T-Mobile opens store on Government Way
Even though I drive by it nearly every day, a new, visibly obvious store sneaked into Sportsman’s Warehouse Plaza in the northeast corner of the Government Way-Neider Avenue intersection.
T-Mobile moved into the space between Starbucks and EZ Payday Loans facing the intersection about two weeks ago. The company offers wireless phone products, home phone service and laptop cards as well as special events and contests.
The company began as Voicestream in the 1980s and was bought by Dutch Telecom in Europe in 1998. With its headquarters in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile has about 2,200 retail stores and 40 call centers, all in the U.S. A spokesman from T-Mobile’s Web site said the company offers the “cheapest per-month rate.”
With six employees, hours at the Coeur d’Alene store are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Quik Cash next to FedEx-Kinko’s
Money of various types and financial services are the specialties of Quik Cash, which opened next to FedEx-Kinko’s in the northeast corner of the intersection of Appleway and Government Way.
The store offers payday loans, title loans, check cashing, money transfers and money orders. With its headquarters in Overland Park, Kan., the 17-year-old company has 557 branches in 24 states. In Fiscal 2008 it advanced nearly $1.4 billion to customers with revenues of nearly $228 million.
Quik Cash has other North Idaho outlets in Post Falls, Hayden, Ponderay and Kellogg and another coming soon in Lewiston. With managers Shelbie Spiegel and Joanna Moore, hours in Coeur d’Alene are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Phone (208) 664-0319.
Post Falls’ ‘Diamond Bill’ retiring
Although it’s short of his Diamond Anniversary (60 years) in the business, Bill Jones is retiring and closing his Diamond Connection shop in Whistlestop Plaza at 2700 E. Seltice Way, Post Falls.
Originally from Okanogan, Wash., Jones started in the jewelry business as an apprentice in Spokane in 1968. Now 68, he made, fixed, fit and sold jewelry for 41 years. He opened his Post Falls store with fine jewelry, gold and gem stones in 1994.
His last days are Tuesday and Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Phone (208) 777-9239.
“I have made thousands of pieces of custom jewelry,” he said early last week. “In the past few weeks I’ve emptied (sold) three cases’ worth. I have five left.”
Here’s this week’s tidbits
•Until an ownership dispute is resolved, the Wine Cellar Restaurant in downtown Coeur d’Alene will close Saturday. “The staff sent a news release thanking their employees, suppliers, friends and customers for making the place “an icon for over 17 years.”
•All Things Irish, the store upstairs at 315 Sherman Ave., will remain open. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
•An editor’s mistake last week added a 509 prefix to phone numbers for The Locker Room barber shops. They are (208) 773-1300 in Post Falls and (208) 762-8778 in Coeur d’Alene.