Crafting a success

In 2003, Northwest Artists – a local co-op – was in danger of losing its prime retail spot at 217 Sherman Ave. in Coeur d’Alene.

The vintage commercial building the co-op had rented space in for more than a decade was up for sale. Offers were coming in from developers who wanted to raze it and rebuild.

When the first two offers fell through, Northwest Artists made its own bid. The bid was the beginning of Artists’ Community, five retail outlets that bought the 6,000-square-foot building last year and jointly own it as a business condominium.

Northwest Artists kept its prime location, convenient to downtown restaurants, tourist traffic and the Coeur d’Alene Resort.

In addition, “we feel like we saved a part of Coeur d’Alene’s history,” said Mark Rogers, co-owner of Leather Works, and one of the building’s new owners.

The building, located on the same block as Hudson’s Hamburgers, dates to the early 1900s. In an old photograph, a marching band is parading by the building, which sports a J.C. Penney sign and a brick exterior.

The sale took nine months to close, and was finalized last September. Creating the business condos required several months of paperwork. In addition, the previous owners – the Jones family of Spokane, who used to operate Harvey’s in downtown Coeur d’Alene – had to clean up the building’s basement so it passed city inspections. The basement was a mishmash of dirt floors, a bowling alley and a tile dance floor. Mysterious passages led to rumors that the building once housed a speakeasy, but no one can confirm that, Rogers said.

The building’s other owners are Summers Glass; Bella Rose, a bakery and coffee house that opens on Thursday; and Possibilities, a gift basket company.

The retailers share a common philosophy in addition to common walls, said Cindy Summers, co-owner of Summers Glass. There’s a strong sense of community, and customers like that, she said.

“These are stores where customers walk in, meet the owners and see people crafting,” Rogers said. “We feel we’re going back in time to the era where you worked with your hands, made it yourself and sold it directly to the customer.”

At Leather Works, customers can watch Mark Rogers, or his wife, Mary Rogers, stitching leather moccasins or sheepskin teddy bears. Most of the items for sale are created in a workshop in the back.

Summers Glass also contains a workshop and kilns, where the store’s fused-glass artwork is made. Both Summers Glass and Leather Works got their start as members of Northwest Artists, and grew to the point where they needed their own storefronts.

The business owners have started restoring the building. Rogers pulled up layers of carpet and tile to reveal the original fir and larch flooring. Summers and her husband, Clark, discovered seats from the old Wilma Theatre in their loft.

Together, members of Artists’ Community would like to restore the building’s original brick façade. They’ve pulled off a layer of wooden siding and faded awnings – “considered to be the ugliest awning in town,” Rogers said. “But now, we need professional help.”

A layer of plaster covers the bricks. The businesses have hired an architect and gotten removal bids from a contractor. Estimates for the work are in the $100,000 range, which is more than they can afford.

“Remember, we’re little people,” said Mari Quick, president of Northwest Artists’ board of directors.

Later this year, Artists’ Community will submit a proposal for funding to the Lake City Development Corp. LCDC is Coeur d’Alene’s urban renewal agency, and it contributes to building restoration projects on a case by case basis, said Tony Berns, the agency’s executive director.

The agency’s board is particularly looking for projects with a “wow factor” – something that could spruce up an entire block of downtown, he said.

Artists’ Community thinks it can deliver that, Summers said. “A lot of people would really like to see this happen,” she said.