Shades of the West specialists in custom leather goods

The Western craftsmanship that graces the saddles and chaps of rodeo riders is now just a quick ride away for equestrian enthusiasts.

Shades of the West fills Indiana Harness Co., a business that has sold saddles and other riding gear for the past 30 years. The store recently moved from a building near Playfair Race Course to 2425 N. Vista Road, across the street from Big R on Trent.

The shop sells custom, new and used saddles, and new chaps, in addition to bits and bridles.

Pat and Clint McGowan – a father-son duo – are veterans at making saddles and chaps, which are adorned with intricate designs.

Clint McGowan said the custom saddles usually cost from $2,300 to $2,500 and take more than 50 hours to create. Other handmade saddles sell for about $500 on up.

Because the store offers custom services, including creating gun holsters and knife sheaths, and repairs for saddles, chaps, purses and harnesses, it has attracted regulars from throughout the Northwest, McGowan said.

“It’s just like ordering a truck. You can ask for different rigging placement and different seat sizes and seat heights.”

Pat, the elder McGowan, has been tooling leather most of his life. “I’ve been at it since I was 8 years old. My mom sewed and my dad had a rodeo outfit, so we built and repaired things.”

Six years ago, Clint went into business with his dad, after suffering an injury during a rodeo and deciding it was time to get a permanent job.

“I was a professional goof-off. I was on the rodeo trail for eight years and didn’t really need a job,” Clint McGowan recalls.

The shop is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 535-3400.

Satellite television business opens

A local minimall is gaining a new business and losing an old one.

Affordable Satellites/Valley opened Tuesday at 12510 E. Sprague Ave., Suite 2, near Ron’s Drive In.

The store is owned by James Noel, who operated Affordable Satellites out of his home for eight years and then moved into a storefront in Airway Heights more than a year ago.

One setup he offers includes hardware that records 100 hours of television and stores it on a hard drive.

Mark Brown, store manager, said the family-owned business provides local service and backs installation work for at least one year.

“If we install it, we will take care of it. We’ll come out and we get it fixed.”

Affordable Satellites/Valley is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and by appointment. For more information, call 922-3728.

Two doors down, Repeat Boutique is closing.

The store has sold a blend of secondhand business and casual attire for more than a decade.

Merchandise is being liquidated and the shop will likely close by the end of the month. .

Bargain books at Valley Mall

Parents looking for a way to rope their kids into summer reading will find a selection of bargain books at Waldenbooks, which has temporarily opened a bargain bookstore, Books on the Mall. The store, on the ground floor of Spokane Valley Mall, will stay open through September, when it becomes a seasonal calendar store.

Tea cottage to relocate

Brambleberry Cottage and Tea Shoppe, 122 N. Argonne Road, closed last week. The shop, which sells giftware and serves teas with finger sandwiches and other tea fare, plans to reopen at 206 E. Pacific Ave. later this month. For more information, call 926-3293.