Monday, October 19, 2009

Zip’s at 2125 East Sprague is about to undergo a makeover. Starting today, owner John Carlson is beginning a project to upgrade the exterior of the popular restaurant; they will re-roof the building, install new awnings and give the place a new paint job. They’ll be open during the construction, serving Spokane’s favorite burgers (according to just about every survey there is).

Here’s some news for ladies, (or anyone who wears makeup). To toast Project Beauty Share Month, you’re invited to a Beauty Bash on Thursday, 5 to 8 pm, October 22 at The Make-Up Studio, 216 N. Bernard. The event is planned to donate new and gently-used beauty, cosmetic and toiletry products for economically disadvantaged women. Donors who bring in products for the beauty drive will get a complimentary raffle ticket for a beauty gift basket giveaway. They’re also having special pricing on beauty supplies. For more information on the Beauty Bash, contact The Make-Up Studio at 509-455-7430, or julie@themakeupstudio.net, or go to www.projectbeautyshare.com.

CHEERS! to Sip of Spokane, a popular Facebook page that is a comprehensive guide to local wine. With an obvious preference for Washington wine and a focus on wineries in and around Spokane, this is the place to frequent to find out about local tastings, wine events, releases, wine trends and shout-outs to restaurants pouring local. Join the over 400 fans on www.facebook/sipofspokane.com SIP TIP: Think globally, Drink locally.

Spokane Humane Society’s Annual Tux & Tails FurrBall tickets are now on sale! The Spokane Humane Society’s Annual Tux & Tails FurrBall dinner, dance and auction will be held on Saturday, November 7, at the Davenport Hotel. This event is Spokane’s premier companion animal charity benefit raising funds for the unwanted, abused, and abandoned animals in our community! One of the auction items is a spa from Pool World. Go online to purchase your ticket at www.spokanehumanesociety.org or contact Faythe Saxton at 509-467-5235 ext 12.

Set in a beautiful setting with a fantastic view and surrounded by a world class art collection, priceless artifacts and the cultural exhibits of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture is the unassuming Café D'Zaar. Along with it’s one-of-a-kind location they are known for their special style of cooking which provides for very rich and robust flavors. It is a culinary experience evoking the essence of Mediterranean, Greek, Italian and Nazarene cuisine. D'Zaar has been associated with exquisite Lebanese and Greek Cuisine since the late 1970's. Utilizing fresh ingredients, the dishes are made from scratch using unique blends of spices, ultra lean cut meats, and fresh vegetables. They have reasonable prices, a healthy child-friendly menu, American, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, vegan, vegetarian and gluten free lunch items, as well as special pastries and Turkish coffee. The menu is posted on www.dzaar.com. There is lots of free parking and museum admission fees are not required to patronize the Cafe. D'Zaar is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11:00am - 4:00pm. (Closed Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Just as the MAC) Café D'Zaar @ the Museum of Arts & Culture announces a contest for a free $500 holiday catering. Please visit www.dzaar.com for more information. Catering services are also available, ranging from morning coffee service (for meetings held at the MAC) to large, elegant wedding receptions. For more information, please call 509-768-3940, or visit www.dzar.com.

St. Johns Orthodox Church at 4718 E Horsehaven Avenue in Post Falls, completed a new expansion of a 4,000 square foot dining hall in late 2008, that holds up to 250 people and is available now for the community to rent. The cost of the project was $250,000 but would have been far greater had it not been for volunteer help from church members. The hall is available for all types of events including weddings, reunions, graduation parties, business conferences, conventions, company parties or any type of celebration. In renting the hall, alcohol is allowed to be served to accommodate the function. The hall is equipped with a full "commercial kitchen" and a separate entrance that is fully ADA accessible. The hall has 10x15 stage/podium, and has a very sophisticated sound system available, and is set in a charming country setting with lots of open windows looking out to mountains dotted with pine trees, a gorgeous wooden gazebo set amidst a beautifully landscaped area which adds to the tranquility and beauty of the grounds. For further information contact Joy Corey at 208 660-0538 or Ed Corey at 208 661-3150 to rent. The website is www.stjohnorthodox.org.

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A new tropical fish store, called the Yuppy Guppy is set to open at 3803 North Division November 1st. The 2,000 square foot store, owned by sisters Tina Hammond and Laurie Davenport, will offer 60 different varieties of fish, including many rare species. They’ll also sell tanks and other supplies. Yuppy Guppy will also have an in-home, in-office setup and monthly cleaning service as well as water testing.

Spokane CdA Living magazine is out with their "Best of Spokane/CdA" issue, on newsstands now. Some of the bests, as voted by the magazine’s readers, include, Best Steak: Spencer’s for Steaks and Chops in the Doubletree Hotel; Best Dancing: Marquee Lounge; Best Fitness Club: Oz; Best Casino: Northern Quest; Best Theatre: Spokane Civic Theatre; Best Downtown Shop: Huppins; Best Hotel: The Davenport; Best Art Gallery: Lorinda Knight; Best Florist: Liberty Park; Best Visionary/Best Businessperson: Walt Worthy; Best Actress: Ellen Travolta; Best Actor: Reed McColm. Best Elected Official: Spokane City Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin; Best Local Sports Team: Spokane Shock. For the rest of the "bests" pick up a copy of Spokane CdA Living.

Another great snow season is just around the corner, and the mountain faithful are getting ready for the traditional launch party known as the MSSP (Mount Spokane Ski Patrol) Ski Swap at the Spokane Fair & Expo Center the weekend of October 30th through November 1st. For the 45th year, skiers & boarders from around the region will converge at the SWAP to get great deals on Alpine, Nordic, Boarding equipment and winter sports clothing of all shapes and sizes – including a huge inventory of gear for kids. Organized by the energetic Mt. Spokane Ski Patrol, the event will bring together thousands of buyers and sellers to exchange ski and snowboard gear in the largest event of its type in the northwest. Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park staffers will also be at the SWAP and will have season passes available. In addition to great deals on "experienced" skis, boots, poles, jackets, pants, ski racks, goggles, helmets and other assorted gear from private parties, sports retailers from throughout the area will be on-hand with thousands of new and demo’d equipment items available for sale at incredible "SWAP Prices". It is anticipated that over 18,000 items will be available for purchase by more than 6,000 attendees at the annual event. They expect to see a great turnout for Sunday this year as shoppers show-up to get an additional 25% off of already great pricing on many items. Registration to sell items begins Friday, October 30th at 3:00 pm at the Fairgrounds. Registration ends at 9:00. A fee of .50 cents per item will be charged at check-in. Doors open to the public Saturday morning at 9:00 am and close at 5:00. (Veteran swappers know to arrive early for a good spot in line!) On Sunday, the Swap is open from 9:00 to noon. Participants can pick up their checks or unsold equipment from 2:00-4:00pm on Sunday. (20% of the sold price will be retained by the MSSP.) Admission to the event is $4, with children 12 and under admitted free. The annual Ski Swap is the major fundraising activity for Mt. Spokane’s Ski Patrol, which is part of the National Ski Patrol Association. MSSP is a volunteer, non-profit educational organization with over 125 volunteer members. For more information about the 2009 MSSP Ski Swap contact Dave Warnica, Swap Director at 509-343-1499 or via email at skiswap@mssp.org.

Producer/Director Ben Schaefer has been promoted to KAYU Fox28 TV’s production manager. Ben joined KAYU in 2000, and has been a two-time winner of Northwest Broadcasting's Employee of the Year Award.

Northwest Woman Magazine’s Manic Mondays offer an affordable getaway for women to kick back, relax, network, distribute business information and enjoy simple indulgences. Participants enjoy product samples, door prizes and special prices on drinks and appetizers. The next Manic Monday is October 26 at Northern Lights Brewing Company, 1003 E. Trent Ave. (in the Riverwalk complex). For more information contact Charity Doyl at http://www.facebook.com/l/443e1; by phone at 509-230-6398, or email Editor@northwestwoman.com.

The Inlander has entered into a partnership with West Coast Entertainment and the "Best of Broadway" series for special promotional offers advertised in the Lion King playbill. The offer also includes bonus playbills for Avenue Q and Little House on the Prairie, as well as inclusion in the November 5th Lion King section of The Inlander. Publication of your businesses special offer will be included in all four pieces for just $495. The idea is to generate traffic from patrons, cast and crew, with a classy, consistent look. This is the best offer you'll find anywhere to be included in one of Spokane’s most successful events. For more information contact Roger Nelson at the Inlander, 509-325-0634.

Mary and Nathan Eberle announce the grand opening of their new retail shop, aNeMonE, the world's only full-scale paper florist, at River Park Square’s second level, next to Nordstrom. To celebrate they are having a Grand Opening Party October 23 from 4pm-9pm. For more information call 509-458-3333; and to see some of aNeMonE’s incredibly beautiful flowers go to their website at www.handmadepaperflowers.com.

DeVries Business Services announces that Jim Shasky is one of a limited number of information security professionals nationwide to be authorized as a distributor for a new Information Destruction Policy Compliance Toolkit which they are offering to businesses at no charge through the end of this year. The "Toolkit" is designed to help organizations develop the written information destruction procedures now required by law. According to the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID), most organizations in the US report that they currently do not comply with this requirement and, therefore, are at risk. The Toolkit is the first and only publication to specifically address information destruction policy development with a goal of making compliance with the laws easy and understandable. And, the timing could not be better. The Federal Trade Commission recently reached a settlement with an Illinois-based mortgage company for discarding personal information without first destroying it, resulting in a fine of $50,000. In the settlement, the FTC cited the absence of the required written policies and procedures as a basis for the penalty. Similarly, the Attorney General of Texas recently announced two settlements with retailers for improper disposal of personal information, also citing the failure to have written policies and procedures. In each of the settlements, the resulting fines amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars. For more information on this free service contact Jim Shasky at DeVries Business Services, at 509-838-1044 or email jshasky@devriesinc.com. The website is www.devriesinc.com.

Kiemle & Hagood Company announces the addition of Ryan Walters as a property manager to their Commercial Management Division. Walters is a licensed REALTOR® in the State of Washington and is a graduate of Eastern Washington University. He is also an active participant and member of various industry and community organizations, and was previously Director of Expansion for Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity.

Urbanna Spa opens today, at 168 S. Division St. in the historic Pine Creek Dairy Creamery, creating 18 new jobs, including hair stylists, nail techs, estheticians and massage therapists. Featuring organic products and sustainable practices, Urbanna Spa is seeking Green Spa Certification. Owner Linda Biel, who spent the first 10 years of her career as a steelworker for Kaiser Aluminum, has spent the past 6 years in esthetics. Biel chose the name "Urbanna" because it’s a hybrid of the words "urban" and "nirvana", which is what they want to be for their clients. True to its name, Urbanna Spa has a decidedly urban aesthetic, with a Color Kitchen where the spa’s guests may sit at the color bar and watch technicians mix hair color. Urbanna Spa clients will be treated to facials, body waxing, massage and couples massage, and the Urban Hair Spa will also feature hair stations, pedicures and manicures. Urbanna Spa offers another unique amenity: a women’s locker room with a steam room and a men’s locker room. Guests will also have access to free Wi-Fi. Urbanna Spa offers a tranquility room where clients may relax before, in between, and after treatments. Urbanna Spa’s upstairs treatment rooms will have an international theme, with each room styled after a different continent. Urbanna Spa’s Grand Opening event will take place November 13 and 14 and will feature tours of the historic building as well as a chance to mingle with the technicians and learn about some of the exciting events Urbanna is planning during its opening year. The phone number is 509-863-6234 and the email is lindabiel@comcast.net.

Our business thought of the week is from Robert Frost: "By working faithfully 8 hours a day, you may eventually get to be the boss, and work 12 hours a day."

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