313-317 1st Street

This building at 313-317 1st Street represents "modern" mid-20th century commercial business design. An old wood-frame building had once occupied part of the space, but it had fallen down or been demolished years before. In 1947 this building was erected as a hardware and appliance store. It was split into two retail spaces about 1994, with the basement space opening as a third business in 2007.

What was here before?

On part of this lot there was a one-story wood-frame storefront building, which at various times housed a millinery (ladies' hat) store with the owner living in rooms at the back, a grocery, restaurant, tailor shop, and plumbing supply store.

In March 1947, Ray Wargi and Martin Tollefson received city council approval of their permit for a 50 by 80 foot, one-story concrete block building with a full basement for cold storage lockers. The $10,000, modern style building had a glass front with brick veneer.

Wargi-Tollefson Electric opened later that same spring, sold electric appliances, hardware, and had about 500 cold-storage lockers for rent in the basement.

Wargi-Tollefson sold out to Harold and Ted Edgett in December of 1949, and by year's end the store was renamed Edgett Bros Hardware.

Harold and Ted Edgett focused on the more traditional hardware business and were quite successful. When they were ready to retire, Ron and Tracy Jarms were ready to step in, buying the business in 1972 and renaming it Jarms Hardware. In 1975, Jarms relocated to a larger space at 1720 2nd Street.

A series of businesses followed including Town & Country Television + Radio Shack (1976-1977), Outlaw Express (1980), Geary's Furniture (1982), Music Mart & NW Piano Tech (1982-1988?), and St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store (1990-1994).

The building was then split into two spaces with the eastern half retaining 317 address and the western half remodeled as a restaurant becoming 313 1st.

Restaurants at 313 1st included 1st Street Coffee House (1999-2000), Sweet Savoy (2003-2008), Loco Dogz (2009-2013), and Copper Hana (2016-2018).

At 317 businesses included Web Time copies & computers (2000-2001), Beauty & the Beach (2009-2010), Twisted Tanning Salon (2013-2015), Wildflower Boutique (2015-2016), Sunkissed Daisy (2017-2019), and Cottonwood Creek (2019-).

And that old cold storage space down in the basement?

In 2007, it opened as the aptly named The Basement nightclub.

Cheney Free Press 1947, 1949, 1975, 1983, 2002. Cheney telephone directories 1955 - 2019.