SPOKANE, Wash. — During the week of Nov. 1, the Up With KREM Team highlighted communities throughout the Spokane area.
Tim Pham, Jeremy LaGoo and Channing Curtis shined a spotlight on neighborhoods in and around the Lilac City on "Up with KREM in Your Neighborhood."
To kick off the series on Monday, Nov. 1, Channing and Jeremy visited the East Central neighborhood, one of Spokane's oldest suburbs. Channing highlighted some of East Central's most historic moments that shaped the area, including the building of Interstate 90. The team then visited Hillyard, Millwood and Airway Heights.
Do you want the Up with KREM Team to visit your neighborhood? Send an email to newsdesk@krem.com or text us at 509-448-2000.
Nov. 1: East Central
Up With KREM visited Fresh Soul in Spokane's East Central neighborhood on Monday.
Sitting on 3029 E 5th Ave, Fresh Soul is one of the most popular places to eat in the East Central neighborhood. Founded by Michael Brown, the restaurant prides itself on serving the mouth-watering specialties that only the South can provide.
This Thanksgiving, Fresh Soul will be serving the East Central community by giving out 100 meals for the first 100 customers between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. On top of this, the restaurant also gives back through tutoring and mentoring services, not to mention a basketball camp.
“We just try to do what we can to help these kids through the community,” Brown said.
Nov 1: East Central Sprague Avenue
Sprague Avenue reopened over the weekend, and with it, the longtime Sons Flowers & Gifts did it too.
Up with KREM visited the family-owned and operated floral business.
The business located at 314 E Sprague Ave., in Spokane, offers fresh floral arrangements and gifts. Peter and Sons Flowers & Gifts longtime owner Susan Matteson said the business went through a difficult time when the coronavirus pandemic started and after the Sprague road closure in the last years.
“We lost business, but we have become a very strong Internet business, and so we get a lot that way,” Matteson said.
After the reopening of Sprague Avenue, Matteson said she hopes the neighborhood becomes more diverse as there are still empty storefronts and spaces to be filled up.
Matteson said that the East Central neighborhoods have various stores, from antique stores to vibrant and fun restaurants.
“We are working to make it better, and it’s just working, and it’s providing a road map for other small areas in the city,” Matteson said. “We are the only small district with the business improvement district," Matteson said. "Nobody else has those except for downtown, and so we’re kind of putting out a footprint there for helping people follow in that direction.”
Nov 2: Hillyard
UP With KREM visited Green’s Fresh Market in Spokane’s Hillyard neighborhood on Tuesday.
Located at 4915 N Market St., Green’s Fresh Market has been at the heart of Hillyard for many years. Founded by Jack and Mary Green, Green’s Fresh Market provides Hillyard residents with the best deals on quality produce in the area.
“We go out and we try to find the best deals we can with the best quality and we pass it on” Jack Green said. “I get a lot of opportunity buys where the warehouse gets overstocked on something and they’ll call me and we pass the savings on. The customers here seem to really enjoy it and enjoy coming in.”'
Nov. 2: Hillyard's Market Street
UP With KREM stopped this week by Chucherias and Snow Cones in Hillyard Food Truck Pavilion located at 5108 N. Market St in Spokane.
The local business menu offers a variety of warmer and cold food options such as drinks, snow cones, churros, buñuelos, the Hispanic version of an elephant ear, and other menu options.
Hillyard Food Truck Pavilion has a Friday market that offers people local food, live music and crafts from local vendors.
Chucherias and Snow Cones business owner told KREM that he wants to show the community that Hillyard is not the place everybody thinks it is, as many people see it as an unsafe and dirty neighborhood. He wants to help the community and other local businesses and make Hillyard an attraction place for the community.
Nov. 3: Airway Heights Sunset Highway
This week, Up with KREM visited Airway Heights’ Jacob’s Java local business located at 12806 Sunset Hwy in Spokane.
Jacob’s Java was first established in 1992, and it now has six locations, including Spokane and Spokane Valley. The business offers baked goods, breakfast sandwiches, different coffee options, and its famous burritos that the company gets from a local vendor.
Carson, who has been working at Jacob’s Java for the last two years, said when the pandemic first started, the business slowed down, but then it picked back up again.
Jacob’s Java busiest times are during mornings, but the business workers try their best to provide good service to its customers. Carson said Jacob’s Java employees know their customers and get their drinks ready before they even get to the window, so people don’t have to wait in line and they can get to work on time.
Nov. 3: Airway Heights Sunset Highway
Up with KREM stopped by the famous d’bali Asian Bistro restaurant this week and spoke with business owner Momma Jeannie Choi.
d’bali Asian Bistro, located at 12924 W Sunset Hwy, opened its doors in October 2018 in Airway Heights, in Spokane, as Choi's goal was to share her love and passion for Southeast Asia travel and culture with her fellow neighbors and the Northwest community.
The business offers a variety of tasty Asian food like its most popular Choi’s boat noodle soup featuring 11 herbs in a flavorful scratch-made bone broth.
The restaurant offers a tasty food menu and focuses on providing good customer service to its guests.
d’bali Asian Bistro was awarded the 2018 Spokane Culinary Arts Guild as “Best Ethnic Dining.”
Choi said Airway Heights is a wonderful community with friendly neighbors, and she is excited that more businesses are coming up to Airway Heights as the area is growing.
Nov. 4: Millwood Argonne Road
UP With KREM visited Rocket Bakery in Millwood on Thursday, Nov. 4.
Rocket Bakery, located at 3101 N Argonne Rd., has offered its fresh baked goods and unique coffee flavors to Millwood residents for almost 30 years. The bakery is a staple to Millwood, and offers specialty drinks, sandwiches, salads, bagels and baked goods.
KREM 2's Tim Phan was live at Rocket Bakery in Millwood, giving away 20 coffees or scones to Up with KREM viewers.
Nov. 4: Millwood Frederick Ave
UP With KREM also visited the local Millwood Brewing Company on Thursday, Nov. 4.
Located at 9013 E Frederick Ave., Millwood Brewing Company is recognized nationally and internationally. Its Minor Threat Hazy IPA and Purple Yeti Huckleberry Blonde beers won silver medals from the Brewski Awards in October.
Millwood Brewing Company's owner and manager Chuck Watkins said the brewery serves the community.
"The community was the reason why I put this brewery here because this is a community that was really built on the people," Watkins said. "They [ the community] typically move here, and they stay here for many years to come, so it made a lot of sense to put the brewery in a place where people can come and call it their local and social."