Casual Comfort With Style
Furniture you may see in the movies can now be purchased in North Idaho.
And it’s furniture that fits into our casual lifestyle, said Pam Kinard, who owns The Bamboo Trading Co. with her daughter, Kimberly Krost of Post Falls.
The Bamboo Trading Co., next to Unique Crafters on East Seltice in Post Falls, offers a showroom of 5,000-square-feet of bamboo, rattan and wicker furniture and accessories. Custom-made and factory built, it is all in warm wood tones, although it may be custom ordered in painted colors and different sizes.
Kinard, visiting from LaCanada, Calif., said she noticed many orders were being sent to the Inland Northwest from her similar store in Hawaii. Further research showed her that such a store would be successful in North Idaho.
“It’s furniture that perfectly fits the casual lifestyle of this region,” Kinard said. “Some of the larger items match the same styles you see in log furniture.”
The components themselves come in varieties of styles, from pencil-thin to pole-thick and in single strands to woven sheets. The inventory includes living, dining and bedroom sets and single pieces, such as dressers and chairs. Accessories include trunks, hampers, baskets, pottery, carvings and paintings.
Kinard rotates trips from Idaho to California to Hawaii to the Philippines, where the inventory is manufactured. Kimberly’s brother, Paul Moll, also works in the Post Falls store, which opened earlier this month.
“Customers can buy from the showroom or come in and say, `I need you to make me …’ and we’ll have it to them in six weeks,” she said. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Phone 773-5304.
It’s a mystery: Are many downtown Coeur d’Alene commercial buildings half full or half empty? Neither is a pleasant sight.
However, Midtown Coeur d’Alene filled some space earlier this month when Blondies moved to 842 N. Fourth from downtown’s Johnston Building, which was purchased last spring by the Hagadone Corp. Blondies’ new site is 1,500 square feet formerly occupied by Lilikoi Restaurant.
Offering cards, gifts, espresso, wedding services and complete hair and nail services, the store’s full name is Blondies: A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That.
The store was the brainchild of Marie Lacroix, a North Idaho native and hair specialist for more than 30 years. Joining her are Centhia Kirkpatrick, Kelly Henson and Alicia Bernier.
Blondies opens ot 9.a.m. Monday yhrough Saturday. Phone 667-2505.
Specializing in jams, jellies, syrups and sauces homemade from Northwest berries, Dugualla Bay Farms has opened North of Sandpoint in the Dolsby Center (across from Coldwater Creek) at 300 McGhee Road in Kootenai.
The 5,000-square-foot facility includes a retail store and kitchen employing three people. Products are available at the store, may be shipped anywhere and are sold in 600 stores throughout the Northwest.
Fittingly, huckleberries will be added to the inventory of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, bumbleberries and more. All ingredients are natural.
Named for the business’ original location on Whidbey Island, Wash., Dugualla Bay Farms is owned by Carolyn Hulbert, a native of Friday Harbor, Wash. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Phone 255-1446.
Nearly doubling in space and employees since it opened in Coeur d’Alene five years ago, Keller Supply Co. is building a 20,000-square-foot facility at 680 Dalton Ave. W. (next to Platt Electric). The wholesale plumbing supply company will leave a 12,000-square-foot space in the former Tobler Marina building at 6360 Sunshine St. in Hayden.
The move, expected in November, is for increased space and to own the facility rather than lease one, according to Debbie Oberhofer, who manages nine employees.
A privately owned company with 43 outlets throughout Northwest states, Seattle-based Keller is 55 years old.
Several readers commented about yard sale guidelines printed in this space a few weeks ago. Many said the item should have included a few cautions and suggestions:
Take down the signs when the sale is over. They mislead people and become eyesores and litter.
Charity stores might not want all your unsold stuff. Usually they have so many of the same items that they can’t give them away either.
You can have a sale only twice a year or you become subject to taxes.