More businesses ready to cozy up to Wal-Mart

Think whatever you do about Wal-Mart – that it has the best bargains in town or that it drives the little guys out of business. Either way, other businesses that aren’t competitors certainly like to be located near a Wal-Mart.

Such it goes for the Post Falls location on Mullan Road between Post Falls proper and state Highway 41.

One of the steadily growing complexes across from Wal-Mart is The Plaza at Post Falls, a 28,800-square-foot mini-mall at 710 N. Cecil Road. So far the place, owned by local investors who call themselves Pines Road Center, includes the Dollar Tree (12,000 square feet), Toro Viejo Restaurant (2,400), Check ‘n’ Go (1,500) and Links to You (900).

Game Stop, the nation’s largest video game and entertainment specialty retailer, should open by the end of the month in 2,400 square feet. And Payless ShoeSource, after closing its store at the outlet mall, will be starting construction of a 2,845-square-foot store. Negotiations are almost complete for the plaza’s final 5,000 square feet.

Game Stop sells most anything in video game products, including action figures and strategy guides. Its systems are from Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft and Sega. The creatures and characters in the gamestop.com Web site are practically frightening unless you’re one of the youngsters who’s at home with these things. Its Game Informer magazine has more than 1.5 million subscribers. The headquarters is in Grapevine, Tex.

The Post Falls store will open at 10 a.m. daily. Phone 457-0677.

The Payless ShoeSource store will employ about five people. As North America’s largest family footwear retailer, it sells all types of footwear and accessories, including purses. Starting in 1956 at its headquarters town of Topeka, Kan., the chain now has more than 5,000 stores, with many Northwest stores within ShopKo stores. Payless also owns the chain of Parade women’s footwear stores. It’s all on payless.com.

Hagadone buys Cedars

With most physical changes already completed by short-term owner Marshall Chesrown, Hagadone Hospitality has purchased the Cedars Floating Restaurant business and property on Blackwell Island.

Earlier this year Hagadone Corp. purchased the neighboring property of the Coeur d’Alene Yacht Club. Except for a new, evolving menu, the Cedars should have very few changes, according to Jerry Jaeger, president of co-owner (with Duane Hagadone) of Hagadone Hospitality. Chesrown, owner of the Black Rock development near Rockford Bay on Lake Coeur d’Alene, bought and remodeled The Cedars about two years ago, including expanding the deck and dock area. The restaurant seats 126 customers inside and 50 in the lounge.

The Cedars opened about 40 years ago. Stories are that the original owner saw Seattle’s Space Needle restaurant revolving and wanted to do the same with The Cedars. The first try was evidently a disaster as the umbilical-cord wiring of the place got all wound up. The second time the motor running the revolving mechanism was hooked to a timer, but running out to reset it all the time was too tedious.

Oh, well. The constant turning would have nauseated me, anyway. Miles Boggio, who was chef at the popular Tanglewood Restaurant in Coeur d’Alene, is head chef at The Cedars. Dan Duer was moved from the managerial spot at Hagadone’s Beachouse Restaurant to The Cedars. After Labor Day, The Cedars is open for dinner only. Phone 664-2922.

More on the movies

Last week the main topic in this space, the 14-screen cinema complex under construction at the Riverstone Development on Northwest Boulevard, gathered several comments.

One reader hoped it would be adequately equipped for wheelchair access. She said often a place bills itself as accessible, but the only way for a wheelchair customer to use the toilet is to leave the door open. I gave her Riverstone’s number.

When reader Yvonne MacDonald saw the complex would replace two existing theaters, she remembered the demise of the Coeur d’Alene Drive-In theater. When the upcoming show “The Exorcist” was advertised, religious zealots picketed the theater. She said lightning struck, and it burned down.