WeeBee Toys plans to open Saturday in downtown Idaho Falls

The floor at WeeBee Toys, 492 Shoup Avenue, which is scheduled to open Saturday.

Santa Claus has nothing on the folks at WeeBee Toys, at Shoup Avenue and B Street, where the toys are waiting to be brought upstairs for a soft opening this Saturday.

The store is in the space that used to be home to Idaho Mountain Trading, which has been vacant since IMT moved next door in 2014. As things have transpired, owner Kim Johnson had been thinking about a toy store for some time, but didn’t start to move until earlier this fall.

Until two months ago, Johnson was a licensed therapist with One Tree Counseling, specializing in play therapy with children. In October, she and her husband, Travis, were in Coeur d’Alene for a state girl’s volleyball tournament. Exploring downtown, they visited Figpickles, a locally owned toy store, and the penny dropped.

“We’re such a family-oriented community,” she said. “We both agreed that Idaho Falls could use a specialty toy store of its own. With my knowledge of kids and my husband’s knowledge of business, we thought we’d make a good toy store team.”

Johnson said they will be carrying toys the big box chains don’t stock, brands like Melissa and Doug, Fat Brain Toys and Blue Orange Games. “The are companies that sell to smaller, independent shops,” she said. “They don’t want their products sold online, they want them where kids can try them out and put their hands on them.”

In the old Mountain Trading space, the sales floor will be about 5,300 square feet while a corner in the back, about 1,000 square feet, will be sectioned off for a conference room. Johnson said they hope to have everything from kids’ art classes to parenting classes in the space.

An eastern Idaho native who graduated from Shelley High School, Johnson said she and her husband are optimistic about broadening what downtown Idaho Falls has to offer. “They’ve done a good job of rejuvenating it with grown-up things, but with this and the Artitorium we’re thinking we can make downtown a place where families want to come.”

WeeBee Toys can be found online at weebeetoys.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/weebeetoys.

Casper, Kirkham make list for Idaho Business Review's top 50 women in business

Rebecca Casper

Every year the Idaho Business Review takes nominations for its 50-name Women of the Year list. Usually there are two or three from this area who make it, and this year is no exception.

Dana Kirkham

The two finalists this year are Rebecca Noah Casper, mayor of Idaho Falls, and Dana Boothe Kirkham, mayor of Ammon. I can't argue with their selection. Considering how shaky relations have been in the past between the two cities, it's to their credit that they and their respective city councils have managed to work with each other on the widening of Hitt Road and the signal at 25th Street and Hitt.

Still, one wonders whether more nominations from this side of the state might result in a list less Ada-centric. It's something to keep in mind for next fall, but in the meantime, here is the IBR story that moved Wednesday.

http://idahobusinessreview.com/2015/12/01/ibrs-50-women-of-the-year-inspire-awe-50-judges/

Kneaders coming to Sandcreek Commons; Broulim's plans Dec. 17 opening

The dining room at the Kneaders in Orem, Utah, where the chain started in 1997. The company announced Wednesday it would be coming to Ammon's Sandcreek Commons shopping center.

With two major tenants open for months, it’s been a relatively quiet fall at Ammon's Sandcreek Commons shopping center, at the corner of Hitt and Sunnyside roads, but not much longer.

The Broulim’s grocery store is scheduled to open Dec. 17, and a slew of smaller businesses have announced plans to locate in the 40-acre development.

Ball Ventures and Woodbury Corp., partners in the project, announced today that Kneaders, a Utah-based chain specializing in artisanal baking, would be opening its second Idaho location at Sandcreek Commons. This came a day after Rita’s Italian Ice released the news that it would be opening its first Idaho store at there in March 2016.

Construction of the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is well under way and Great Clips is planning to open 1,200 square feet this weekend in the 18,639-square-foot retail center next to Broulim’s. Progress is about where they expected it to be by the end of 2015, said Eric Isom, Ball Ventures’ chief development officer.

"The momentum id definitely coming," he said. "I would say we're pretty much right on schedule, maybe even a little ahead on pad development."

In addition to Cabela’s, Hobby Lobby and Broulim’s, there is room in the project’s first phase for one more 50,000-square-foot anchor tenant. “One of the things we're really trying to do right is the tenant mix,” Isom said. "You want quality tenants and the right mixture."

Isom said they also try to respond to what they hear from local people, and there has been a lot of interest in Kneaders. "So many people are familiar with it from the trips they've made to Utah. I'ts been one of the most common requests in the last two or three years."

Founded in Orem in 1997 by Gary and Colleen Worthington, Kneaders specializes in European hearth breads made from scratch on site daily, as well as gourmet sandwiches, soups, salads, pastries and breakfast items. It also provides catering services for groups of all sizes, from birthday parties to weddings, and offers a variety of retail products including award-winning gift baskets and holiday-themed gifts.

So far, the company has 42 locations in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Texas and Idaho, where it opened its first store in Meridian. Like many chains, there is a mix of franchise operations and company-owned stores. The Ammon restaurant will be company owned.

A soft opening for Great Clips is slated for Saturday, with grand opening events beginning Dec. 11 and continuing through the end of the year. Hours for the new location will be Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“This will be our fourth location in the Idaho Falls area and we really look forward to serving Ammon customers,” said franchisee Randy Jensen, who with his wife, Marcia, owns seven locations total.

Eventually, Ball Ventures and Woodbury Corp. anticipate developing 320,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and service space at Sandcreek Commons. For now, Phase One everything happening north of Judy Street is anticipated to add nearly $80 million to the local tax base and 1,200 new jobs.

Rita's Italian Ice coming to Ammon's Sandcreek Commons

A selection of offerings from Rita's Italian Ice, coming to Sandcreek Commons Shopping Center.

Ice may be the last thing you’re in the mood for right now, but Rita’s Italian Ice is the newest business coming to the Sandcreek Commons shopping center.

The Trevose, Pa.-based chain announced it will be opening its store in Ammon, near Cabela’s and Hobby Lobby, in March 2016.

Dr. David Chamberlain, a general surgeon in Idaho Falls, has the rights to develop Rita’s in Idaho. He and his wife, Shawna, discovered Rita’s while in Utah and thought it represented a good investment opportunity. Under their agreement, they plan to build 12 stores in 10 years, of which the Sandcreek Commons location will be the first.

Rita’s has more than 600 stores nationwide, and has announced plans to also expand into Washington, Hawaii and San Jose, Calif. The company dates back to 1984, when Bob Tumolo, a former Philadelphia firefighter, started selling Italian Ice (also referred to as water ice) from a small porch window in Bensalem, Pa. With the modest goal of earning a little extra income, he named the business after his wife, Rita.

Rita’s Italian Ice was a hit with Philadelphians, who are arguably the most devoted and discriminating consumers of water ice in the United States (not to mention some of the most critical people in America, legendary for having booed Santa Claus at an Eagles halftime show once.) By 1987, Tumolo and his brother, John, had opened three more Rita’s locations to meet increasing demand, and in 1989, they started franchising the business. By 1996, Rita’s had grown to more than 100 outlets in nine states. In May 2005, the Tumolos sold the the franchise system to McKnight Capital Partners, under which the number of franchise agreements doubled from 109 in 2005 to 219 in 2006. By the company’s 25th birthday in 2009, it had expanded to more than 500 stores.

“It has been a banner year for growth and expansion,” said Eric Taylor, chief development officer at Rita’s Franchise Company. “We set out with a clear goal in mind — expand to new markets in the U.S., expand internationally and expand with new and creative concepts.”

Work begins on The Falls apartment complex at Snake River Landing

An artist's rendering of what The Falls apartment complex will look like.

Kartchner, Inc. has begun work on The Falls, a modern, 228-unit, apartment complex in Snake River Landing, with an opening date slated for June 2016.

What is planned, according to a news release, is a pet-friendly community with “over-the-top” amenities, including fiberoptic Internet and a resort-inspired clubhouse and pool. The clubhouse is to feature a large pool area, with an all-year Jacuzzi and grilling station. It will also offer multiple fitness options, including a modern fitness room, a dedicated yoga-pilates studio, clubroom and game room.

The apartment layouts are extremely space-efficient, maximizing useable space for residents. “The apartments live more like a home than a typical apartment, making them better fit all lifestyles,” said longtime Idaho Falls resident and Kartchner Regional Manager, Danielle Moor. “I’m excited to show the Idaho Falls community what we have to offer.”

The Falls is situated on 9.5 acres located near I-15, giving residents access to Snake River Landing’s growing number of shops and restaurants and the city’s Greenbelt trail system. It is directly northeast of the site that has been platted for the Snake River Events Center.

“There’s really nothing else like it in Idaho Falls,” said Troy Kartchner, President of Kartchner, Inc. “It’s not just the place people will want to rent, but the place where they will love to live.”

The Falls is pre-leasing now. Rents start at $875 a month, and include clubhouse privileges, city utilities, a Direct TV package and fiberoptic Internet access. Learn more at www.thefallsapts.com.