Inland Northwest Bank To Move Charter To Post Falls In December

A new bank will emerge in Post Falls and Idaho on Dec. 1. Changes in banking law, allowing a bank to move its charter less than 30 miles across state lines, give Inland Northwest Bank the opportunity to branch into Idaho from Washington.

The Spokane-centered bank will open its sixth branch with its first in Idaho at the new Super 1 Foods at 805 E. Poulston Ave. The branch will have eight employees, the bank charter and the office of Fred Schunter, president and chief executive officer. The bank’s main office will remain at 421 W. Riverside in Spokane, Schunter said.

The move opens the possibilities of further expansion into Idaho, Schunter said. “Many of our (368) shareholders and customers are in Idaho,” he said. “We have no specific goals; we like to walk before we run. As suggested by our name, when we started (in 1989) our vision was to service the Inland Northwest.”

Schunter said employees for the new branch will be hired from the Post Falls area.

Expansion also is under way for Video Theater. The 12-year-old company last week broke ground for a new building in Coeur d’Alene and last month more than doubled the size of its Post Falls store.

Video Theater will move from beside Albertson’s in Ironwood Square to a 5,500-square-foot facility in the northeast corner of Government Way and Locust Avenue when the new building is complete, probably in April.

Steve Turk, who owns the business with his wife Jannice, said the amenities will include good access and parking and ownership rather than leasing. The Turks also own their Post Falls store on Seltice Way (across from Our Place Restaurant).

The Turks are North Idaho natives and began their Post Falls store in what was the old Circle K building in 1984. They have 10 employees.

Freight-damaged and discontinued lines are the specialty of Office Furniture Outlet, a new business at 115 E. Harrison, Coeur d’Alene. The building previously housed Specialty Sales, which moved to a new building on Kathleen Avenue.

The emphasis allows prices to be 60 to 65 percent of that of competitive merchandise, according to Arnold Falk, who owns the business with his wife Donna.

Most of their inventory is of the Hon brand name and “is not junk,” Falk said. “We may have some of that later!”

Originally from Ohio, the Falks are coming to North Idaho from Sacramento.

“We visited here three years ago, fell in love with the place, and went back to California and put a ‘for sale’ sign on the house,” Falk said. Their son Brad and family also are moving to North Idaho. They were in the furniture business in California for 17 years.

Adding a retail line of “fine import and micro beers,” Pioneer Brewing & Supply has changed its name to Pioneer Home Brew & Beer Haus.

The business, at 9360 N. Government Way, Hayden, is owned by Gary Hetrick, who came to North Idaho 15 years ago from Glasgow, Mont. The expanded business includes home brewing supplies, glassware and accessories.

Hours are 11-6 Tuesday through Friday and 10-4 Saturdays.

Pro-line golf equipment and accessories and custom club fitting and repair are the products and services of Golf USA, which moved to 1675 W. Appleway, Coeur d’Alene, in mid-October.

The franchise, owned by Terry and Susan Atkins, is one of 105 with its headquarters in Edmond, Okla. The store occupies about 4,000 square feet next to Hayden Golf Carts and P.J. Fudge.

The Atkins came to North Idaho from San Diego 15 years ago.

The expansion and linking of the conference centers and hotel rooms between the Coeur d’Alene Resort and The Coeur d’Alene Inn (no longer affiliated with the Holiday Inn company) definitely allows for the possibility of larger conventions in Coeur d’Alene.

The linkage provides customers the opportunity to attend their convention (at either hotel) without having to pay the high room rentals at the Resort.

In my view, however, the problem of hosting a huge, maybe 2,000- to 3,000-person convention, remains. The downtown simply doesn’t have enough affordable rooms within walking distance of the waterfront. Free transportation between the two Hagadone Hospitality hotels just isn’t enough.

Don’t get me wrong. That’s fine with me.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Nils Rosdahl The Spokesman-Review