Huppin’s buyer Wipliance holding grand opening of ‘experiential’ Spokane Valley store

Wipliance, the company that purchased the Huppin’s retail store on North Division Street, has moved its operations to Spokane Valley and will be holding a grand opening on Wednesday.

Matt Clark, the general manager for the Spokane Valley store, worked 17 years for Murray Huppin, who sold his family’s 114-year-old retail business to Wipliance owner Lee Travis in 2022.

“Working for Murray, you just learn the attention to detail,” Clark said. “The attention to the customer, being very customer-focused and just building those relationships.

“It’s been a nice transition from Huppin’s to Wipliance,” he continued. “They are just very similar in the importance of family values and maintaining that community presence.”

Wipliance initially purchased the former Huppin’s retail location at 8016 N. Division St. But in 2023, the owners decided to move to a new location in Spokane Valley.

The new showroom currently is open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at 12410 E. Mirabeau Parkway, Suite 100.

Clark will host a ribbon cutting at 3 p.m. on Wednesday with the grand opening to follow from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., he said.

“We had a soft open house in July. Since then, we have been able to progress further with the showroom,” Clark said.

Unlike the North Spokane location, which was open by appointment only, customers can come during business hours to view Wipliance’s showroom. They can also schedule personal showings if they wish, he said.

Unlike Huppin’s, which focused on online and retail sales of electronic equipment, Wipliance sells integrated systems that incorporate many of those same electronics, including lighting and security systems.

“It’s more experiential,” Clark said. “We have a kitchen setup, a living room, a home theater, an outdoor area and a conference room.

“Our whole purpose is to really show the newest technology in the way of lighting, shading, both indoor and outdoor, while still paying homage to Huppin’s with the home theaters, audio systems … and incorporation of more of a breadth of centralized control.”

The location also has a warehouse nearby that allows customers to purchase and take home some of the items that are displayed in the showroom.

“It’s not that traditional retail store, like we were, where you come in and buy a TV. It’s more of a showroom,” he said. “If we have something in stock, because we do have a warehouse, they can buy it at that moment.

“We just don’t hold the inventory the way we did being a retail store.”

Wipliance was founded in 2006 by Lee Travis in Bellevue. He got his start selling car audio equipment in 1987. The company has offices in Bellevue, Arizona and now Spokane Valley.

Travis’ late mother was from Spokane, so for a couple of decades, he had been making multiple trips a year to the Lilac City. He became acquainted with Murray, and the two business owners started to collaborate.

In 2020, Huppin transitioned his retail store into a center focused on custom installation of things like automated lighting, window treatments, smart home features and full audio or theater systems. That’s Wipliance’s bread and butter.

Huppin said in a 2022 interview that he had a lot of respect for how Travis built his business in Bellevue.

“He is somebody I’ve gotten to know through industry associations,” Huppin said of Travis in 2022. “He runs a terrific business and is tremendously regarded and respected. And, the timing was just right.”

Clark worked for Huppin’s online sales. Murray Huppin then asked Clark to manage the North Division retail store not long before the sale to Wipliance.

Clark then joined the new team.

“I’ve gone through transitions with a couple different companies,” Clark said, “but this one has been seamless. It starts with the people.”

Wipliance’s new location has received a good response since it had its soft opening this summer.

“We are super excited to get to this point,” Clark said.