Panhandle State Bank”s employees on the move
Panhandle State Bank employees are moving into their new digs on Neider Avenue in Coeur d’Alene.
Actually, “digs” is hardly a decent descriptive word for this facility, which encompasses about 24,000 square feet in three stories in a visible location next to the Red Lobster Restaurant just east of Highway 95.
The place is of an awesome Northwest lodge-style construction of huge timbers reaching up to sky-high ceilings and all complemented with natural rockwork. Cory Trapp of Longwell Architects did the design, and Ginno Construction was in charge of the work. The main floor will house the 17 Panhandle branch folks moving from the Northwest Boulevard building that had been leased for the past three years. It will include drive-throughs and an ATM. Administrators of three different departments will occupy the upper floors. With its headquarters in Sandpoint, the 24-year-old bank has 15 branches. These include branches of Magic Valley Bank and Intermountain Community Bank in southern Idaho and Ontario, Ore.
Tiffany Blue opens Saturday
Bringing what the owners call “an urban-inspired big-city boutique to a small town,” Tiffany Blue House of Style opens Saturday at 509 Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene.
Located in a bright, renovated space next to Doma Coffee, the 2,500-square-foot space formerly was the home of Evergreen Floral. It’s now stocked with a colorful inventory of women’s clothing, jewelry, accessories (purses, hats, shoes) and feminine fragrances.
Owners Jeanne Worrell and Kelli Ogle gathered ideas for their goodies from shops in Los Angeles, Dallas and Las Vegas and at shows around the country.
The name Tiffany Blue comes from their favorite store (Tiffany’s in New York) and their favorite color.
They want the place to be customer-friendly, so they have included a large children’s play area.
They themselves combine for four children under age 6. Worrell came from Seattle in 1994 and Ogle from Dallas in 2000.
They met and discovered similar interests through mutual friends.
They have four employees.
Store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 4 Sundays. Phone 765-BLUE or check www.tiffanybluecda.com
Waterpark rumors in Kellogg
A large, indoor waterpark is planned for a site near Interstate 90 in Kellogg, town officials say.
Walter Hadley, city planning administrator, said the concept has surfaced in discussions he’s had with officials of Eagle Crest Communities, the Redmond, Ore., company that owns the Kellogg ski area.
Silver Mountain, however, isn’t confirming. Stephan Lane, director of sales and marketing, will only say that the company is committed to a water feature.
Eagle Crest expects to announce plans this summer for the second phase of its condominium project at the base of the gondola.
Kootenai economy impressive
Word from the Coeur d’Alene office of the Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor is positive about the local economy.
The office currently lists about 800 job openings compared to about 300 normally in early May.
Because of the competition for employees, wages are up – such as an increase from about $9 to $12 an hour for beginning landscapers, for example.
Personal income in Coeur d’Alene jumped 4.8 percent from 2002 to 2003, department spokesmen said.
This compares to 3.2 percent growth nationally.
A spokesman from the housing industry said about 480 families are vying for about 400 houses being built a month.