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Local Brewery Wins Gold

Local Brewery Wins Gold

No-Li Brewhouse is making a big impression at one of the largest and most prestigious beer festivals in the country.

On Saturday, the craft brewery received a gold medal for its Crystal Bitter beer at the Great American Beer Fest in Colorado.

This makes three medals for the brewery in the past month.

Last week, No-Li received a silver and gold medal in the most prestigious beer competition in the world. 

 

Natural Living Show

Learning how to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle has never been more easy.  This weekend, more than three dozen vendors will be on hand at the Natural Living Show to help you make better choices for your body, environment and our community.

The show will feature local cheese-makers and handmade soaps. And, if you ever wanted to have your own eggs fresh from your backyard there will be a workshop on urban chickens too.

Here are all the details:

 Saturday, October 13th

10 am-6 pm

Spokane Community College Lair

Admission is $7, although if you swing by Sun People Dry Goods located at 32 West 2nd Avenue, Suite 200 you can pick up FREE passes!

Despite arson, new Moran STCU still on schedule to open

Despite arson, new Moran STCU still on schedule to open

While Spokane's newest STCU branch faced a setback this past August, it is still on track to open in November.

On August 7th, a fire at the construction site damaged the east side of the building. The Spokane Fire Department called that fire suspicious, but no one has been arrested.

Dan Hansen of STCU says the fire did not halt construction or affect their schedule. Walker Construction had been ahead of schedule for the branch.

Once complete, the new 4,096-square-foot Moran Prairie STCU located at 5711 S. Hailee Lane will employ 7 people.

Bike Shop Moving To Perry District

Bike Shop Moving To Perry District

Two Wheel Transit is moving from its current location at 1405 West 1st Avenue in downtown Spokane to the Perry District on Spokane's lower South Hill.

"It's a thriving, growing business district," said Geoff Forshag, who co-owns the bike shop with Bruce Abbotts.

The bike shop is moving into the old Excel Foods building at Perry and 8th Avenue.

One end of the building is already occupied by a HICO Market and the bike shop will occupy the opposite end.

The front of the building is being rebuilt to offer two other store fronts as well.

Two Wheel Transit moving into the district is a great catch for a neighborhood that's experiencing a rapid rebirth.

The once rundown neighborhood became Spokane's first Centers & Corridors project in 2001.  Since then, many new businesses have moved into the area including The Perry Street Cafe, Title NineSouth Perry Pizza, The Shop and Casper Fry.

Cyrus O'Leary's building to be demolished

Cyrus O'Leary's building to be demolished

The wrecking ball will soon take a whack at a slice of downtown Spokane history, along with the fruit and cream-filled memories for many who grew up here. 

The Cyrus O'Leary's building will be demolished next month.

The restaurant, best-known for its namesake pies and desserts, closed its door a year ago due to lagging sales and stiff competition from nearby chain restaurants.  The building isn't on the historic preservation list, but it's a familiar site along Main street.  On closing day, Cyrus O'Leary's fans turned out in droves to bid on the eclectic memorabilia that decorated the restaurant.   There were hopes that the building would remain open to host private receptions, but those plans haven't materialized.

Property owner Dru Hieber says an environmental specialist is removing asbestos in preparation for the building to be demolished sometime in October.  After demolition, Hieber plans to leave the property "as-is" for future development, but there are no plans as of yet.

Retirement Just Doesn't Work For Coffee Roaster Tom Sawyer

Retirement Just Doesn't Work For Coffee Roaster Tom Sawyer

You've been forgiven if you found yourself sipping a cup of Tom Sawyer Country Coffee and thought it was named after Mark Twain's famous character.

Tom Sawyer started his coffee roasting business in Hangman Valley, just south of Spokane, two years ago when he decided that retirement just wasn't for him.

"It's been kind of slow going because it's just me and my wife," said the 69-year-old businessman.

Sawyer didn't exactly start from scratch.  He started with 50 years of experience in the coffee business.  As a young man he learned the art of coffee roasting while working in the San Francisco Bay area.

"People don't realize that the amount of coffee and the amount of water is very important," said Sawyer as he carefully weighed coffee grounds.

If you drive along Hangman Valley Road you won't see any large signs advertising the home business.  There is a good chance you'll drive right by it unless to are looking for the exact address or happen to see the name on a black mailbox at the end of the driveway.

"It was a battle with neighbors," said Sawyer.

When he bega

Bedell and Beer: It Just Works

Bedell and Beer: It Just Works

Dreams dashed, hopes shattered and an uncertain future; Eddie Bedell faced it all and yet he remains optimistic. That's because Bedell believes in beer.

Almost a year to the day Bedell stood in front of what was supposed to be his tap house in the Audubon Neighborhood, telling his story of how difficult the City of Spokane had made it for him to realize his dream of becoming a small business owner, Bedell has found success.

Bedell joined forces with his best friend and created Vesuvius Marketing Group. Guess what they specialize in? Beer. Or more specifically Spokane's growing number of breweries and tap houses.

“I don't see too many other people around here trying to help these breweries,” Bedell said. “How cool would it be if I could focus on this type of industry, one I love anyway.”