New tenant on the Ave

Piney Creek Interiors is the new tenant at 100 Central and will be open for business at their new location by late April, says owner Deena Brenden.

Brenden said she's been operating under increasingly cramped conditions on Railway Street for the past seven years. The 2,500-square-foot showroom and 250-square-foot design center upstairs weren't large enough to accommodate her growing business.

"Interior design is all about customizing and requires a multitude of samples," she said. "We've found ourselves limiting our offering of samples just because we didn't have the space to store them, therefore focusing the majority of our samples on a few select styles."

Moving onto Central Avenue will also improve the store's visibility, but space was a big concern. She currently has five people on staff, and they are seeing more demand in the valley for different styles.

"We are all individuals, and we want our homes to reflect our personalities," she said. "No one likes having the same looks the big box stores provide, the same looks as all their neighbors. Our new location at 100 Central will allow us to greatly increase our design space, therefore increasing our level of customizable options."

The building next to Montana Coffee Traders has been vacant since September 2007, and the new owners, Western Montana Real Estate Fund, completed exterior remodeling this year. This is in stark contrast to a few other Central Avenue sites that have not only remained vacant for years but have begun to create a blighting effect downtown.

Plans submitted by the owners in early spring called for eliminating elements of the facade that gave it an "industrial feel," especially the steel I-beam adornments, and bringing the facade "more into the context of Central Avenue."

Jackola Engineering & Architecture redesigned the facade, and Hammerquist Casalegno started the work in May. Both the second-floor deck overlooking Central Avenue and the steel balcony above the former night club's dance floor were also removed.

Larry Cates and Marshall Friedman, two of the dozen owners behind Western Montana Real Estate Fund, continue to look for buyers for much of the night-club equipment, which includes a walk-in cooler, industrial kitchen appliances and a big back bar upstairs.

"We spent a year looking for the perfect tenant for the building," Cates said. "We turned down five before we signed with Piney Creek."

Brenden has hired local contractor Rory Schwalk to complete the interior remodeling. She plans to set up a showroom on the ground floor, which is actually several feet below street level, and a greatly enlarged design center upstairs, with offices for the design staff.

"We'll also be bringing in more products in key areas, including bedding, linens, more artwork, accessories, lamps, area rugs and a few more exciting areas that we can't discuss quite yet because we are still working out those details," Brenden said.

Keeping the move secret proved to be difficult, she said, but once the word got out, the plan received a very positive response.

Born and raised in Whitefish, Brenden (nee Deena Sletten) has been in the interior design business for 15 years. After graduating from high school here, she attended college in Bozeman, taking business management. She returned to the Flathead and settled down in Kalispell with a husband and two children.

"I love being from a small town," she said. "I still have people come into the store that I haven't seen for a while who are surprised to know I'm the quiet girl that used to walk the halls at Whitefish High School. I love to see the looks on their faces when I remind them who I am."

Piney Creek Interiors continues to do business at 505 Railway Street. For more information, call 862-7463.