Biz Bits: Pullman hotel rebranded, revamped

Fresh-baked cookies and milk continue to be a staple at a hotel in Pullman after its recent rebranding as a Hampton Inn by Hilton.

The 128-room hotel at 1190 SE Bishop Blvd. previously was a Holiday Inn Express.

As part of the change, all guest rooms were remodeled from top to bottom, said Meghan Wiley, the hotel’s general manager.

The public spaces received upgrades too, such as new equipment in the fitness room, like a Peloton bike.

More types of snacks and drinks are being sold in the hotel’s retail area. The televisions in guest rooms were upgraded so they can be synced with any entertainment platform hotel guests subscribe to.

Members of a Hilton rewards program can check in entirely online and use their phones as keys, Wiley said.

The hotel still provides perks that made it popular such as free transportation to and from the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport and an outdoor patio with a barbecue, fire pit and television, she said.

And the staff and ownership of the hotel continue to be the same, said Wiley, who has worked at the hotel since it opened 30 years ago.

A graduate of Washington State University’s hospitality program, Wiley worked at a property in Hilton Head, S.C., before taking a position at the then-Holiday Inn Express.

She was promoted to assistant manager and later her present position about 20 years ago.

“Being a Coug, I feel so fortunate to be able to work and live in such a great community,” Wiley said.

The hotel is still owned by Dr. Wenzel Leff, who practiced at Pullman Regional Hospital, and members of his family.

The Hotel Group operates the property for the owners, Wiley said.

Moscow’s Paradise Grill to be featured on website

A spiced apple pulled pork sandwich may be one of the dishes from Paradise Grill & Cafe at the Palouse Mall featured on an upcoming episode of America’s Best Restaurants.

Smoked pork, grilled onion pickles, pepper jack cheese and Moscow-made Irish Spike’s Muay Thai Apple Curry sauce are ingredients in the dish.

America’s Best Restaurants will be filming the segment from 2-5 p.m. Friday and it will be posted about six weeks later at americasbestrestaurants.com, said Matt Plapp, founder and CEO of America’s Best Restaurants.

Paradise Grill & Cafe is one of about 1,000 restaurants that will be publicized on the site this year, Plapp said.

The locally owned restaurants are nominated by customers, themselves or employees of America’s Best Restaurants, he said.

Only about 25% of the nominees meet criteria on a 10-point checklist to appear on the site, Plapp said.

Restaurants pay to use footage from America’s Best Restaurants on their social media, but not for the coverage on americasbestrestaurants.com, he said.

The food, atmosphere and ownership of Paradise Grill match with what America’s Best Restaurants seeks for content, Plapp said.

Its name is a reference to Paradise Valley, a former name of Moscow and the tendency of the restaurant’s owner, Dave Thompson, for wearing Hawaiian shirts, according to a news release from America’s Best Restaurants.

Burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups, espresso drinks and smoothies are on its menu. Its soups and sauces are made from scratch by Thompson, a former Dairy Queen and Orange Julius manager, from his own recipes.

“It’s got to be fun,” Thompson said in the news release. “It starts with culture. It’s tasty and it’s an experience.”

Pop culture for sale at new Clarkston store

CLARKSTON -- A man had some questions before he purchased a Nintendo Entertainment System from Charlie’s Retro Reality in Clarkston.

Did the electronic game still have its zapper and its box?

Yes, the zapper was included with the bundle as well as two controllers, but not the original box, and, like all Nintendo Entertainment Systems at his store, it comes with two games, said Charlie Hall, the owner of the store.

A few minutes later, another customer bought a Green Bay Packers figurine while Hall played with a styrofoam baseball bat studded with fake nails based on a prop from the television show “Stranger Things.”

The shelves of the store are filled with thousands of new and used toys, trading cards, comic books, clothing, memorabilia and records as well as electronic gaming consoles in working order from the 1980s era forward.

The store recently moved to 401 Diagonal St., a building that previously housed a pawn shop.

“I’ve created a space where I can live and make money and give happiness off,” Hall said.

A $1 card bar featuring sports cards, Pokemon and Magic the Gathering is one of the most popular parts of the store, Hall said.

Part of its draw are the handful of high-value cards purposely planted in the bar, he said.

Everything the store sells is intended to be in working order. Customers can return anything for repairs or exchange.

Previously a Verizon sales associate, Hall has refined his ability to identify and buy discounted items he can sell for more. The inventory comes from individuals, online and even purchases at area big box retailers.

He began selling online and at events, which he still does, then opened a booth at the Bargain Hunter Mall before relocating to his present location.

The strategy behind Charlie’s Retro Reality is something Hall said he learned from his family, which raised plants as a business.

As a child, he heard his grandfather and uncle discuss how they could buy bags of seeds for $3 and then with their equipment, raise those seeds into plants that sold for as much as $15 to $25.

Charlie’s Retro Reality, Hall said, is his version of that.

Charlie’s Retro Reality is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Renovation planned for Starbucks location on Lewiston’s 21st Street

Lewiston’s Starbucks on 21st Street will be temporarily closed for about eight weeks starting next month for a renovation. The coffee shop will close at noon May 5.

The $197,010 project includes updated drive-through equipment, signs, coffee-making equipment, furniture and partitions along with modifications in plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems, according to city of Lewiston building permit documents.

Starbucks is encouraging customers to use the Clarkston Starbucks while its Lewiston location is being remodeled.

Clohessy retires after nearly 25 years with Tribune Publishing Co.

Craig Clohessy, the managing editor of the Lewiston Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News the last seven years, retired at the end of March.

Clohessy, 62, had worked for Tribune Publishing Company, which owns the two newspapers, since 2000. He started out as the city editor of the Daily News, then became the city editor of the Tribune in 2005 before taking over as managing editor in 2017.

“For almost a quarter-century with our Trib and Daily News, (Clohessy) has stood tall for all our journalistic interests – coworkers and readers alike,” said Nathan Alford, editor and publisher of the Tribune and Daily News.

“He has the fiber to ask the tough questions and cares deeply about people and their stories,” Alford said. “His career is a reminder that good people are the reason we’re able to continue meeting the ever-challenging mission as two of the only 86 independent newspapers left in America.”

Clohessy earned his degree from the University of Portland and, after graduation, was hired by the Camas-Washougal Post-Record in Camas, Wash., in 1988. He started as a reporter and was later promoted to managing editor.

Clohessy and his wife, Tina, live in Lewiston.

Tribune City Editor Matt Baney has been named interim managing editor following Clohessy’s departure.

Baney carries that same spark and profound sense of responsibility as Clohessy, Alford said.

Baney, 45, is a Lewiston native who started at the Tribune as a part-time sports reporter in 1997, then became a full-time sports reporter in 2002, sports editor in 2009, assistant city editor in 2019 and city editor in 2021.

Baney graduated from Lewiston High and Lewis-Clark State College.

Job fair planned at Clarkston’s WWCC

A job fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30 at the main building of Walla Walla Community College’s Clarkston campus at 1470 Bridge St.

The McGregor Company, Nez Perce Tribal Enterprises and Alternative Nursing Services are among the 20 employers participating. Another 10 employers are being sought for the event.

Additional information for job seekers and employers is available by calling (509) 758-5461.

The job fair is co-sponsored by WWCC WorkSource of Clarkston, part of a network of Washington state agencies that help individuals find work and employers fill vacancies.

Interim Managing Editor Matt Baney contributed to Biz Bits. Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.