Ward store in the 1920s probably will be coming back to life. Located at Fourth Street and Lakeside Avenue, the 25,000-square-foot building most recently housed the Wiggett Antique Mall, until it moved to Fourth and Front Avenue about two years ago. A group of investors from Mount Vernon, Wash., has purchased the Northwest franchise of Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy and the Headmasters School of Hair Design. Headmasters will change to Toni & Guy’s with the move to the Wards building in the fall. Now in about 10,000 square feet at 317 E. Coeur d’Alene Ave., Headmasters will occupy about 15,000 square feet in the new location.

The name basically says it all – Coeur d’Alene Garden, Gift & Gallery. This 5,000-square-foot store and outdoor acre will open April 15 at 1619 Lee Court. Formerly the home of Granite Planet (and temporarily part of Coeur d’Alene Tractor while its snow-damaged roof was being repaired), the new store is on the east side of Ramsey Road, between Appleway and Interstate 90.

Construction has begun on what is anticipated to be a 471-unit outlet of American Universal Storage at 3839 W. Prairie Ave., just west of Atlas Road. The initial phase of about 100 units should be open by May, and the remainder will depend on need. Configurations will fit the customers’ needs from boat and RV storage to climate-controlled areas for personal belongings. The complex will include special security measures, including 24-hour, on-site management. The 10-acre parcel includes two acres of undeveloped property and a landscaped house that will serve as the office and manager’s living quarters.

Ah, hinting about a “secret” is fun. It’s amazing how many readers try to weasel the information. Last week the clue was about an upcoming, large store – well, here it is. Maybe. WinCo Foods is filing the preliminary paperwork for a 95,000-square-foot store in the northeast corner of the intersection of Appleway and Ramsey Road in Coeur d’Alene. The physical store itself is at least two years away in the acreage that now is a combination gravel-sand pit.

The sputtering economy has really changed transportation. All around Kootenai County and points beyond, public transportation is becoming more popular. The Citylink bus system served more than 500,000 round trips in 2008. The stops often have people waiting. The problem is that they have to stand there – sometimes for a long time.

North Idaho people have known these restaurateurs by their previous places – Peabody’s, Friday’s, Sunday’s, Murphy’s Landing, Henry’s and Bambino’s in Coeur d’Alene, and Mansion on the Hill and the Veranda in Kellogg. Now owners Joe Chapman and Dana Musick have put their expertise together into a new Coeur d’Alene place – Grumpy’s, which opened this past week at 726 Fourth St.

Coeur d’Alene has long been renowned as the wedding capital of the Northwest. Valentine’s Day was an obvious example as couples and their entourage practically lined up at the Hitching Post Wedding Chapel. Check out “wedding” topics in the Yellow Pages and “Marriages” in the court reports to see that the activity far outweighs the population proportion. In the Yellow Pages you also see many locations for wedding celebrations. And how better than to take advantage of the lake.

Authentic reproductions of Native American and Old West artifacts are the specialty of Indians and Outlaws, a new shop at 120 Fourth St. in downtown Coeur d’Alene. “Authentic,” in this case, means the items are fashioned from the same materials as the originals. And some items are the real thing, such as from Antiques Roadshow. The showroom includes a tomahawk, clay bowl pipe, headdress, Sioux moccasins, wildlife mounts, home décor, artwork and rugs.

Special events for potential residents and their families and employees are planned by the new Life Care Center of Post Falls. The 120-bed (38 private and 41 semi-private rooms) nursing home has opened at 460 N. Garden Plaza Court (west of Wal-Mart). A free lunch and learn session will be 11 a.m. Thursday. The information will include long-term care expense planning and financial retirement issues, followed by a tour of the facility. The center will provide long-term care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation. RSVP by calling 664-8980.

Two businesses are joining two existing places in Syringa Center in February. The new, 12,000-square -foot building is in the northwest corner at the intersection of Third Street and Locust Avenue in the north end of Midtown Coeur d’Alene. Three suites remain available. Phone Windermere Realtors Joe Fabiano at 699-0764 or Alan Lane at 651-6809.

Aaaargh! It’s tax season again. (Note that sentence ends with a period and not an exclamation mark.) Fittingly, Liberty Tax Service is in new locations in Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls. And the businesses are run by a mother and daughter. Debbie Smith moved her offices to Suite H next to the former Pizza Shoppe in Appleway Square at Highway 95 and Appleway. Phone 765-4000. April Morgan, her daughter, is new owner of her expanded location at 4082 Primrose Lane (off Highway 41). Phone 773-7400.

With 73 employees serving a potential 250 customers, MacKenzie River Pizza opened this week in the former home of America’s Cheesecake Cafe at 405 W. Canfield Ave. (next to Olive Garden at Highway 95). Opening at 11 a.m. daily, the restaurant uses an exhibition kitchen to offer pizzas, pastas, salads, sandwiches, desserts, appetizers and a full bar. The place has seating for about 200 customers indoors and 50 on the patio.