Back in the limelight
Almost a year after a longtime Spokane lighting company moved out of its downtown building, two new businesses are moving in and apartments are being planned for the second floor.
The development firm Rencorp is renovating the former Luminaria building at 154 S. Madison St. for retail, office and housing space. The first floor will hold a coffee shop and graphic design firm and the second floor will be converted into five, 800-square-foot loft-style apartments, said Chris Batten, a partner in Rencorp.
The lofts should be ready for lease by the end of the year, he said, and will rent for $650 to $700. He said they’ll be designed with a “wide-open industrial look.”
Empyrean coffee shop opened last week in 1,600 square feet on the first floor, offering coffee drinks, pastries and lunch items. Eventually, the shop, owned by Alex and Shae Caruso, plans to offer live music and poetry readings on a small stage. They have decorated their shop in purple and gold, with comfortable couches and a copper coffee bar.
The couple chose the name Empyrean, which means a high point in the heavens or a bright light, very deliberately, Alex Caruso said. They wanted to tie into the light theme, due to Luminaria’s two-decade history in Spokane. But they also wanted to make a point of being a positive influence in a somewhat run-down neighborhood, he said.
“We wanted to grab onto that image of being a bright light. It affirms our mission of being a safe place and a warm place,” Caruso said. “People who have ill intentions want abandoned buildings, and they want dark streets. We have found by being here, some of the local residents have really embraced us.”
The former Seattle residents moved to Spokane for the quality of life almost two years ago. Alex Caruso worked for Starbucks for six years and both have restaurant experience. They first dreamed of owning a coffee house in 1991, when they drew up menus and developed a small business plan, Caruso said.
“I just love the environment,” Caruso said. “You bring the community together and you get to be around people. We get to do all the things we love and make a business of it.”
The second tenant is Finesse Productions and Design, owned by sisters Karen Chittenden and Terrie Vent. The principal part of their business is printing customized items for expectant parents.
Under the subsidiary name Baby’s Comin’, the sisters create baby-shower books, game cards, coffee mugs, T-shirts, baby clothes, buttons, key chains and other items printed with a baby’s name and a nursery or shower theme. They’ll even mail out invitations and announcements and create a Web site to post baby pictures and information.
They started the business after receiving numerous compliments on the items they created for Chittenden’s daughter’s baby shower. They are moving from Chittenden’s basement to their first office space nine months (yes, really) after beginning the business. Their Web site is www.babyscomin.com.
“It went over so incredibly well that literally Terrie and I quit our day jobs,” Chittenden said. “It’s pretty exciting.”
The Luminaria building was constructed in 1910 and for 50 years, until 1965, was home to the Pacific Hide and Fur Depot, according to the city’s Historic Property Inventory Report. Luminaria moved into the building in 1988, the report said.