The Dirt: Paint and wine bar planned for East Sprague

What used to house Blue Cat Vintage, an antique and furniture store, may soon be the location of Pinot’s Palette, a painting classroom and wine bar, according to plans submitted to the city of Spokane.

Located at 1919 E. Sprague Ave., the operation is situated near other drinking spots, including Union Tavern and Bennidito’s Brewpub. Pinot’s is a franchise with about 140 locations nationwide, according to its website. The new location will mark its fourth in Washington and second in Spokane, including its current location at 319 W. Sprague Ave.

That site was briefly closed earlier this year, and reopened in November, its website says.

At the corner of Sprague and Napa Street, the roughly 5,600-square-foot space will be remodeled to host 63 painters at a time. A small bar and a private classroom capable of hosting another 36 painters are planned.

Plans were submitted by Jackie Casey, owner of the Pinot’s Palette locations in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene.

The Union District property is owned by Steve Schmautz, owner of SDS Commercial, a Spokane-based real estate firm, who purchased it in 2016 for $400,000, according to Spokane County property records.

Casey could not immediately be reached Thursday morning.

Fourplex planned for West Central

A home overlooking the Spokane River may soon be remodeled to welcome four apartment units, according to plans submitted to the city of Spokane.

Located near the T.J. Meenach Bridge, the 1904 home sits on a roughly half-acre property owned by Kelli Phalen, according to Spokane County property records.

Phalen is the third-generation owner of 3,000-square-foot home that was purchased by her grandmother, Mariem Ayers.

“She bought it in 1970 for $21,000,” she said. “At the time, it had five apartment units, and I lived in most of them.”

Ayers resided in the main apartment unit, Phalen said.

Units in the basement have not been inhabited since around the 1940s, Phan believes.

“We were doing work to update the basement units and found newspapers from that time, so that’s our best guess,” she said.

At 2314 N. Nettleton St., the project would update the apartment units on the property. There will be two on the main floor, one on the upper floor and one in the basement, according to plans.

Since her mother died about two years ago, Phalen has been listing the property on Furnished Finders, an online short-term rental marketplace that allows traveling workers, like nurses and doctors, to briefly live in fully furnished homes.

“We love hearing people’s stories and where they come from, so we’re going to keep doing that,” she said. She added that after the renovation project, she has no other plans for the property. “It has a huge yard, so people have asked if I would add an (accessory dwelling unit), but I don’t think so,” she said. “I hold so much sentiment for the property. I just want to leave it like it is.”

Phalen said because it means so much to her and because Ayers and her were so close, she will never sell the home.

Spokane-based Creighton Architecture designed the project. Sweet On You, a Spokane-based interior design firm, is the listed contractor on permit application documents.

Plant shop planned for North Monroe

At the corner of Indiana Avenue and Monroe Street, Siren Plant Shop will open this month, according to its website. Across the street from the building that previously housed Atomic Threads, the new shop will share a building with Four Eyed Guys Brewing Co.

At 920 W. Indiana Ave., the business will open on Tuesday, according to its website. The property is owned by Eagle Point Properties, a real estate group based in Spokane. Efforts to reach the owners were not successful last week.