Carrie Schmidt was introduced to V Chocolates when her daughter received a box of them from her employer, the insurance provider Regence, as a morale booster during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The candy is so delicious that Schmidt made V Chocolates’ sea salt caramels, truffles and toffee part of an expanded selection of gifts at Hills Valley Floral after she and her husband acquired the business in March from Bonnie Henrickson.

Other items in the broadened retail inventory include the bath line, G&E Spa Essentials by Jessi McLean, soy candles from Candeo Candle Company and a line of cards with photographs from the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley area. The candles come in scents like “Buttercream Cake,” “Tomato on the Vine” and “Freshly Mowed Grass.”

Adding more retail products is part of her approach to maintaining everything that has made Hills Valley Floral a thriving business since it opened in 1918 while finding new avenues to make it even more profitable, Schmidt said.

She moved the business to a new location, 1024 16th Ave., Lewiston, from Bryden Avenue in the Orchards.

“I love the open space,” said Courtney Pelan, a Hills Valley Floral employee. “It’s bigger. It’s super bright. I love the natural light.”

Schmidt lengthened the hours to 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The telephone number stayed the same: (208) 743-3544.

Schmidt retained all the staff, including three experienced floral designers and added four employees for sales and deliveries. While Henrickson is retired, she still works one day a week and during busy holidays, Schmidt said.

The approach is based on what she learned about Hills Valley Floral in the years she served as its contracted bookkeeper, Schmidt said.

“I loved what (Henrickson) was doing and what she could create,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt continues to operate her bookkeeping and tax service office full time in Lewiston. She also owns Schmidt’s Golf Car and Sales & Service with her husband, Fred Schmidt, in Lewiston.

Lewiston’s Slow Down Market: Where vintage vibes and local merchandise mix

Vintage clothing, thrifted finds, food, gifts and art will be featured in a new Saturday market that will debut this week in Lewiston.

The Slow Down Market will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays at 835 Main St. in the side parking lot and other outside areas around the Storm Cellar.

It’s scheduled to run through Sept. 28 at this time, but it might go later in the fall if demand merits, Caleb Warner, an owner of the Storm Cellar and an organizer of the event, said in an email.

The Storm Cellar in Lewiston, Retro on Main, Angel Teeth, Charlie’s Retro Reality, Thimbleberry Candle Co., We All Scream Ice Scream and Songwood Family Farm are among the businesses that have committed to participate, Warner said.

The Storm Cellar and Retro on Main sell previously-owned clothing. Charlie’s Retro Reality carries vintage goods with a focus on pop culture. Angel Teeth and Songwood Family Farm feature original art.

“We’d like this to grow into a blend of flea and farmers market with fresh produce, food trucks and more secondhand home good treasures,” he said.

The market is being coordinated by entrepreneurs who are volunteering their time, Warner said.

“Slow Down Market is born out of a passion for flea markets and pedestrian friendly downtowns,” he said.

Main Street will stay open during the market for “maximum visibility and parking options,” Warner said. “We want this to be easy for people to get to, and easy for people to participate in (a way) that allows entrepreneurs a low-cost way of benefitting from the growing vibrancy of downtown Lewiston.”

The market will be kept as cool as possible with misters and awnings.

Spots for vendors such as food trucks, antique merchants and vintage clothing sellers are still available. Additional information is available by emailing hello@lewistonstormcellar.com.

SEL ranks as Washington’s top manufacturer outside Boeing

PULLMAN – Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories is the biggest manufacturer in Washington other than companies in the Boeing family.

That ranking comes from MNI, a Chicago-area firm founded in 1912, which according to its website, has compiled data about close to half a million industrial businesses with a team of more than 80 data researchers.

With 2,552 employees in Pullman, SEL is the fourth largest manufacturer in Washington behind Boeing Commercial Airplane Co. and two branches of The Boeing Co.

Boeing Commercial Airplane has a staff of 30,000 in Everett. The Renton location of Boeing Co. has 12,000 employees and its Kent site has 4,900, according to MNI.

The 2,552 doesn’t include SEL’s 858 employees in Lewiston, 99 in Moscow and 2,800 in other parts of the United States and the world.

“(SEL) makes technology that protects, monitors, and controls electric power systems, including relays, meters, electronic wireless and serial encrypting transceivers, precision digital clocks and computers,” according to MNI.

SEL is one of 5,523 manufacturers in Washington, which together employ 336,334 workers, according to MNI.

Lewis Clark Valley Young Professionals set for a relaunch

Appetizers, drinks, free professional headshot pictures by Studio 10 and bingo with prizes are part of a kick-off event for a relaunch of the Lewis Clark Valley Young Professionals.

The group for people between the ages of 21-31 years old will meet at 5:30 p.m. July 16, at 818 F St., just south of Newberry Square in downtown Lewiston.

The gathering is the first of five scheduled for this year for the organization that’s being formed in collaboration with Studio 1892 and the Lewis Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce. Studio 1892 is the digital marketing arm of TPC Holdings, the parent company of the Lewiston Tribune and the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

“The young professionals program is designed to develop local talent through educational training, networking, volunteering and social events,” according to a news release from the Lewis Clark Valley Young Professionals.

Events on the group’s docket so far are as follows:

• Volunteering at Habitat for Humanity in Lewiston, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 6.
• Presentation by Carol Maurer, the city of Lewiston’s public information officer, 5:30 p.m. Oct. 1.
• Presentation by Tobe Finch, corporate president of Happy Day Corp., 5:30 p.m. Nov. 5.
• Volunteering at the Idaho Food Bank in Lewiston with a presentation, 5:30 p.m. Dec. 3.

Additional information is available by calling or emailing Kaitlyn Jones at the Lewis Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce or Kaitlyn Hinkley at Studio 1892. Jones’ contact information is (509) 758-7712 or info@lcvalleychamber.org. Hinkley’s is (509) 552-2485 or kaitlyn@studio1892.com.

Noble named managed of Zions Bank in Moscow

MOSCOW – Trista Noble has been promoted to manager of Zions Bank’s Moscow branch at 105 S. Main St.

In her new job, Noble is responsible for business development, customer service, community outreach and overall management of the branch and its staff, according to a news release from Zions Bank.

She brings more than 14 years of banking and finance experience to her role, including her most recent job as branch service manager at the Zions Bank Moscow office.

The Moscow location of Zions Banks is one of 25 in Idaho, including one in Lewiston. Zions Bank also has 96 branches in Utah and Wyoming.