Business Lineup Sees Change

A taste of old Mexico in a friendly, clean atmosphere is the promise of Casa De Oro, a new restaurant set to open Monday in Coeur d’Alene.

With all foods prepared fresh daily, Casa de Oro will be open daily in the building that formerly housed Pelicans Restaurant at 445 Cherry Lane, in front of the Tidyman’s near Highway 95. Casa’s staff of 10 will serve traditional Mexican food.

Originally from just north of Mexico City, owner David Brambila came to North Idaho 12 years ago after living in Alaska and Seattle. He also has two restaurants in Spokane and two in Moscow. His cousin, Jaime Brambila, will manage the Coeur d’Alene business.

Hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Phone 666-9841.

Another Coeur d’Alene restaurant with ethnic cuisine has a new owner and a new menu of Vietnamese and Chinese dishes. It’s the Canton Restaurant, 113 N. Fourth St.

Owner Treasa Tran of Spokane said the “new” Canton features foods prepared differently than the entrees of previous owners. Tran came to the Inland Northwest eight years ago from Vietnam.

The restaurant will seat about 100 customers. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Phone 664-5839.

A building that has housed automotive repair businesses in Post Falls since the 1940s is now the First Choice.

Owner Ed Price this week opened First Choice Automotive Repair at 102 E. Fourth Ave., across from the Post Falls Police Station. The 2,500-square-foot building has a 10-vehicle capacity.

With 21 years of auto repair experience, Price and technician Doug Keenum provide any auto repair service except for body work, window replacement and tires, he said. Originally from San Diego, Price moved to North Idaho in 1991.

After settling into the new business, Price plans to offer free car clinics for new drivers and women.

“A better-educated consumer is a better consumer,” he said.

Hours at First Choice are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Phone 773-1346.

After searching for the ideal Northwest location, then researching the best company to provide their log house, Ron and Pam Nicolson became so sold on their home that they have become the regional dealers for Lincoln Log homes.

The grand opening of their Duncan Woods company in their house on Carlin Bay on the east side of Lake Coeur d’Alene will be 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Their “dream house” has 1,400 square feet on the main level with a 790-square-foot loft and a daylight basement. The house will be featured in the April issue of Log Home Living magazine.

Their house, which uses tongue-and-groove milled logs that are flat on the inside, serves as a model for prospective buyers of Lincoln Log homes. The company, based in Chestertown, N.Y., is 25 years old and has 46 dealers. The Nicolsons moved to the Lake Coeur d’Alene area after vacationing here three years ago on the advice of a friend from Spokane. Ron Nicolson was in the British Royal Air Force for 35 years, with China Lake, Calif., as his final duty station.

For directions to the open house, phone 689-3395.

Though rumors persist that Old Navy will move into the former Ernst building in North Coeur d’Alene, the current tenants say no.

Timberline, the warehouse and holiday sales outlet for Black Sheep sporting goods, evidently will be out of the site by February. The building will be divided into two retail spaces, one of which probably will be Michael’s, a craft store, knowledgable sources say.

A real estate spokeswoman for Old Navy said new stores are planned for Missoula in June and also for Twin Falls. She said no outlets are planned at this time for North Idaho, and a store planned for Spokane “has fallen though.”

San Francisco-based Old Navy, an offshoot of the Gap family, targets “value-conscious customers.” The 6-year-old company has 59 outlets.