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Central Avenue Fills a Void

By Beacon Staff

WHITEFISH – By April, one of downtown’s most visible buildings will no longer be vacant. The 100 Central Avenue location, once home to Flanagan’s Central Station music club, has a new resident: Piney Creek Interiors.

Piney Creek Interiors has been at its 505 Railway Street location for seven years and has established a loyal customer base, but owner Deena Brenden said moving to a new building has long been discussed. The growing company, she said, needs more space and visibility, both of which are provided by the new Central Avenue location.

Brenden is particularly excited about the expanded workspace for her interior designers. Piney Creek Interiors offers both retail and custom interior design services. Brenden’s current building has just over 2,000 square feet for retail display and only 250 for workspace, which is where the designers experiment with fabrics, leathers, trim and various material samples.

The new building has 3,000 feet of retail display and 3,000 feet of workspace, including offices.

“It’s going to be great,” Brenden said. “We’ll be able to breathe, to get creative and not trip over each other. We’re going to have a vast amount of space.”

Brenden added that although she has many regular customers, there are people who cruise Central Avenue or attend the large events held on the same street who don’t see her store tucked around the corner.

Piney Creek Interiors is moving to the 100 Central building, formerly Flanagan’s, right, in downtown Whitefish.


“We’ve been here for seven years and people still don’t even know we’re here,” she said.

Marshall Friedman, a member of the real estate fund that owns the 100 Central Avenue building, said his group has sought a tenant since 2007. Many businesses have shown interest, he said, including multiple restaurants and real estate offices. But Brenden’s business, he said, “stood out.”

“It’s a very high-quality, classy operation, and the building is a classy operation,” Friedman said.

Flanagan’s Central Station was a popular music destination for three years before being forced to shut down in 2007. Flanagan’s drew big-name bands to the small town, but it also ran into trouble with law enforcement and the state liquor authorities. The club was given repeated citations for underage drinking and serving after hours.

But while the club shut down, the building remained desirable, with a prominent location on Central Avenue. After taking over in late 2007, Friedman’s real estate group made a series of major renovations, removing the deck and giant beams outside. Essentially, the “entire exterior was remodeled,” Friedman said.

“It was a ton of cosmetic work,” he said. “The inside was basically cleared out. The only thing left there was the bar and stage, otherwise we gutted it.”

Before Piney Creek Interiors moves in April, the bar will be taken out, the bathrooms will be remodeled and the carpets will be torn out, among other renovations. But the stage will stay. Brenden plans to use it for retail display.

Piney Creek Interiors offers a range of interior design necessities, such as bedding, furniture, lamps, rugs, art work, linens and small accessories. With the new location, Brenden plans to expand the retail selection, as well as personnel. She currently has a staff of five, including three interior designers, though every employee is adept in the trade.

If a customer likes a couch or some other product in the display room, but wants a different pattern or material, the designers go to the sample room and work their magic. In addition to the in-house services, the designers also travel to people’s homes to help with lighting, plumbing, fabric selection and anything else the customer wants.

Brenden, a Whitefish native, said her loyal customers and the overall support of her hometown community helped get her through the worst of the economic downturn. Having weathered the storm, she’s giddy about the possibilities of her move. Though no exact date is set, Brenden plans to hold a grand opening bash in April.

“I’m just grateful for this community for bringing me through the recession,” Brenden said.

Friedman called Brenden’s move “big news for Whitefish.”

“It’s very exciting,” he said. “I think it will be a huge plus for downtown Whitefish.”