Tai Pan Trading says it's coming to Idaho Falls

The Tai Pan Trading store in St. George, Utah.

Tai Pan Trading Co., a home decor store chain based in Salt Lake City, posted on Facebook Oct. 19 that it is coming to Idaho Falls. Read the announcement here.

Efforts to reach Jon Lee, the company’s chief information officer, have been unsuccessful. Local sources in commercial real estate confirm that the store is likely to come, that people from the company have scouted the area. But a final leasing deal hasn't been reached and no one wants to say anything definite until papers are signed.

According to the company's Web site, Tai Pan Trading started in 1979 as a wholesale floral supplier, in a small space with two cash registers and very few parking stalls. As the business expanded into home decor, the owners decided to open a showroom and offer merchandise directly to the public.

In 2005 Tai Pan opened its first retail store in Sandy, Utah. It now has five stores in Utah, one in California and one in Idaho, in Boise. The Boise store opened in September 2011 after the company leased 30,000 square feet where the Borders book store had been, in Milwaukee Marketplace, near Barnes & Noble and JoAnn Fabrics. The space had been vacant for five years.

One last thing: The arrow on the map on the Facebook link would indicate the store is going in at the corner of Park Avenue and Broadway. Krisi Staten, executive director of the Downtown Development Corp. said she would love to have Tai Pan Trading in the middle of town, but added that anytime someone gives an address no more definite than "Idaho Falls" that's where the arrow ends up landing.

Chamber announces Business of Distinction winners

The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce has announced its winners of the Second Annual Business of Distinction Awards. A dinner will be held Nov. 13 at the Colonial Theater/Willard Arts Center.

Area companies being recognized are as follows:

• Business Services Industry: Hopkins Roden Crockett Hansen & Hoopes
• Financial Services Industry: Mountain America Credit Union
• Healthcare Industry: Nuclear Care Partners
• Hospitality & Tourism Industry: Hilton Garden Inn Idaho Falls
• Non-Profit Organization: Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership
• Real Estate & Construction Industry: AmeriTitle, Inc.
• Retail Industry: Bill’s Bike and Run
• Agriculture Industry: Reed’s Dairy, Inc.
• Manufacturing & Engineering Industry: Idaho Brewing Company
• Chamber Member of the Year (Small Division): Artcore Visual Studio
• Chamber Member of the Year (Medium Division): Stevens-Henager College
• Chamber Member of the Year (Large Division): Silver Star Communications
• Tribute to Local Business (Sponsored by Melaleuca): Love at First Bite Mercantile
• Wayne C. Hammond Award for Service to the Chamber: BBSI, Mike Richards and Jeremy 
• Charlie White Award for Service to the Community: Citizens Community Bank, Becky 
• Service to East Idaho Award: Lori Priest

The event will begin with a cocktail hour and reception at 6 p.m. in the Carr Gallery of the Willard Arts Center, followed by the awards ceremony in the Colonial Theater at 7:30 p.m.

This year’s Gold sponsor is Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.  Silver Sponsors are Melaleuca and Farr’s Jewelry. Bronze Sponsors include Riverbend Communications, the Bank of Commerce, I.E. Productions, KPVI News Channel 6, and Supporting Sponsors include Progrexion, Mountain View Hospital, Watkins Distributing, The Cellar, Petal Passion, and Signature Party Rental.

To purchase event tickets, visit www.idahofallschamber.com. Ticket prices are $45 for individuals and $75 for couples. Formal attire is requested.

Bakery opening in Shane Building

The Shane Building, at the southwest corner of Shoup Avenue and A Street, will be the home of Idaho Falls’ newest bakery.

Business owner Lynn Winter said she hasn’t decided on a name for the business – Romeo’s is the leading contender – but that she hopes to be open in time for the holiday season.

They are moving into the space most recently occupied by Lily’s Consignment. A downtown landmark, the Shane Building is 100 years old this fall and, as can be expected in a renovation project of this type, Winter said she and the contractors have been peeling away decades’ worth of changes. The false ceilings have been removed to reveal the leaded glass work, and the mezzanine has been taken out to get everything onto one level.

Winter said they plan to serve pastries, sandwiches and soup. She estimates she will have about 1,200 square feet for the dining area and 800 square feet for the kitchen.

“We really need quite a lot of room to do the bagels,” she said.

Baking is nothing new to Winter. Her mother, Marjorie Bidwell, and aunt, Beth McCammon, had a custom bakery in Pocatello, and in high school and college she worked in a German bakery inside the long-gone OK’s grocery store.

“I’ve dipped a lot of donuts,” she said.

She later became the Post Register’s creative services director, but continued making custom wedding cakes, even winning prizes with them. “It’s just something I’ve always liked to do,” she said.

When she left the Post Register in 2007, she began baking more and charging for her work. The business grew, with her daughter, Angie Suseno, and son-in-law Sigit Suseno helping out. In fact,
Sigit, a former INL person, has developed a great love for baking and is likely to play a big part in the new business she said.

Opening a bakery is something she has always wanted to do, but Winter started looking at locations in earnest in 2013. “We’re really happy to be downtown,” she said.

Fall River Electric schedules meetings over proposed rate increases

Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative has scheduled a series of meetings this week for interested owner-members regarding several rate increases proposed by its board of directors.

Owner-members of the co-op are invited to attend any one of three meetings scheduled for Ashton, Driggs, and West Yellowstone. The Ashton meeting is Thursday, Oct. 22, Driggs is Wednesday, Oct. 21 and West Yellowstone is set for tonight. Each meeting will be held at the respective offices of Fall River Electric and are set to begin at 7 p.m.

The rate increases are the result of Bonneville Power Administration’s increases to Fall River for both wholesale power and transmission costs. The BPA increases included 7.1 percent for wholesale power and 4.4 percent for transmission costs. Both went into effect Oct. 1.

No rate increase has been planned for Fall River residential members or irrigation accounts. According to Bryan Case, the CEO and general manager, “We have made significant efforts over the past few years to reduce our costs of operation, and the result of that effort is our board’s decision to absorb most of these BPA increases. Additionally, the board, at its regularly scheduled September meeting, proposed that there would not be any increase in residential rates or rates to our irrigation members.”

The recommendation from the board and management was to make slight increases to the co-op’s small general service accounts, large commercial accounts, and institute a monthly charge for idle services. Those proposals will be discussed at these upcoming member meetings.

As currently proposed, small general service members would see a 5 percent increase, which will average about $6.81 a month, while the large general service (commercial members) will see an increase of $1 a month. The board is also proposing a new monthly fee for “idle services” of $10 a month.

An idle service is defined as one which has power available but has been disconnected or is inactive, or the meter has been removed, or is not being billed for demand or a line and system maintenance fee.

Owner-members of the co-op are invited to attend any one of three meetings scheduled for Ashton, Driggs, and West Yellowstone. The Ashton meeting is Thursday, Oct. 22, Driggs is Wednesday, Oct. 21 and West Yellowstone is set for tonight. Each meeting will be held at the respective offices of Fall River Electric and are set to begin at 7 p.m.

Input from these meeting will be discussed at the board’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Oct. 26, at which time a final decision will be made regarding the proposed rate increases and its effective date. The final rate decision will be announced in the December issue of the cooperative’s monthly FLASHES newsletter and on its Web site, www.fallriverelectric.com and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/FallRiverREC.

New restaurant opening in Captain’s Cove location

Josh Swain is planning a soft opening this Wednesday for his newest restaurant, Abracadabra’s. It will be at 2040 Channing Way, the former location of Captain’s Cove and, before that, Buddy’s and Fanatics.

Swain is a founder of Stockman’s, which moved a few years ago from County Line Road to Snake River Landing. He grew up in the business at Swain Brothers Restaurant in Vernal, Utah, and has a fundamentals approach to the business. “I let my food be the lead,” he said. “High quality ingredients at affordable prices.”

Abracadabra’s (“Where food is magic”) will have a breakfast-and-brunch bistro style menu, with entrees like breakfast reuben and chicken waffles.

The kitchen staff is in place, but Swain said they are still looking for servers. Anyone interested can call 208-881-9024, or email a resume to lysacall@gmail.com.