Spokane couple opening indoor golf simulator in Five Mile

Aug. 7—A Spokane couple is bringing indoor golf to the Five Mile neighborhood.

Ronette and Craig Lodgard are converting a 6,600-square-foot space into Golf District, an indoor golf simulator, at 1808 W. Francis Ave., in the Five Mile Shopping Center.

Renovations will soon be underway on the space, which will feature 10 golf simulators as well as a kitchen and bar that serves beer, wine and appetizers.

"We are trying to make it a realistic simulator experience for golfers," Craig Lodgard said. "Here in Spokane, with our winters, it's an ideal situation. I'm an avid golfer myself and really struggle in the wintertime looking for things to do."

Lodgard was a former co-owner of Spokane-based software company Vision Municipal Solutions. After selling the company last year, he decided to look for other business opportunities.

The Lodgards researched indoor golf simulator concepts and visited several facilities across the nation before making the decision to launch Golf District with their six children.

"We always wanted to have an opportunity to include all of our children in a business, so I'm excited about that," Craig Lodgard said.

The Lodgards, with assistance from Goodale & Barbieri leasing and sales broker Ryan Oberg, looked at potential locations for Golf District in the Spokane area before choosing to lease space in the Five Mile Shopping Center.

"We checked it out and it was just perfect and not too far from home," Ronette Lodgard said.

Golf District will feature golf simulators from aboutGOLF, a company headquartered in Ohio with an office in the Seattle area.

The company's golf simulators use machine vision for realistic gameplay and pinpoint accuracy while collecting real-time swing data.

"It will tell you exactly what's wrong with your swing," Craig Lodgard said. "We will also have a golf pro in there to do lessons."

The simulators can accommodate up to six players. One person can complete a round of golf in about an hour, he said.

The couple anticipates a fall opening for Golf District, which will be for the 21 and over crowd.

"We hope to make this something very fun for Spokane," Ronette Lodgard said.

Sushi bar coming to River Park Square

The owner of Shiki Sushi Bar & Japanese Grill in Coeur d'Alene is planning to open a location in downtown Spokane.

Leon Chi filed a building permit application with the city to convert a 5,600-square-foot space formerly occupied by Sushi Maru into a sushi bar and Japanese steakhouse at 808 W. Main Ave., Suite 105 in River Park Square.

Work calls for removing a conveyor belt Sushi Maru used for rotating plates of sushi and building a new sushi bar, according to the application.

The project contractor is Eric T. Baker of Walla Walla.

The estimated cost for renovations is $180,000, according to the application.

The downtown Spokane restaurant would mark the fifth Shiki location.

In addition to the Coeur d'Alene restaurant, Chi operates Shiki locations in Walla Walla, Kennewick and Hermiston, Oregon.

Chi did not respond to a request for comment on the proposed Spokane restaurant.

North Face moving not far from current location

The North Face is moving into a space formerly occupied by the Small Biz Shoppe in downtown Spokane.

Schiller Park, Illinois-based RGLA Solutions filed a permit with the city for renovations to the 4,470-square-foot space at 706 W. Main Ave.

The North Face is currently located on the same block at 714 W. Main Ave.

Renovations call for removal of existing walls as well as plumbing and mechanical work, according to the application.

The permit valuation is $250,000, according to the application.

The project contractor has not yet been determined. The architect is RGLA Solutions.

The North Face did not respond to a request for comment on the relocation.

The Small Biz Shoppe closed last month. It will reopen in a larger location in the future, owner Jordan Mitch said in an email.