Moon Dollars (a play off of Star Bucks) is a nice little coffee house in Post Falls that also serves wonderful large breakfasts and lunch. The atmosphere is family friendly, and for those of us who are a diet, there is an option to split their regularly huge portions in half (so you can order a half order of whatever you’re getting). Almost everything they serve is obtained locally, and there is a lot of healthy fare in addition to your standard bacon and eggs, fried cube steak and biscuits with sausage gravy. It’s family owned and operated, and a loving touch goes into everything they serve, from their wonderful cappuccino and lattes, to their frothed chocolate milk for the kids, to their eggs cooked to order, and their home-baked goodies. I highly recommend everything on the menu, as I’ve tried it all at least once. Moon Dollars is a great alternative to any of the large chain coffee shops and/or breakfast houses in the area, and it’s definitely nice to have breakfast knowing that you’re supporting a local business. I try to have breakfast there at least once a month with my family, and we all enjoy the experience tremendously.

Putt n’ Around Miniature Golf is a quaint little well-maintained Golf Course right off of Seltice Way, about a mile before the on ramps for I-90 in Post Falls. It doesn’t look like much at first glance from the street, you’ll be happy that you stopped in. In most cases, you’ll have the whole place to yourself, a great way to introduce littler kids to the joys of miniature golf, as you can take your time to teach them how to figure out the angles of their shots and how to hold their putter. The whole place is charming, and there is a special bonus; a small coffee stand and hotdog stand are in operation in the parking lot during tourist season. The prices at all three places are very reasonable, so you could very well afford to take the whole family out for golf, a hot dog and some coffee. The management and staff are friendly and hospitable, and very patient with young children, which makes this my favorite place to take my kids on a summer day outing, or even a night outing, as they stay open late on Fridays and feature glow-in-the-dark balls and lighted pits. A ticket for the full course is $4.00 per person (adults and children alike). I’m looking forward to having fun this summer while supporting these locally owned businesses.

I absolutely love taking my dry-cleaning and any other special requirements clothing to the French Cleaners in Post Falls, ID. The business is family owned, and the lady who greets you at the counter is part of the husband/wife team that owns it. She is an absolute expert at garment care, including repairs. Even though they don’t specifically advertise that they do things like repair leather jackets, sew new linings into coats, and iron pin-tucks into your professional drapes, they will make an effort to do anything for you if you just ask. They are also very reasonably priced. I took a very expensive leather jacket in that had become separated from its lining, as well as needed a new zipper, and she replaced the zipper and the lining for about half of what I was quoted from other businesses in the area. She also had it done at lightning speed; I picked up the coat in three days after dropping it off. I highly recommend these cleaners, I have been taking things to them for two years now, and have never come away disappointed, either in the quality of their work, or the price I paid for it. The friendly chatter inside the office is fun to take part in too. Want to find more great businesses in your area? Visit GlobalYP the online local yellow pages.

My husband and I have never been able to find a real New York pizza in North Idaho, until we came into Nate’s New York Pizza located in Post Falls, ID. The atmosphere is casual, the staff are very friendly, Nate himself is working behind the counter with his wife and I believe his son. They alternate hand tossing their unbelievably thin crust pizza dough with commenting on whatever sports game is playing on one of their two HD tvs (one on each side of the dining area so everyone can see). It’s a family friendly place with a happy, fast-paced environment, and the pizza is amazing! Order one of their humongous 24 inch pizzas and it will come sizzling to your table, the crust paper thin, crispy and totally yummy. Also, try out their cannolis, an Italian dessert that my husband has tried to find for years. There are so-called cannolis out here in some of the local bakeries, but none of them have the authentic ricotta filling and crisp, freshly-fried shell like Nate’s does. I’d go there for the cannolis alone, but you will love the pizza equally. Each cannoli is served with a scoop of ice-cream, and drizzle with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar, a wonderful treat. Want to find more great businesses in your area? Visit GlobalYP the online local yellow pages.