Sanders County Ledger - Your Best Source For Sanders County News

After more than 25 years, the Black Bear Inn in Thompson Falls is opening to the public. Daniel Moore and Marlaina Mohr purchased the Black Bear in April 2018. One year later, the first new business is opening. The Black Bear Coffee House will hold its grand opening Saturday, May 4, at 6 a.m.

Since purchasing the building, the plan has always been to restore it in phases, Moore said, opening new businesses as each space is ready. First on the list is the coffee house and a hair salon.

A coffee house doesn't provide a living wage for its employees, but it does help create community, Moore said. He envisions young people hanging out there and utilizing free Wi-Fi and USB charging stations.

Moore said the coffee house and hair salon utilize roughly 15% of the Black Bear space. The other 85% is still in the developmental stage, although Moore is planning to make good on creating a customer service call center within the building.

"Call centers supporting large national or global companies can exist anywhere in the world," Moore said. "What is needed is space to house the workers and a willing workforce." This sort of use is appealing to Moore because he thinks it creates living wage jobs, will utilize an old building that has been dormant for years, and will not impact the pristine beauty of our community.

"We are so excited to have reached our first milestone on this journey and hope that we have created something valuable for the community," Moore said. He commented that local workers were hired to prepare the space and to work in the coffee shop.

In addition to coffees, teas, spritzers, frappes and espresso beverages, Black Bear Coffee will have a selection of homemade pastries.