Biz Bits: New owner brings updated menu to Clarkston's Station 3

Feb. 25—The owner of The Winchester Kitchen and Bar has expanded with the acquisition of Station 3, a restaurant with a full bar at 916 Sixth St. in Clarkston.

The menu features classics such as five choices of hamburgers ($15.49 to $19.49), chicken-fried steak ($18.99) and bite-size steak ($17.99 to $25.99).

It also has less widely available options such as a bison burger ($17.49) and a bulgogi kimchi bowl ($16.99).

Bite-size steak and the bulgogi kimchi bowl have been favorites with customers, said Eric Frei, the owner.

His take on bite-size is marinated in a house recipe for three to four days and then grilled without being breaded, he said.

The result is tender meat with savory flavors, Frei said.

The bulgogi kimchi bowl includes two staples of Korean cuisine: bulgogi beef, which is thinly sliced meat with Asian spices, and kimchi, a type of spicy fermented cabbage. The bowl also includes fried rice, peppers and onions.

Frei brings more than five years of restaurant experience to the Clarkston venture. He purchased The Winchester Kitchen and Bar in 2019 after spending many years as a truck driver in the agricultural industry.

There he built on what he learned as a one-time owner of two Lewiston bars, PALS and The Villa. Industry veterans and his suppliers coached him on the food side of the business, something he has found he enjoys.

Noticing how many Lewiston-Clarkston Valley residents were frequenting The Winchester Kitchen and Bar, he opened 602 Burgers and Dogs in the former Lunch Box Deli space in North Lewiston about a year ago.

That lunch spot quickly outgrew its space, prompting Frei to seek a larger location. Station 3 met that criteria, had a full liquor license and provided an opportunity to add dinner.

Like Bill Jollymore, Station 3's previous owner, Frei is cultivating a family-friendly atmosphere at what is one of Clarkston's oldest, independently owned restaurants.

His understanding is the name of Station 3 came from the three firefighters who founded it in the 1970s.

Station 3 is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Frei's departure from North Lewiston could create an opportunity for another entrepreneur. The former location of 602 Burgers and Dogs is for sale through Trinity Properties in Coeur d'Alene.

Grateful Threads closing its doors; new venture expected in mid-March

Customers played pingpong while moms, dads and kids danced to live Hawaiian music one Friday night at Grateful Threads Consignment in downtown Lewiston.

The evening in many ways encapsulated everything the store aspired to be — a place where shoppers could have fun and buy affordable, gently used clothing that reflected who they are, said Krystle Monda, who is stepping away from her position as the store's owner.

The consignment retailer's last day was expected to be Saturday, after Monda had a sale to clear out all of the merchandise.

The plan is for the store to reopen in the same location at 628 Main St. in mid-March under a new owner who is renaming the store and will use a different buying process to stock the store with high-quality, previously owned garments, Monda said.

The decision to leave Grateful Threads was difficult, Monda said, largely because the store intentionally was a safe, social place for everyone, including people in the LGBTQ+ community.

The challenge was that Grateful Threads didn't generate enough income for Monda, a single mom, to support her daughter and herself.

The average price of a piece of merchandise was about $15. Of that, 40%, or $6, went to the consignor and $9 went to the business for the lease, utilities, employee wages and other expenses before her own paycheck, Monda said.

At the same time, fast fashion was diluting the quality of clothing people were bringing to Grateful Threads. Instead of denim, wool, cashmere and woven fabrics, she was increasingly seeing flimsy synthetics that had no resale value.

"Online shopping and prices have made it very difficult to compete as a small business," she said.

Monda's departure comes five years after she acquired what was then Born Again Resale along Thain Road in the Lewiston Orchards.

She learned the store was for sale when she was consigning clothes so she could afford to replace what her daughter had outgrown.

The opportunity appealed to her because she wanted to own her own business and use expertise she had gained in jobs such as being a credit union employee, waiter and yoga instructor.

She also understood the important role second-hand stores play in selling unusual, affordable clothing and limiting the volume of textiles going to landfills.

Under Monda's ownership, the store's atmosphere evolved with its new name, move to Lewiston's Main Street, events and increased emphasis on adult clothing.

What happens next is still unfolding.

The store hosted a "Transformation Station" that was a part of Chroma, a not-for-profit group supporting the LGBTQ+ community in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, Monda said.

People who were transitioning from one gender to another could book private appointments at the store and choose new clothing. Monda would help them with fit and development of their own style. The clothes were paid for with donations.

"What we wear is really important," Monda said. "It makes us feel comfortable in who we are."

The remaining contributions for the Transformation Station will be given to Chroma. But at this time, Monda said she is not aware of another business that would like to fill the role Grateful Threads did.

What she will do next is also a work in progress.

Being a store owner, Monda said, was as much about helping people as it was selling clothes. She enjoyed talking to her customers and was open about her journey as a queer woman because she found it made others in similar situations feel less isolated.

In the future, she would like to do something that involves some sort of community-building after she takes a pause for rest.

"I am very grateful for everything I have been able to accomplish in the last five years and all of the support from the community," she said. "I encourage everyone to support local businesses."

Agricultural Appreciation Banquet registration due Tuesday

Tuesday is the deadline to register for the Lewis Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Appreciation Banquet.

Registration is available at lcvalleychamber.org. The cost is $50 per person.

The banquet will be held at 5:30 p.m. March 5 at the Hells Canyon Grand Hotel at 621 21st St., Lewiston. Rogers Dodge is the sponsor.

Producers will be honored at the event where the chamber will present scholarships made possible through donations of businesses and individuals.

Winter meeting will focus on helping rural communities

PULLMAN — Strategies to help rural communities thrive will be discussed at the 2024 winter meeting of Inland Northwest Partners in Pullman on March 6.

The theme of the meeting is "Communities Happen on Main Street: Ideas into Action." The keynote speaker is Becky McCray, co-founder of SaveYour.Town, a consulting firm.

McCray holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and lives in Hopeton, Okla., a town of 30 people. She previously owned Allen's Retail Liquors in Alva, Okla., and was a city administrator of Waynoka, Okla., a town of 990 people.

The Inland Northwest Partners winter meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. March 6 at the Courtyard by Marriott at 1295 NE N. Fairway Road, Pullman.

The cost for the event is $70. Registration is available at inwp.org/events through March 4.

Inland Northwest Partners is a not-for-profit organization that works to enhance the long-term vitality of north central Idaho, north Idaho and southeastern Washington. Its founding investor is Avista Corp.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.