Here’s the Dirt: Geico sign offers plenty of coverage

GEICO has announced its arrival in Eastern Washington by putting up a big sign that extends 90 feet in the air and is visible from Interstate 90.

The company opened its first office in the area in November and the sign, which went up a couple of days ago, made GEICO’s arrival official.

“It’s big and blue and it’s beautiful,” said Steve Garguile, GEICO field representative for the area. The office, at Third Avenue and Washington Street in downtown Spokane, is staffed by four people who handle vehicle policies as well as renters, homeowners and umbrella insurance.

GEICO, once known as Government Employee Insurance Company, is working to serve people on Fairchild Air Force Base and cater to people buying cars from downtown auto dealers, Garguile said. The Spokane office will also have representatives serving customers in North Idaho.

GEICO is based in Chevy Chase, Md., and has 7.4 million policyholders, the company Web site said.

Sandpoint church plans major project

A Sandpoint church is building a $7.3 million parish center to accommodate its growing congregation.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church will add about 28,500-square feet that will include a worship area capable of seating 600 and expanding to 850, said the Rev. Dennis Day, who leads the congregation.

The new church is being built on 10 acres of land that the church owns at Lincoln Avenue and Ontario Street. When it’s completed, sometime in the fall of 2008, the congregation will move from its location at Sixth Street and Oak Avenue, which has already been sold to a California investor, Day said.

The first phase of the project will also include a small social hall, offices and a kitchen and limited classroom space, he said. The church then plans to add a big social hall and full commercial kitchen. The third phase will create more classrooms and offices along with a gym.

Day said the church has been planning to rebuild for 25 years. “They built this church 100 years ago. We want to have a church that’s going to last another 100 or so years for future generations,” he said.

Architectural design is being done by BCDM, an Omaha, Neb.-based company specializing in classic Catholic churches, he said, adding the church is currently negotiating with builders.

Over the years the resort-town church has increased to 1,700 members and has experienced summer surges uncommon to most churches, Day said.

“In the city, the priests wonder ‘where did all the people go?’ They come to places like this.”

Four times the beauty

The Make-Up Studio recently moved to a new store, at 216 N. Bernard, that at 1,800-square feet is more than four times as big as its previous location.

“We really wanted to have a better location with more exposure,” said Julie Farley, owner of the five-year-old cosmetics and beauty business, which also operates www.makeupstudio.net.

The shop, which is moving from Steam Plant Square, sells cosmetics selected from various product lines. It also offers services, such as facials, waxing and natural nail care, and sessions to teach women how to shop for and apply make-up, Farley said.

Farley, who has worked as a professional make-up artist, said the goal is to help women have a natural-looking beauty.

Group classes are sometimes offered, including a recent class that helped people clear out old makeup, including “blush from the 1980s,” she said. People can also have some individual tutoring on make-up classes, with up to three hours of instruction for $95.

Brides come to get ready for their weddings, Farley said, while other customers looking for beauty services range from their early 20s to their 70s.