SPOKANE, Wash. – Igor Yorke, a Ukrainian refugee, chose to open his second Spokane business off of Grand Boulevard because he thinks this part of the South Hill is beautiful.
“I like this location,” Igor said. “I like this area. I like this beautiful church (across the street). Good (all) around.”
Since Sweet Tooth opened its doors in October of 2025, Igor said they’re continuing to see new faces pop in to try their donuts and coffee. Now, he’s worried plans to transform Grand Boulevard may scare some of those new and returning customers away.
“It’s a little bit of a shock for me,” Igor said as NonStop Local showed him the city’s plans for Grand Boulevard. “Any construction is a problem for business.”
As seen in NonStop Local’s , the Grand Boulevard project would include reducing traffic from two lanes in each direction, to one, and widening the remaining lanes from 10 to 11 feet.
The Sweet Tooth owner didn’t see a need to give Grand a makeover.
“About that road, I have no question… good road,” Igor said. “Good traffic, no car accidents I’ve seen. I am happy. No questions.”
Just across Grand Boulevard from Igor’s business, South Hill Little Euro’s General Manager Logan Sevier supports the Grand Boulevard project because he sees it as an opportunity for improving safety for his customers using the road.
“Last year they installed a crosswalk right here and I was all for that as well because in general, it slowed people down right here,” Logan said. “So in theory, same thing… it will slow traffic down so potentially would be really good for my business rather than people going fast.”
Logan said it’s seeing the glass as half-full while we await more information about the project and its timeline.
“I’m not saying that business owners or us are asking for the lanes to change…but if that’s what the city and/or the people decided, then hopefully it gets done relatively quickly…and hopefully there is the benefits,” Logan added.
We’ll continue following plans to transform Grand Boulevard on our NonStop Local platforms.
