Large Builders Supply & Home Center coming to Airway Heights
Nov. 24—The Kalispel Tribe of Indians has leased land to a hardware store owner who is planning to bring a large Builders Supply & Home Center to Airway Heights.
The Kalispel Tribe leased a more than 8-acre site to Aman Sood, who will build and operate the proposed 70,000-square-foot hardware and construction supply store north of the Kalispel Market and Chevron Fuel Station on U.S. Highway 2.
Sood owns the Colville Builders Shopping Center in Colville and Kettle Falls True Value in Kettle Falls, Washington.
"I always wanted to start a business in Airway Heights ... it's a growing area and Airway Heights needs a good hardware store for building materials and supplies," Sood said. "I saw an opportunity and wanted to make the best out of it."
The project's estimated cost is more than $6 million, Sood said.
Sood plans to offer a wide range of products at the hardware store, including paint, cabinets, insulation, roofing, flooring, windows, and electrical and plumbing supplies.
The store will feature a drive-thru lumber yard as well as an expanded fencing and ranch selection with metal and pole building kits, and lawn, garden and pet supplies.
"It caters to both homeowners and professionals for all of their building material needs," said Sood, adding the store will have a separate retail area dedicated to contractors.
The store will employ 65-70 people, Sood said.
Builders Supply & Home Center will be the cornerstone of the Kalispel Tribe's planned commercial shopping area, which is estimated to span more than 40 acres about a half-mile south of Northern Quest Resort & Casino, according to a Kalispel Tribe news release.
"This is an exciting new addition for the West Plains," Kalispel Tribal Chairman Glen Nenema said in a statement. "As one of the fastest growing areas in the state, having a large hardware and building supply presence nearby will be tremendously helpful for the surrounding community."
Sood, along with Shaun Meeds, a commercial real estate broker with Spokane-based Anzac Properties, approached the Kalispel Tribe last year with a proposal to lease land for the hardware store, said Brandon Haugen, executive director of real estate for Kalispel Development.
"In our master plan for Airway Heights, we have a commercial district along Highway 2 we are looking to build out ... We showed (Sood and Meeds) our master plan and they really liked what they saw. Our goal is to not stop there, but continue to expand along Highway 2."
The Kalispel Tribe envisions adding more than 200,000 square feet of retail development in the area south of Northern Quest in the coming years, Haugen said.
In addition to commercial retail, the Kalispel Tribe is looking to develop multifamily and single-family housing on the site, Haugen said.
"Our goal is to have 1,000 units on our property in the next five to 10 years," Haugen said. "We definitely have a lot of interest from groups approaching us about more multifamily development."
Construction on the hardware store is slated for completion by the end of 2022, Sood said.
Sood is planning to expand Builders Supply & Home Center to cover the entire 8-acre site in Airway Heights within the next couple of years.
Sood said he also wants to open additional locations in the state.
"We are rapidly growing and looking forward to our partnership with the Kalispel Tribe," Sood said.
This article was updated Nov. 24 to reflect the Builders Supply & Home Center will be 70,000 square feet.
