David’s Pizza working on new home near arena

David’s Pizza will be reviving the flour-dusted history of a building that was once part of the Hostess Bakery.

Owner Mark Starr said he can’t wait to start reconstruction at David’s Pizza’s new home, 803 N. Post St. He’s dreaming of tossing pies toward high ceilings with exposed beams. The building is south of the Spokane Arena and west of the Flour Mill.

The former home to David’s Pizza, near the Gonzaga University campus, was demolished last year to make way for a new retail center.

Starr said they will replace the glass in all of the large windows and will be able to use several of the roll-up doors. They’ll also offer plenty of outside seating and parking will be available in a lot or on the street. There will be space for meetings and receptions.

“Today’s sun reminds me how much I want to get this open,” Starr said in an email exchange during last week’s springlike weather.

Starr said they have the bar from the former Cyrus O’Leary’s downtown, along with the moose head that hung in the restaurant, which closed last year.

The new David’s Pizza will have daily specials and pizza by the slice. The menu will remain the same with some additions from its sister restaurant, Famous Ed’s on the South Hill.

Starr said they just started taking bids on the construction work and he won’t be able to set an opening date until that work is under way.

In the meantime, David’s Pizza is still available at Famous Ed’s, 2911 E. 57th Ave.

Didier’s reopens

Didier’s Yogurt & More is open again after three months of reconstruction.

The restaurant and yogurt shop, 10410 N. Division St., was devastated after a minivan driven by a teenager smashed through the wall of the building and into the store early on Thanksgiving morning. The driver was charged with drunken driving.

Karen Etten said the car didn’t just hit the building, it crashed through the outside wall of the small shop and smashed through everything inside before coming to rest behind the counter.

Etten, who owns the business with her husband, Fred, said she wasn’t prepared for what she saw when she arrived at the store after a 3:57 a.m. phone call from police.

“It looked like a bomb had gone off in here,” she said.

Police and eyewitnesses estimated the car was traveling at 90 mph when it hit the building. The impact was so severe, it shifted the whole building on its foundation, Etten said. The driver and passenger, both teenagers, were not seriously hurt.

Yogurt drained from the damaged machines onto the floor and YoCream containers were scattered among the splintered walls, crumbling drywall and smashed ceiling tiles. Etten said she was standing in an inch of sticky muck when contractors told them it would take four to six month to fix.

“I nearly burst into tears,” she said.

It didn’t take quite that long. Didier’s reopened Feb. 24, exactly three months from the day of the accident. Etten said her faith in God kept her strong during the uncertainty and setbacks. The store had to be gutted and rebuilt.

As they refurbished Didier’s, Etten said they wanted to keep their customers in mind. They still wanted people to feel as comfortable coming for yogurt in their swimsuits as they did stopping for lunch or dinner.

“We didn’t want to lose that,” Etten said. “We wanted it to be the same but better. We wanted people to feel like it’s a piece of their past and part of their future.”

The Ettens bought the store from Mike and Cheryl Didier in 1996. Before that, the Ettens owned The Chalet Restaurant on the South Hill for 20 years.

Etten has two small scrapbooks filled with pictures of the damage and reconstruction, so employees don’t have to keep telling the story.

Didier’s features frozen yogurt with many choices of toppings, shakes, smoothies and espressos. They also serve deli sandwiches, grilled sandwiches, burgers, salads and chili or soup. The store is open 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Reach the restaurant at (509) 466-8434.

Emvy, Bridge Press build new winery

Emvy and Bridge Press Cellars have purchased a building for their wineries at the corner of Browne Street and Pacific Avenue in Spokane.

The small wineries will share space to press grapes, cellar and bottle wines. They previously shared equipment and space with Mountain Dome Winery.

Melody Padtra, co-owner of Bridge Press Cellars with her husband, Brian, said they are chronicling the remodeling on their business pages on Facebook.

The Padtras have been making wine with Emvy Cellars owners Mark and Valerie Wilkerson since 2005 and they share the tasting room at the Marketplace Wine Bar, 32 W. Second Ave., near the Spokane Public Market and Sun People Dry Goods. The new winery will be around the block from the tasting room.

“We’re really excited and it’s a great space and it’s really a neat old building,” she said.

The wineries were incubated by Grand Ronde Cellars, which will also use the new winery location to make their wines, Padtra said.

There is plenty of space at the new winery and they plan to host events and eventually move the tasting room to that location. The winery will be on the southeast corner of Browne Street and Pacific Avenue. A banner on the building announces the new location.

They don’t have a timeline on reconstruction yet, Padtra said. “We hope to crush our first harvest there in the fall.”

Until then, Bridge Press and Emvy wines can be tasted at Marketplace Wine Bar. It is open Thursday noon to 6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday noon to 9 p.m. Reach the tasting room at (509) 474-1070.

Boots replacing Rocket

The Rocket Bakery at 24 W. Main Ave. is closed and Boots Bakery is set to kick into gear by May.

Alison Collins, who has been the bartender at Mizuna for almost eight years, is opening the bakery lounge. In addition to slinging libations, Collins has always been a baker. Among her creations is Mizuna’s carrot cake.

“I just decided maybe it’s time to kind of marry the two things together,” she said.

Collins said the new bakery and bar will open at 6 a.m. for espresso, coffee and pastries and remain open into the evening hours for snacks, dessert and drinks in the lounge. Lunch will be offered as well. She’ll specialize in vegetarian and vegan offerings and goodies, along with some gluten-free menu items.

“I’m excited to be a part of that neighborhood,” she said, adding that the business will be family friendly.

Collins offered a design contest for booths inside the business and has selected eight or nine designs that will become part of the interior. One design features a table top with magnetic metal shavings diners will be able to move around.

She hopes to open the new bakery in May. Reach Collins with questions at alisoncollins@msn.com.