What’s New: Trading Places Celebrates Move
By Stephanie Eddy, The Idaho Statesman, Boise
Jul. 3–Trading Places Home Consignment, a furniture consignment store, has opened at 1322 W. Main St., in a 4,000-square-foot location near the Linen District in Boise.
A grand-opening celebration and sale will be during First Thursday.
“The Linen District is becoming a great place for style, art and unusual finds in Boise, so we are very happy to be here,” said owner Carrianne Recla. “Our furniture is stuff you just can’t find in a mass merchandise store so the kind of people who like the Linen District should appreciate what we have.”
The store, which first opened in 2002, also has a location at 5777 Glenwood St. in Garden City. The company had a store at 2141 Broadway Ave. but moved that inventory to Downtown.
People can bring in their furniture, clean and in good condition, to the store, and Trading Places sells it and keeps a percentage of the money.
“My plans are to take this concept to Nampa, Caldwell, Oregon and Washington. While Downtown is certainly a fun location, we think this will work anyplace people need furniture,” Recla said.
The Main Street location includes a loft where Recla plans to resume her furniture customization.
“Our stores did $1.2 million in business last year, more than half of which went back to people who consigned the furniture,” she said. “When you shop with us, you support small business and people just like yourself.”
Store hours for both stores are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. The Downtown store will be open until 8 p.m. on First Thursday. Call 383-4200.
AROUND THE VALLEY
Company aims to promote efficiency
Alternate Energy Holdings Inc. has established a new Idaho company, Energy Neutral Inc., to promote energy efficiency and the use of wind and solar energy on individual properties.
Alternate Energy Holdings also is proposing a 1,600-megawatt nuclear reactor in Elmore County.
“Our company will provide the technology for the best combination of solar, wind and grid energy,” said CEO Don Gillispie. “Wind and solar are reliable 25 and 40 percent of the time respectively, but when backed up by base-load grid power, they provide the best of both worlds.”
Energy Neutral Inc. assists homeowners, businesses and farmers to reduce their electricity bills by operating with minimal or no reliance on the electrical grid.
The company’s primary service consists of evaluating homes, businesses or farms for conservation and renewable energy potential; drawing up a plan to attain or approach energy neutrality; and working with suppliers and installers to put the products in place.
“Investment depends on the current facility power demands for an existing structure, but when constructing a new building it always makes economic sense to essentially eliminate future energy costs,” said Elliot Elton, manager of the Eagle-based company. He has 17 years’ experience in the construction industry.
“Energy prices are going through the roof and likely will never be as low as they were, so we think there will be great demand for this kind of service in residential, business and agricultural sectors. Federal and state-level incentives will pay for up to 40 percent of the costs of these systems,” Elton said.
Elton expects strong demand from farmers who must spend large amounts of money to pump water, he said. Under ideal conditions, some solar pumps can move 1,000 gallons of water a minute, while a trailer-mounted solar pump can be taken to a variety of locations.
The company also can install a device that reduces wasted electricity. The unit can be installed in a home for about $500. Commercial and other applications are more expensive.
The company is looking for local contractors to work with and a bank to arrange financing for customers. A Web site is currently under construction at www.energyneutralinc.com.
Information about the proposed nuclear plant can be found at www.idahoenergycomplex.com. Call Elton at 939-3495 or e-mail Elliot@alternateenergyholdings.com.
Stephanie Eddy: 377-6481
To submit items for What’s New, e-mail bizcomidahostatesman.com, fax items to Your Business Community at 377-6449, or mail them to Your Business Community, c/o Newsroom, Idaho Statesman, P.O. Box 40, Boise, ID 83707. Information submitted to the Idaho Statesman may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other form.
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