Follow path to one-stop shopping at Design Center

It was a business concept that had yet to materialize in the Pacific Northwest: Starting in a cafe – in the 2b cafe in this case – an open and winding path comprised of a variety of contemporary and classic building materials would snake its way through several adjoining merchants where customers seeking an inclusive shopping experience could plan an interior-design project from start to finish, all the while sipping on a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

While the concept had become reality in cities such as Phoenix and other U.S. metropolitan areas, the 20,455 square-foot, six-business strip of home interior stores that is Hayden’s Design Center, on the corner of Orchard Avenue and Government Way, was a scheme brought to North Idaho several years ago by Julie Osborne-Moss and two other local partners, Marty Fortier and Greg Brett. The stores, through the interior pathway as well as outside entrances, form a one-stop shopping panacea for interior home projects, such as plumbing and lighting fixtures, interior and exterior floors and walkways, furniture and a variety of other building supplies and their many amalgamations.

Or maybe, over at the start of the path in the Internet-enabled 2b cafe, a stopover might be in order to rejuvenate a dreary day with a caffeine cocktail, glass of wine or beer, or even to meet with a professional for a personal interior design consultation. The choice is there, but when all the businesses are open, customers are encouraged to walk along the path and check out the sample designs that showcase combinations of products found in the Design Center’s businesses.

“We tried to get away from the ordinary,” said Osborne-Moss, co-owner of the cafe with her husband, Chris, and an interior designer at the neighboring store Fixtures Ltd. “It was designed to be a little different from what is normally expected in this area.”

In addition to Fixtures Ltd., the flagship kitchen and bath store, the three partners also own Eclipse Lighting, the lighting store within the design center.

Sitting in a rustic and private booth, complete with Italian countertops, dark-wood cabinetry from Washington state stained-glass windows lining the tops of the stalls, Osborne-Moss laid out the idea behind one of the more novel businesses to hit the Coeur d’Alene community in recent years.

“Three to four years ago the whole process began,” she said, adding that the center’s location proved to be one of the group’s biggest hurdles. In the end though, she said, “we decided we wanted to invest in our community” and build in Hayden.

Their decision to build along this up-and-coming section of Government Way has been beneficial, Osborne-Moss said, proclaiming that “the design center has been busier than we expected … It’s basically a resource for the community.”

Their idea was born in part from wanting to alleviate some of the frustrations that go along with scouring stores in the hopes of finding the perfect combination of in-home products. Whereas at the Design Center, beginning in the cafe, where they offer locally roasted Doma coffee, the partly slate-rock pathway “is laid out to be as enjoyable as possible,” said Osborne-Moss, who has also done the interior design of downtown Coeur d’Alene’s Cafe Doma and many local homes. It allows an otherwise frazzled customer to come in and shop “in a really comfortable setting,” she said. The six other businesses, she said, give them “six other opportunities to see people we wouldn’t otherwise see.”

And the rest of the stores “present a huge, interactive display, if you will. It’s to help people visualize the product,” she added.

But well before the ground had been broken where the stretch of businesses now sit, and though the business plan had been years in the making and thoroughly pieced together, including everything from area demographic patterns to traffic counts, finding a financial backer for the group’s ambitious business proposal proved to be somewhat problematic.

“It is… a new concept in the area,” Osborne-Moss said, and that made some lenders jittery.

But when they presented their business plan to Ron Ouren, vice president at Panhandle State Bank’s Coeur d’Alene branch, he recognized the plan’s potential.

“It’s a good concept, technically … It’s not just high-end. It fits everybody’s needs,” Ouren said. “To my knowledge, it is the first of its kind in the Coeur d’Alene area. We thought it was unique, but they seem to be doing fine.”

With backing from the folks at Panhandle, the trio of business partners could now put their vision in action.

The most important advice Osborne-Moss would dispense to any potential entrepreneurs is to plan ahead for future financial hardships. “You have to be prepared to go without a salary for at least two years. Have enough capital for a minimum of two years,” she said.

In two years, the nascent area north of Coeur d’Alene will remain a hot spot for not only businesses, but the Hayden community as well, Ouren said. That is a promising sign on the twisting pathway at the Design Center.

“As the community continues to grow, it will provide a good service,” he said.