Wheat Montana plans store on Regal
A Montana company is preparing to serve up “all-natural” breads and meats at a new, farm-themed South Hill eatery.
Bozeman-based Wheat Montana Bakery and Deli plans to open an outlet at South Regal Street and East 44th Avenue in mid-December, shortly after the debut of a similar Coeur d’Alene branch, said Jason Rummer, director of development and marketing. After “extensive research” on Spokane, the company determined the South Hill matches its demographics, he said.
The store appeals to customers ages 24 to 64 and families, especially when women are the primary decision-makers, he said.
“One of the reasons we went there was we didn’t want to get lost down on 29th,” he said. “That’s not who we are. We wanted to be more of a neighborhood gathering place.”
Rummer bills Wheat Montana bread, varieties of which are sold at grocery stores, as “seed to sandwich.” Grain is grown on the company’s 15,000 acres, and a sister company contributes chemical-free protein, he said.
The 2,470-square-foot bakery will employ about 20 people, he said.
The Coeur d’Alene store, expected to open the first week of December, is at the northwest corner of U.S. Highway 95 and West Neider Avenue. Wheat Montana has nine stores, and two more are expected to open soon in Boise.
Gelato coming
to Browne’s Addition
The folks who brought Ace 4 Space self-storage and Super Wash launderette to Browne’s Addition plan to offer a frozen Italian treat: gelato.
Samann Investments is remodeling a building on West Second Avenue into Browne’s Grounds, a gelato and espresso shop. The roughly $10,000 project, at 1618 W. Second Ave., should have the shop ready to open in about a month, said Steve Cada, general manager for Samann.
“There’s plenty of ice cream shops, and we wanted to try something a little different; and gelato is very good,” Cada said.
Samann already turned an adjacent former bus garage into Ace 4 Space, a 300-unit self-storage facility. The north portion of the remodeled building houses a Catholic bookstore, Cada said.
“We’re just trying to make the property look nice and to enhance the entrance to Browne’s Addition,” Cada said.
New bank in Spokane Valley
The Bank of Fairfield on Wednesday opened a new Spokane Valley location, 13506 E. 32nd Ave. The bank’s sixth branch, it will employ seven, according to a company news release.
The 3,300-square-foot branch provides drive-thru access, safe deposit boxes, a 24-hour ATM, a coffee bar for customers and computers for online banking. It’s open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and the drive-thru is available 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The branch will host an open house on Nov. 29 from 5 to 7 p.m.