MAY NIBJ: Small businesses are the heart of North Idaho

There are almost 200,000 small businesses in Idaho — roughly 99.2% of the state's businesses.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, those businesses employ over 56% of the state's private workforce.

In North Idaho, that number may be even higher thanks to the many small businesses, classified as those having fewer than 20 employees. In Bonner and Kootenai counties, retail trade, construction, health care, accommodation and food services and professional services make a majority of such businesses. While Boundary, Benewah and Shoshone counties have fewer total businesses, Census data shows there is a higher number of non-employer and microbusinesses, especially in construction and forestry-related services.

The TL;DR?

Small businesses are North Idaho. Maybe it's your favorite local craft store or bakery. Maybe it's a clothing store where you always seem to find that something special. Or maybe it's a craftsperson making one-of-a-kind jewelry, or the personal trainer helping you get in shape, or a local photographer capturing treasured moments.

It's partly the region's entrepreneurial spirit. Folks in the region have great ideas and aren't shy about setting out on their own in pursuit of turning them into reality.

Folks like Kyle and Michelle Cooper who, through their business Best Life Coeur d’Alene Coffee and Commerce, are working to help others have just that — their best life.

Folks like Chancy Gill, who said she stumbled into a partnership with Jaclyn Cosper, with the pair taking a deep dive into a niche area of massage therapy and never looking back.

Folks like Munro Murdock, who launched a real estate business in Hawaii in 2012 before moving to North Idaho in 2021, where the family bought a campground. Now, he's once again focusing on real estate — a career he loves because he gets to help others find their forever homes.

And then there are folks like Debi Waters, who has turned a passion into a business offering everything from multi-layered shadow boxes and greeting cards to stickers and tote bags.

Like Lyndsey Neufeld — who feeds customers' stomachs as well as their souls through her bread business, Dat Bread Dough — Waters is a familiar face at local farmers markets.

The region is also home to folks like Scott and Kristy Ramey, who built Ramey's Yard Care into one of the best in the region.

What they all have in common is a love for the region and a passion for what they do.

Come take a dive into this month's North Idaho Business Journal and learn a little more about some of the region's small businesses — and why they are so important to North Idaho's soul and success.

Caroline Lobsinger

North Idaho Business Journal

Editor