Gottschalks Enters Market

Gottschalks department store used a “soft” opening last weekend at Silver Lake Mall to enter the North Idaho market. The store’s grand opening is Thursday.

Gottschalks, based in Fresno, Calif., has more than 7,000 employees in 77 locations.

Nearly all of its initial 30 employees at the Silver Lake store worked at the former Lamonts, the 44,500-square-foot store Gottschalks bought last winter.

Emil Gottschalk started the chain as a dry goods store in Fresno in 1904. With the purchase last year of the 34 Lamonts stores, including two in Spokane, Gottschalks grew to 77 stores that target mid-size markets with updated, brand-name merchandise.

The inventory includes an extensive array of apparel, shoes, housewares, jewelry, textiles and cosmetics.

Gottschalks didn’t expand outside its hometown until 1964 with a store in Merced, Calif. In the 1980s it expanded from a privately owned company of seven stores to 42 publicly owned stores in four states. In 1998 it added nine stores from the Harris department store chain, and last year the Lamonts group.

Vicki Roll manages the Silver Lake Mall store.

One clue that the food is authentically Mexican is that the predominant language among the employees is Spanish.

Casa de Oro in Coeur d’Alene will become the fourth restaurant in the region opened by brothers David and Jamie Brambila.

Originally from the Guadalajara area of Mexico, the Brambilas opened Casa de Oro in the Spokane Valley in 1992. They added the Moscow restaurant in 1994 and the Lewiston restaurant, which they recently sold.

The Coeur d’Alene eatery, in the building formerly occupied by Pelicans Restaurant near Tidyman’s on Highway 95, should open about Sept. 20.

With about 10 employees, Casa de Oro will be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The menu will include meats, seafoods, pastas, fajitas, kids’ meals, hamburgers, sandwiches, beer and wine.

The restaurant will seat 70 customers.

The building that housed the former Scotty’s Sports Bar at 1038 Northwest Blvd. has been renovated to house the Merrill Lynch investment brokerage and CitiMortgage.

CitiMortgage, the largest mortgage company in the world, opened last week in 2,142 square feet. A division of Citigroup, the Coeur d’Alene office is managed by Toni Patrek, who has two employees and plans to hire more.

The parent company is Citibank, the world’s largest bank, which merged with Travelers Insurance. The Coeur d’Alene office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Phone 769-7090.

Merrill Lynch, which bills itself as “North Idaho’s premiere wealth management firm,” plans to move into its 3,134 square feet the second weekend of September. The company has been in 1,500 square feet at 1910 Northwest Boulevard (in the Idaho tax building).

Janice Baldwin manages the staff of four financial consultants and four support staff members. She anticipates adding three financial consultants with the expansion. Phone 664-4868.

The building is owned by real estate brokers Leo Notar, Tom Torgerson and Bill Robinette.

Professional tenants are being sought for a 5,500-square-foot commercial building under construction next to Outback Steakhouse at 1341 W. Northwood Center Court in Coeur d’Alene. The location is bordered by Interstate 90, Northwest Boulevard and Ironwood Drive.

Completion is anticipated in early November, said owner Kevin Bettis.

Bettis Construction also built the neighboring building, which houses Alliance Title and the office of attorney James Magnuson.

Computer training for businesses is the objective of Quantum Internet Solution, a new division of Benchmark. With 16 employees in 11,000 square feet at 5077 Building Center Drive in Coeur d’Alene, the company specializes in graphic design and signs. Phone 664-1265.