The Coeur d'Alene Review

06/25/2026

06/24/2026

I reached out to Panhandle Play Co. and they shared how they started their business and some valuable insight/advice for others.

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Panhandle Play Co. actually started with a bit of long-distance inspiration! We watched a close friend launch a successful bounce house/soft play business in the Boise area, and seeing their journey completely fueled our own dream of business ownership. Knowing there wasn’t a ton of local bounce house rental companies in the area, and even less soft play companies, we decided this would for sure be a great addition to this already great area. We are located in the Coeur d’alene area, and even serve parts of Eastern Washington.

It taught us our biggest lesson early on: community and networking are everything. Without the success of others, and the perseverance of small business owners in the area, this business might’ve not become a thing. Growing up in the area, we’ve cherished the tight knit community this place brings, so any chance there is to celebrate small businesses is always a win.

Our best advice for other small businesses is to find a community of peers you can learn from. Don’t expect things to always go your way, or for running a business to be flawless. Make sure you enjoy what you do, because if you don’t, motivation goes out the window. We absolutely LOVE what we do! Don’t be scared to reach out to other business owners for advice, sometimes knowing their story of sacrifice is all it takes to keep going!

For marketing, nothing beats genuine local connections and word-of-mouth. If possible, collaborate with other small businesses to build that community and influence each other to keep building. Words and recommendations spread like wildfires, you’d be surprised the business you can get from just that.

We are so grateful we get to serve the area we live in, bringing smiles and laughter from Eastern Washington to North Idaho! We’d love to bring joy to your events, whether it’s a wedding, birthday party, or celebration of any kind. We offer 2 different bounce houses, and an amazing soft play setup for the little ones.

Our website is: panhandleplaycompany.com

Check us out on instagram! Panhandle Play Co.

06/22/2026

I messaged a local chef named Jonathan Siegler who has an impressive culinary background. His background includes cooking for a non-profit, for fine dining, and opening Vesper Charcuterie with his wife. He sent me a description for you all to learn more about him and Vesper Charcuterie.

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From private country clubs to delicatessens, Chef Jonathan Siegler has cooked his way from non-profit to fine dinning.  This local chef has cooked in many of Coeur d’Alene’s culinary establishments. He attended school at North Idaho College in the Culinary Arts Program, through which he earned a praised internship at the country club, Black Rock. He also was the Chef at the Coeur d’Alene Kroc Center for 5 years. Fine dinning wise, Jonathan worked at the Coeur d'Alene Resort at Beverly’s and Coeur d’Alene Resort Convention Center. He also worked for Chomper Cafe for 4 years and helped open the sister restaurant Belles Brunch House. His cooking background is diverse, but his teaching ability that he utilizes during cooking classes, is based on coaching swimmers.

Chef Jonathan was a local swim coach for Lake City High School and Coeur d’Alene Area Swim Team. Today his coaching experience serves to help raise his three children to learn to love the water as much as he does (when he’s not teaching them to love good food, that is). Art On The Green, and Cinco de Mayo are Jonathan’s favorite holidays that he enjoys as his days off from working at Northwest Speciality Hospital as part of their Dietary Team.

Northwest Speciality Hospital is where they don’t serve your typical hospital food. The patient menu incudes Beef Filet, Chicken Marsala, Roasted Salmon, and Shrimp Scampi. In the past year he has helped build and create Vesper Charcuterie with his wife Rachel Siegler. Vesper Charcuterie is a pop up charcuterie cart that pops up at farmers markets, weddings, and corporate functions. We are a choose your own charcuterie adventure cart. You pick the ingredients and we put it together for you.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Minor edits were made for clarity. Check out Vesper Charcuterie below⬇️

Link: https://vesperch.square.site/

06/16/2026

STOP HERE: Before you go any further, I just want to request your follow! I'm glad to see some more growth lately. Let's keep it up! Also, if you want me to feature your business on CDAR, be sure to DM me.

Yesterday I spoke with Andria about the Kootenai County Farmer's Market. She recently become the president of the board, and has been a part of KCFM for years. She owns Lake City Bakery with her mom, and you can find her at the markets selling her goods.

If you've never been to the farmer's market, you might be in for a fun surprise. The Saturday market is located on the corner of Prairie and the highway. There are lots of trees, a lot of vendors, and it's a popular event. You can find handmade goods, food, baked goods, etc.

You can also find the Wednesday market in Riverstone on Beebe & Main St. from 4-7PM. Andria describes the Wednesday market as a more laid back environment with fewer vendors (~20) and better parking. She hopes to see more people check it out!

For anyone interested, they accept applications for farmers year round, and the process basically provides a fast lane for agricultural vendors to get in. For those looking to sell homemade goods or be a food court vendor, they mostly accept those applications during Spring time.

Andria's advice for existing or up-and-coming vendors is this... if you're the type that wants to not just make sells, but connections, then farmers markets are great. You need to be willing to go through the process to get in. It's not for people looking to make a quick buck. Also, unless its a fruit or vegetable, bring something unique to the table. You want to bring something that doesn't already exist there.

She told me that the thing they try to push the most for KCFM is that customers get to connect with the actual vendors themselves. The producer who made the products or goods needs to be on-site at the market. So if you're looking to talk to the people behind the products, farmers markets offer a great opportunity to meet them.

A big thank you to Andria for giving me the opportunity to make this review. Be sure you make the most of your next visit to the Kootenai County Farmer's Market visit!

06/06/2026

05/30/2026

HAPPENING THIS WEEK IN COEUR D'ALENE!
--- May 31st to June 6th ---

Mark your calendars🖊🗓

Sunday Brunch Cruise
Date/Time: May 31, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Rock Swap
Date/Time: June 1 – June 30, library hours

The Coeur d'Alene Resort's 40th Anniversary Celebration
Date/Time: June 1, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Daily Scenic Cruise
Date/Time: June 1, 12:30 PM – 4:00 PM

5th Street Farmers Market
Date/Time: June 3, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Cemetery Walking Tour: Legends and Leaders
Date/Time: June 4, 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Backpacking 101: Get Trail-Ready
Date/Time: June 4, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Dementia Caregivers Connect
Date/Time: June 5, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Youth Fishing Derby
Date/Time: June 6, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

3rd Annual Classic Car Show
Date/Time: June 6, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM