Kicking into downtown: The Beacon owner to open ‘Kickers’ country-western venue on Fourth Street

Former madam Molly B'Damn had her Murray brothel. Famous lawman Wyatt Earp was a Kootenai County sheriff’s deputy.

Now, in the spirit of these iconic frontier heroes, downtown Coeur d’Alene is getting its own country and Western dance floor.

Michael Goggin, 29, owner of The Beacon bar, is using a newly obtained liquor license from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 889 to open what’s to be called Kickers. The new dance floor and venue, with an expected occupancy just shy of 400 cowboys and cowgirls, will feature plenty of line dancing, two-stepping and live performances.

“It’s going to be awesome to have that big stage and live music that can support any type of band, and I just really love the line-dancing, country-music aspect of it,” Goggin said. “It’s going to give people what they want here in downtown Coeur d’Alene: another option for them to go out. There aren't too many dance floors around anymore.”

What is currently a giant warehouse of wooden boards, power tools and an empty stage will transform into multiple bars, a new sound system and ticketed shows. Like its sister bar in The Beacon less than a block north, Goggin said a main rectangular bar will be the centerpiece of the venue.

“Traveling musicians rolling through town, they’re going to have a place to stop and play, and then it’s also going to be a really good spot for local musicians, as well,” he said. “It’s something I’ve been passionate about for a while now.”

Kickers is set to open within a South Fourth Street brick-and-mortar storefront, owned by the Montandon family, that has housed multiple occupants over the years. It originally opened as the 600-seat Roxy Theater in 1939 before being later used as a hardware store, an auto body shop and Wiggett's Antiques. Even the Museum of North Idaho used it as a temporary home in 2024.

Kickers’ liquor license itself also has its own history. According to Coeur d’Alene’s VFW, which was established in 1922, it’s the second-oldest liquor license issued by the state of Idaho.

For the longest time, the liquor license was being leased out to the former Mik’s, a once-popular bar and nightclub on North Fourth Street. In 2023, however, a new Idaho law banning the sale or leasing of private liquor licenses shuttered Mik’s.

“It’s always good to have entertainment downtown and for things to do after businesses close,” said VFW 889 Commander Bob Martin, who recently helped open the Patriot Bar in the old Mik’s. “We are eager to see what Kickers does.”

But one provision of Senate Bill 1120 allowed for one final transfer of a liquor license before the law went into effect in July of this year.

This means Goggin acquired the VFW’s liquor license right before the ban went into effect this past summer.

“It’s very, very sad to see Mik’s go. That was a place that I would frequent quite a bit, and I know a lot of people that would as well,” Goggin said. “The mission of this place is going to be very different. We’re going to bring a country-bar style to the table, with swing dancing, line dancing, that sort of stuff.” 

The project to create Kickers wasn’t brokered by any outside firms from, say, Salt Lake City or Seattle. Instead, according to building owner David Montandon, it was finalized by the neighborly ties of two Coeur d’Alene families.

Michael’s father, Jerry, who originally opened The Beacon in 2006, was a longtime customer of Montandon’s hardware shop.

“It has been underutilized for so long,” Montandon said of the South Fourth Street site. “(The Goggins) come along, and it’s the perfect fit. They have the perfect track record, they understand downtown and it really couldn’t be a better fit.”

Montandon said Kickers is going to be a major positive asset for the downtown community.

“This is a major, major breakthrough with Kickers because they are going through tip to stern, they’re going through the whole ship,” Montandon said of the building’s transformation. “It’s a really, really exciting project because it’s been a building that was somewhat neglected. They’re breathing new life into it.”

When it comes to economic impact, Goggin said The Beacon right now employs between 15 and 16 people among bartenders and security and that Kickers looks to “double that when we get this place open.”

“I think we’ll have a total staff of maybe 30, 35,” Goggin said. “We’re going to start that hiring process as soon as we kind of get an expected opening date ready.”

Kickers is currently going through the building permit process with the city of Coeur d’Alene, and based on that, Goggin expects it to open as soon as December. But until then, Goggin, a former star quarterback for Lake City, is busy with the Xs and Os as the Timberwolves’ quarterback coach while he spends as much time as he can sanding Kickers’ interior wooden boards as his mother, Sandi, helps stain.

“This is a great project with my son and my kids,” Jerry Goggin said of Kickers. “Michael was a pretty good football player in his day.”

In this journey to open Kickers, Michael said he’s grateful for all the customers who have supported The Beacon and that the Montandons have “been awesome to work with.”

As for Kickers opening, Michael said he’s excited.

“We have a lot of events here in downtown Coeur d’Alene,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff going on, especially in summertime, and people like to be out and about. They like to go get food at the local restaurants and go out afterwards. I think we're going to build on that and have a very new and exciting place for people to come and see.”

    Michael Goggin stands in front of the future site of Kickers, a country and Western dance floor opening in downtown, on Friday.