Mixing business and pleasure

COEUR d'ALENE - Well before 5 p.m. Tuesday, when the doors to the After Hours Business Fair were scheduled to open, people waited.

They stood and chatted, bags in hand, for their time to wander into the Bay Room at The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

Here's why.

Inside were around 120 booths with representatives of business ready to outline their services and products.

There were gifts, like pens and notebooks and bottles of water and even air pressure gauges and Chapstick.

And there was food, too, that included pulled pork sandwiches, prawns, cookies and candy.

Add in the chance to visit with friends, you've got the perfect opportunity to mix business and pleasure.

"For us, it's business related, very much so," said Julie Williams of Hauser, whose husband Chuck is an electrical contractor. "And the food is a real plus."

Patty Lundy of Hayden said the fair comes at a time when people are dealing with "cabin fever" and want to get out.

"They're looking for something to do. This is it," she said.

An estimated 3,000 people were expected to attend the annual event before the doors closed at 8 p.m.

Staffers with businesses like Thrifty Car Rental, RDI Heating and Cooling, Qdoba Mexican Grill and Washington Trust Bank waited, enticing potential customers with friendly smiles, hellos, and if that didn't work, they were ready with games and a chance to win prizes.

Folks could find out about health, financial, cuisine, history, education, communication, automobiles, lodging and real estate, all under one roof for three hours.

Chuck Dempsey and Dorothy Gohl of Coeur d'Alene have attended the fair for each of the past 10 years.

"To see what's going on with all the people," Dempsey said when asked what brought him here.

"You never know when you're going to hit something along the way," Gohl added.

For instance, in years past, she has been in need of landscaping, and found a firm that offered exactly what she needed at the fair.

For some, when the After Hours Business Fair rolls around each year, it signals the coming end of winter.

"You know spring's on the way when you hear this," Dempsey said.

Jennifer Strang of Coeur d'Alene likes to attend so she can learn about new businesses in the area.

"Just checking to see what's out there," she said.

Williams said it was her first time at the fair, and she was impressed.

"This is wonderful. I was not expecting this kind of business effort," she said.

The fair links customers and businesses, which is what it's all about.

"It's wonderful. You don't know what's really here sometimes," Williams said. "Everything kind of seems to be hidden, or they close early.

"For us, we can figure out what's in town now."