Brand-Name Businesses Gaining A Stronger Presence In North Idaho
Recognizable brand names are becoming more common in North Idaho. Construction projects now under way include familiar names like Diamond Parking, ServiceMaster, Jiffy Lube and Courtesy Rent-to-Own.
The Antler Building, an 88-year-old remnant in downtown Coeur d’Alene, became an empty eyesore on Sherman Avenue near Fifth after the interior of the two-story building was damaged by fire several years ago.
Although previous owners tried to restore the historic place, the price was too high. So, it’s coming down, making way for a parking lot.
The new owner is Diamond Parking, which is establishing a permanent presence in North Idaho.
The Seattle-based company has been in the Lake City since 1992 and administers 14 parking lots with five employees. The new 15-space lot should open at the end of October.
Diamond spokesman Dan Geiger, general manager for the Spokane region, admits a parking lot may not be the most ideal use for the small downtown parcel.
“It’s more of an investment,” Geiger said. “If someone wants to build something there, we’d be happy to sell it or lease it. The basic reason for the purchase is that Diamond thinks we should have an investment in the cities where we’re active.”
Joel Diamond started the parking business 75 years ago. It’s now in 30 cities in the Western United States.
Jiffy Lube of Hayden, one of the region’s busiest lubrication businesses as it services an average of 60 vehicles a day, is expanding to Post Falls. Construction on the new building on Seltice, just west of Cy’s Butcherie, should begin later this month.
Watch for a late spring opening on the two-bay store, which will include oversized doors for motor homes.
Brandon Lohf will manage seven employees in the business owned by brothers Steve and Keith Hardy. They started the Hayden Jiffy Lube in 1994. It now employs 13 people managed by Jon Wilson. The Hardys earlier owned the Hardy Lumber Co. of Hayden and the Ponderosa (now Applebee’s) and Arby’s restaurants in Coeur d’Alene.
Jiffy Lube, headquartered in Houston, has 1,650 outlets nationwide.
Combining stores to offer customers more options (and maybe to save some overhead costs), Price Buster rental equipment is moving from Fourth Street into new spaces with Courtesy Rent-to-Own, its sister store at 3210 Government Way, Coeur d’Alene.
Adding 3,000 square feet to the existing 10,000-square-foot store, the result will be a diversity of products under one roof, according to manager Sid Ulery.
The business rents “anything in the house,” from household furnishings to appliances and electronic items, Ulery said.
The business has been in Coeur d’Alene for 10 years. Now with 20 stores, owner Gerold Romine of Clarkston, Wash., started the company 35 years ago.
The seven yellow trucks encrested with “ServiceMaster” will be moving from their long-time Nettleton Gulch home to a new quarters at 4921 Duncan Drive (behind Duncan’s Garden Center) in Coeur d’Alene, in November.
Owners Mike and Susan Macrae are constructing an 8,350-square-foot building which will include truck space, a warehouse area and an office. It replaces their current 3,000-square-foot space.
The 10-employee company cleans businesses and specializes in water and fire damage restoration. Nationally, the $5 billion company began in Chicago 50 years ago and now has 4,000 outlets nationwide.
The Macraes are from Great Falls, Mont., and Long Beach, Calif., respectively. They bought the Coeur d’Alene franchise in 1995.
Correction: A reader pointed out that I was mistaken last week and the bike-lane bottleneck has not been remedied at Coeur d’Alene High School.
Despite bike lanes leading to the school from almost all directions, the Fourth Street curve doesn’t allow room for bikes. Pity that planning for the new construction didn’t provide bike-lane room, despite ample space.
, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Nils Rosdahl The Spokesman-Review