It’S A Home Opener
Home Depot, Coeur d’Alene’s newest big-box retailer, will open May 13 at 220 W. Kathleen Ave.
Fitting for a building products store, a ceremonial board-cutting will highlight a bigwigs’ sneak preview May 12. Also fitting and commendable for this store, the officials will announce a $3,000 grand-opening materials gift to North Idaho Habitat for Humanity.
The local donation isn’t surprising. The world’s largest home improvement retailer, Home Depot has budgeted $15 million for philanthropic purposes for 1999.
The 135,000-square-foot store at the southwest corner of Kathleen Avenue and Government Way will employ 150 people of about 6,000 who applied through Job Service of North Idaho. The manager is Mike Smith.
Founded in 1978 in Atlanta, the company has about 800 stores, with the Coeur d’Alene opening being one of 12 nationally this month. About 172,000 employees garnered net sales of $30.2 billion in fiscal 1998.
The store will no doubt have an effect on the area, possibly not all positive. With the addition of Eagle Hardware and Fred Meyer to the existing local home improvement store choices in the past couple of years, this market will be spread quite thin. But with hundreds of houses under construction, maybe everyone will survive.
The major whine about this particular Home Depot building is how its structure turns its back on Government Way and the kitty-corner North Idaho Fairgrounds. Even though it’s located several blocks away, the main entry faces Highway 95. Observers’ secondary whine is “Why the orange paint?” Something in earthier tones definitely would be more appealing.
With a veranda-style design complementing the 1908 structure, the Greenbriar Inn is adding a 1,200-squarefoot conservatory for events such as weddings and public meetings.
Located at 315 Wallace Ave., Coeur d’Alene, the 5,000-square-foot house, listed on the National Historic Register, was a bed and breakfast inn for many years. It now is the home of Greenbriar Inn Catering, owned by Bob and Kris McIlvenna.
The new room features period windows opening to landscaping on three sides, a fireplace and a seasonal deck. The McIlvennas renovated and opened the inn in 1984 when they moved to North Idaho after visiting relatives here. She originally is from Eugene, Ore., and he is from Minnesota via New Mexico. Phone 667-9660.
Gourmet foods from specialty wines and beers to chocolates, teas, sauces, salsas, dips, breads and scone mixes are featured at Gourmet Way, a new business in Silver Lake Square at 6848 Government Way.
The business is owned by Jack Noble and Glen Fris, who also opened a Gourmet Way in their hometown in Lewiston in September. Susan Goddard manages four employees in the local store. Phone 762-1333.
Sharpening is the specialty of Scissors Doctor, which will open next week at 1303 Best Ave., Coeur d’Alene. With 20 years’ experience in sharpening and repairing surgical instruments, owner Dave Hammond said most of his work includes scissors, clipper blades, nippers and knives.
Originally from Tustin, Calif., Hammond discovered North Idaho when he came from Las Vegas to visit friends in St. Maries. He also has a mobile sharpening service. Phone 660-3395.
Today, Thursday and Friday the public can view the downtown Coeur d’Alene redevelopment plan at 317 Sherman Ave. Relying on public input during several meetings and mailings, the plan shows results of studies by a Portland firm hired for the downtown’s new look through revamping parking lots and green spaces.
Major changes would include changing the Rotary Tennis Courts into a two-level parking garage hidden into the hillside and moving the tennis courts east, constructing a multi-purpose building where the boat trailer lot is now, expanding the boat launch and combining a library, museum and civic center in a major building on the northeast corner of McEuen Field, which would be redesigned for additional athletic facilities.
Other proposals are returning a historic carousel to Independence Point, a trolley connecting major points and the improvement of Memorial Field, the cultural center and the entry to North Idaho College.
Public viewers got an eyeful of the wish list of the Kootenai County Area Transportation Team on Tuesday night. A master plan for improvements by the year 2017 included rerouting Highway 95 from Cougar Gulch south of Coeur d’Alene through a major interchange with Interstate 90 at Huetter Road, which it follows north before angling back to where Highway 95 intersects with Highway 53. (See the map, page B1)