Bargain Barn opens store in Post Falls

Needing more space, partially to fit its name, the Bargain Barn opened last week at 503 E. Seltice Way, Post Falls. Located between the Hospice Thrift Shop and Post Falls Auction Center, its 7,600 square feet eclipse its previous 2,800 square feet in Dalton.

“We needed a larger space for all our vendors,” said business owner Darlene Walker. Twenty-five people sublease spaces where they sell primarily garage sale items such as antiques, used furniture, knick-knacks and collectibles. Part of the place is called “Man’s World,” where the emphasis is on tools, automotive items, etc. Some vendors sell new items.

Walker came to North Idaho from Newport Beach, Calif., where she had three garages full of stuff that she found at swap meets and garage sales. Finally she decided she should develop her interests into a business. She heard about North Idaho from law enforcement friends who were buying properties here. She checked it out and followed them.

With three employees, hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 to 7 Fridays and 10 to 5 Saturdays. Phone 773-4110.

Water equipment company opens

2M Company, an irrigation and well products wholesale distributor, will open in March at 5320 W. Seltice Way, about two-thirds of a mile east of the U.S. Highway 41 intersection.

The company also offers stock watering system and pipeline products, including pipes, pumps, sprinklers, valves, submersible turbines and monitoring products. Its 5,300-square-foot facility includes an office and warehouse, and it has a 12,000-square-foot supply yard.

With its headquarters in Billings, the 28-year-old company has branches in Idaho Falls, Boise, Albuquerque, Denver, Missoula and Bozeman. Manager Mark Dringle will have three employees. Business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays will expand in the summer. 2M’s online catalog is at www.2mco.com. Phone 457-0150.

Watch for Best Buy, Fred’s Appliance

“What’s going into the old Rosauers?” is probably a common question as the building at U.S. Highway 95 and Appleway nears completion of its major remodel.

Fred’s Appliance plans to open in this new location in late February or early March. The 9,000-square-foot space will more than double its five-year location on Highway 95 next to Tri-State Outfitters. The store, with three others in Spokane and another to open this year in Spokane Valley, sells and services 24 brands of major appliances. It will have 12 employees.

Tuesday Morning occupies the southeast portion of the old Rosauers facility, while two other spaces will have additional tenants. Fred’s will have the southwest corner.

Best Buy should open its 20,000-square-foot store on Highway 95 at Wilbur Avenue near the end of February. The nation’s leading retailer in technology and entertainment products, it will have about 50 employees. Best Buy has 620 stores in 48 states with its headquarters in Richfield, Minn.

It’s fun to check for missing money

The next time you have a few extra minutes, and even if you don’t, it may be absolutely worth your while to see if you have some money you weren’t aware existed.

This happened to me Monday night. A brother-in-law typed my name into missingmoney.com and it came up with “Coeur d’Alene” attached. So, he phoned me; I tried it and discovered I have $5 to $25 in some account I didn’t realize I had or had forgotten about. I won’t know the source until the Unclaimed Funds Division of the Idaho Tax Commission responds to the form (available online) that I sent.

Missingmoney.com doesn’t find your unclaimed funds for every state, but it can connect you with the corresponding website for each state, and you can easily go from there. In less than 15 minutes I found bucks for relatives in Montana and Alaska. Wednesday two of the women in my building got positive results. It’s a kick!

Hey, let me know if you find a bonus here. Uh, I don’t need much of a commission. Merlot will do.