Dentist Brothers Choose Competition Over Partnership

Talk about sibling rivalry. Valley dentist John Belknap is opening a new private practice, right next door to a competitor - his brother, Steve.

Belknap will open his new 1,500-square foot office next week at 9717 E. Sprague, in a building his physician father built about 30 years ago. He had been working out of the office of dentist Lynn Whiting at 12122 E. Cataldo.

The dentist brothers could have gone into practice together, but Belknap decided business has killed more than its share of friendships. “(Steve) and I are best friends, so I figured we would rather be friends than partners. So now we’re competitors,” Belknap said.

The competition is more perceived than real, though. He said each already has a list of loyal patients.

Belknap has been a dentist for eight years, and has always wanted to own his own practice.

“It’s something I wanted to do forever, just be on my own,” he said. “The time was right, so we did it.”

Belknap said he expects to begin seeing patients at his new office by Thursday.

Gallery goes full time

From the outside, Babbling Brook Gift & Gallery doesn’t really look like any type of shop. It looks like a house.

Well, it is. Karen Boshear, a Valley poet, has long dabbled with the idea of making a commercial go of her interest in art. Her first venture was a video she produced which featured footage of local scenery set to her poetry.

She decided to start selling works this summer, and has now converted her home into a full-time business.

The living room furniture is gone, replaced by a rack for locally-designed clothing, a glass display case and walls covered with Northwest-themed art. It’s now a regular shop.

“We just said, ‘we have enough family to get it started, so let’s do it”’ Boshear said.

She sells oil paintings, pottery, wood carvings and framed hangings of her own poems. The shop also carries many gift items like herbal hair products and soaps - most of those are made in the Northwest, too.

“Most everything is made locally or in the area,” she said.

The shop is located at 5006 N. Starr Road.

Pizza parlor opens

All Star Pizza recently opened at 10604 E. Sprague, in University City North.

The parlor offers sit-down service. Specialities include large calzones, hot and cold submarine sandwiches, nachos, a children’s menu and a salad bar. And of course, there’s pizza.

Owner Don Dunbrasky said he hopes to also branch into catering. “Right now we’re emphasizing sports teams, banquets and that sort of thing,” he said.

Dunbrasky is no stranger to the Italian pie business. He worked at Savage House Pizza for eight years, and managed it the last four.

“I wanted to own my business forever, and this is what I know. I’ve done it for half my life.”

, DataTimes