South Hill Rocket open during construction

The road in front of Rocket Market on Spokane’s South Hill has been closed for construction since mid-July.

The two-month-long, $5 million project includes sewer, storm water, utility and road improvements. But the closure seems to be hurting business at the popular, specialty grocery store.

“It’s had a huge impact on business,” said owner Alan Shepherd, who reports sales are down about 25 percent. “It seems to get worse as time goes on. I assume people just get burned out with the excess drive time to get here.”

He wants customers to know that, while it might be difficult to get to, Rocket Market remains open and operating during its regular business hours of 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily throughout construction. Work is slated to end around Sept. 11.

Find Rocket Market at 726 E. 43rd Ave.

On the Web: rocketmarket.com

New flour blends feature Palouse wheat

White Lily recently debuted a trio of new flour blends made with Shepherd’s Grain, a cooperative of largely Palouse growers.

All three products – White Lily Wheat and Red Grape Seed Flour Blend, White Lily Wheat and White Grape Seed Flour Blend and White Lily All-Purpose Wheat Flour – launched in July and are Non-GMO Project verified. Each bag can be traced to the farmers who grew the no-till wheat by entering a code from the package at WhiteLily.com.

Founded in Tennessee in 1883, White Lily is owned by the J.M. Smucker Co. The new blends sell for $5.79 for 32 ounces and are available at https://onlinestore.smucker.com.

Back to school

School is back in session. And that means rushed mornings with on-the-go breakfasts, packed lunches and a need for quick and easy after-school snacks.

Look inside today’s Food section for a roundup of recipes for school-day meals and snacks.