Big Fish Bistro under new management
Spirit Lake Big Fish Bistro and Coffee House will reopen Tuesday under new ownership.
New owner James Mellott will serve breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. By fall, he plans to add a weekend dinner menu.
The bistro is located in a historic mercantile at 6429 Maine St. in Spirit Lake. ConoverBond Development of Spokane, Mellott’s former employer, did the renovation work. The building retains a period look, with open-beamed ceilings, fir flooring and the original façade.
“I fell in love with the area and with the building,” said Mellott, ConoverBond’s former marketing director. Big Fish Bistro is Mellott’s first restaurant venture. He’s leasing the building from ConoverBond, which is owned by Spokane developer Rob Brewster.
Mellott plans to add a bed and breakfast next spring. The building’s upstairs has six residential units, which will become The Reel Inn.
Mellott pictures The Reel Inn as a weekend getaway for anglers and tourists. Even in the winter, Spirit Lake attracts ice fishermen, he noted.
Big Fish Bistro will hold a grand-opening on August 6.
Keller Williams realty opens second office
Keller Williams Realty Spokane said it has opened a second office near downtown Spokane that will become its headquarters.
The new office is located at 802 N. Washington St., on the corner of Washington and North River Drive. Keller Williams Realty Spokane will continue occupying its original office, at 601 W. Francis, as a branch location, said broker Bob Garwood. The business has 117 agents, he said.
Two other Keller Williams offices in the Inland Northwest are owned and operated separately from Garwood’s company: Keller Williams Realty Spokane Valley and Keller Williams Realty Coeur d’Alene.
Ambassadors Group beats expected earnings
Spokane-based Ambassadors Group Inc. on Friday reported second-quarter net income of $15.2 million, or $1.44 a share, significantly higher than an analyst’s expectations.
The company’s second-quarter earnings compared with net income of $13.1 million, or $1.26 a share, in the same period a year ago.
Analyst D.A. Davidson & Co. had forecast earnings of $1.27 a share for the second quarter this year. Following the earnings release, the Great Falls, Mont.-based company raised its rating of Ambassadors’ stock to “buy” from “neutral.”
Ambassadors Group arranges educational travel for students, athletic teams and professionals. The company sent 16,500 people on international or domestic trips in the second quarter, up sharply from the 15,000 people it served in the same period in 2004.
Its shares closed up 95 cents Friday at $39.81.