The Dirt: Thomas Hammer to open South Hill location near Washington Trust branch

Thomas Hammer Coffee Roasters is opening a cafe on Spokane’s South Hill, continuing a partnership with Washington Trust Bank, according to permits issued by the city.

The new location, 3173 S. Grand Blvd., is being built and will be owned by the bank and just south of the Washington Trust Manito branch opened in 2018. The 3,400-square-foot building will take the vacant lot on the corner of 32nd Avenue and Grand Boulevard. It will house a neighborhood community center and the coffee shop, according to a statement on the website of Baker Construction & Development Inc., the project’s contractor.

The $750,000 project will provide space for the bank’s clients, parent-teacher associations, business groups and community events. The space will also be used for financial education events and first-time homebuying seminars.

Thomas Hammer, the owner’s namesake company that opened in 1993, has a cafe in the bank’s downtown headquarters, and this will be its first South Hill location. It has 19 locations primarily in the greater Spokane area, but there is a cafe in Boise. It has maintained its downtown Spokane headquarters on Pacific Avenue since 2005.

Wolfe Architectural Group designed the project. – N.D.

Revival Tea Company opening brick-and-mortar store in downtown Spokane

Revival Tea Company is expanding its online tea business into a brick-and-mortar store in downtown Spokane.

Revival Tea owner Drew Henry launched the business in 2018 with fresh-crafted, spiced chai tea. But, three months after opening, business was booming. The company, which added a variety of loose leaf and bagged teas, began selling wholesale to local coffee shops and shipping to retailers in 30 countries.

Customer demand is what drove Henry to launch the brick-and-mortar store at 415 W. Main Ave.

“The place we found wasn’t on the market, but I knew the landlord and it was an opportunity that was brought to us,” Henry said. “The space hadn’t been occupied since the 1920s. It was a former speak-easy and kind of a forgotten shell on Main Avenue.”

The brick-and-mortar location will feature a tea house, retail shop, manufacturing kitchen to blend and package teas and a lounge area with seating for more than 30 people.

“The main reason we are opening (the brick-and-mortar) is to have a chance to visit with our customers every day and have that one-to-one interaction, which we love,” Henry said.

The new site will also allow the Revival Tea Company to further expand its wholesale business.

Construction will be underway after the city approves building permits. Henry anticipates opening the tea room in November.

Post Falls-based Basso Construction is the project contractor. – A.E.

Gamer’s Haven owners preparing space near Kendall Yards to include bar, restaurant

The Gamer’s Haven, a tabletop gaming store, is relocating to Spokane’s West Central neighborhood and opening a bar and restaurant, according to permits issued by the city.

Owners of the store, which is moving from its Pines Road location in Spokane Valley, are renovating a building at 1403 W. Broadway Ave. that they purchased in January for $440,000.

The owners – Bob Kelley, Chris Skinner and Melissa Cheney – are renovating 5,500 square feet of the two-story building into a restaurant and bar space called Mythos, the Gamer’s Haven store and offices. The work is valued at $500,000.

The building, constructed in 1903, has long been used as lawyer offices and sits just north of Kendall Yards, the growing housing and retail development on the north bank of the Spokane River.

The project’s general contractor is Dale Smith Construction, of Spokane Valley. HDG Architecture, of Spokane designed the project. – N.D.