Crown West Realty

Journal of Business

By Jeanne Gustafson

SPOKANE – Nelson Brothers Inc., a Spokane Valley-based custom display manufacturer, plans to expand its retail division this summer, moving from a 500-square-foot showroom in its manufacturing area to a space more than 15 times that size.

The company has leased 12,000 square feet of space next to its 20,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in the Spokane Business & Industrial Park, at 3808 N. Sullivan, and plans to devote about two-thirds of that space to the retail division, says Scott Bright, its sales manager. It wil use the rest of the space to augment its manufacturing operation, he says.

Crown West Realty LLC, of Spokane, which operates the park, currently is remodeling the space for Nelson Brothers, which expects to move its retail division there Aug. 1.

Nelson Brothers currently employs 12 people, four of whom work in the retail division. Bright says it is interviewing now to hire one additional employee for that division and will add more later.

Nelson Brothers has been manufacturing custom displays since 1991, supplying display cases for grocery stores, food manufacturers, and other such businesses. It opened tis current 500-square-foot retail showroom inside the company’s manufacturing facility two years ago. The company sells a variety of display items, including showcases, baskets, shelving, spinning, display racks, and pricing guns, as well as used displays and fixtures.

Nelson Brothers surpassed $1 million in sales last year for the first time, he says.