Dan's Ace Hardware coming to West Broadway

Dan’s Ace Hardware, which has stores in Rexburg, St. Anthony, Lava Hot Springs and Garden City, Utah, is renovating the space at 1747 West Broadway, where Rite Aid Drug used to be.

According to plans at the city of Idaho Falls Building Department, the project involves 14,075 square feet of space, with a sales floor of 11,711 square feet.

Owner Daniel Moldenhauer was guarded with his information when we reached him in early November, but said he is shooting for an opening in early March.

This will double the number of family­owned hardware stores on Idaho Falls’ west side, as Rocknak’s Hardware Plus has been on West Broadway since 1995.

“It will make us more competitive,” said Brian Rocknak, who manages the store from day to day. “It will definitely be a test for us and for them. We’re really confident in our staff here, and we’ve been on the west side a long time.”

Ahhhsome Relaxation opens in Ammon

The massage chairs at Ahhhsome Relaxation in Ammon.

Whether it’s sore feet, a bad back or plain everyday stress, Shawn Tolman and Alyce Jeppesen have opened Ahhhsome Relaxation in Ammon, at 939 S. 25th East #115, in the shopping center next door to World Gym.

The business offers stress ­reduction and massage equipment to members seven days a week, 24 hours a day in a secure environment. There are 24 different massage chairs, Tolman said, adding “Outside of the U.S., most of the equipment we have is used for medical purposes.”

The two opened a pilot location in Evanston, Wyo., in 2014. “We had to prove it worked,” Tolman said. Customers ranged in age from 18 to 92.

After getting loan approval from Bank of Commerce and Citizens Community Bank, they started planning their eastern Idaho location, which opened Nov. 13.

Staff is on hand from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and introductory visits are free. Call 523-­1209 for an appointment. After that, single visits are $35, a one­-month membership is $75 and a 12-­month membership is $50 a month.

Online, information can be found at www.ahhhsomerelaxation.com or https://www.facebook.com/ahhhsomerelaxation/.

Idaho Falls takes ownership of War Bonnet Roundup

The city of Idaho Falls has taken over the War Bonnet Roundup, Idaho’s oldest professional rodeo.

At a City Council work session Monday, Parks and Recreation Director Greg Weitzel reported that he had reached an agreement with American Legion Idaho Post 56 to acquire the rodeo’s property and management responsibilities. Under the agreement, the Legion, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has transferred the rodeo to the city free and clear while retaining the right to operate grandstand concessions for three years, with two-year extension option. The Legion will pay 15 percent of its rodeo concession income to the city.

The sale price was estimated at $16,000,  and included all intellectual property, goods and equipment. Because was under $25,000, it no formal council action was required, only administrative action.

With more than 15,000 people attending every year, the rodeo has grown to the point where the Legion is having difficulty managing the event, said Post 56 Commander Bob Skinner. Sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, last year the War Bonnet saw a record-breaking 477 participants.

“The time is right to transfer the responsibility to a larger organization, which will allow this great asset to grow even bigger and better,” he said. “We look forward to working side-by-side with the city to help this great event become a destination rodeo for all people in the west and beyond.”

For decades the War Bonnet Roundup has been held at Sandy Downs, a facility owned and managed by the city. It will celebrate its 105th anniversary in 2016.

“Many rodeos throughout the United States are run by cities because they bring in a great deal of revenue and have a positive economic impact,” Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper said. Over the years the Parks and Recreation Department has honed its rodeo management skills and developed the necessary resources and personnel, she said.

Going out of business sale starts at Farr's Jewelry

Farr's Jewelry moved into its 17th Street store in 1999.

You might want to get the jump on Black Friday, because the race is on at Farr's Jewelry on 17th Street. Once a downtown anchor, Farr’s Jewelry, is going out of business after 55 years.

Vern Farr opened Farr’s Jewelry in downtown Ogden, Utah, in 1956. The Idaho Falls store opened four years later, at 369 Shoup Avenue, across the street from what used to be Ada’s Café (now Krung Thep, a Thai restaurant). In 1976, owner Boyd Wecker, a friend of Vern Farr’s, moved the store to the corner of Shoup and B Street and ten years after that it moved to the Grand Teton Mall on 17th Street. The store had expanded from jewelry to electronics and gifts, dropping small appliances, and focusing more on specialties.

Wecker retired from the business in 1992 and Vern Farr’s son Dirk (who’d come north from Utah) took over as owner, with the help of longtime employee Tom Stott, a company mainstay. In February 1999 Farr’s moved out of the mall and into its current location at 2026 East 17th Street. Building ownership, more individualized hours, and easy access help keep prices down while Farr’s maintained its loyal customer base.

The economic downturn of 2008 didn’t really hit Farr’s until a year or two later. Things have come back since then, “but just not fast enough,” Dirk Farr said. Because of “changing family dynamics” he moved back to Utah in 2014 to take over the Ogden store, but will always cherish his 29 years in Idaho Falls. “We’ve had fantastic employees and customers,” he said.

He is hoping to have the store closed after Christmas, and encourages everyone to check out what deals are available. “I would rather have Idaho Falls benefit from the marked-down prices than try to sell it somewhere else,” he said.

Catmull's Furniture closing after 53 years in business

Barbara and Dale Catmull in their downtown Idaho Falls store.

After 53 years in downtown Idaho Falls, Catmull’s Furniture is going out of business.

Since making the announcement Nov. 10, owners Dale and Barbara Catmull have astonished by the outpouring of loyalty from longtime customers. “They’ll say, ‘We bought our first sofa from you,’” Barbara  said. “There are a lot of families where it’s been their tradition to buy here.”

The things people are saying, it feels like ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’” said Dale, 65, who who started helping his father, Dorsal “Doc” Catmull, when he was 12 years old. (Doc Catmull died in 2013.)

By price, Catmull’s has been able to compete all along. Because they own the building, their overhead is a lot lower, which meant they could pass savings along to the customers, said Dale.
“We have good quality stuff and free delivery, which you hardly see anymore,” said Barbara. “But things are changing. The younger generation thinks they can get better value at places like Furniture Row. It’s not true, but that’s what they think.

They hope to have the 15,000 square feet of space cleared out by mid-December. After that, they plan to visit their children and grandchildren and to sail the Erickson 34-200 sailboat they have moored in Alameda, Calif.

“It’s time to do something fun,” Barbara said. “We’ve got to do it while we still have our health.”