COEUR d'ALENE - A touch of Tuscany is the theme of a gift store and coffee shop that will hold its grand opening this weekend.

Terrazzo, which means terrace in Italian, is the name chosen by Rebecca Starr for the shop inside Vanhoff's Garden Center at 1844 N. Government Way.

"Rustic Italian is where we're going," she said.

What was intended to be just a coffee shop became more when the owners of the garden store gave them extra space to work with.

"We decided to go with more decor and gifts," Starr said.

With free-trade organic Avion Coffee, roasted in Hayden, and the usual variety of teas and other beverages, Terrazzo also serves Sweetwater Bakery pastries.

By fall, Starr plans to add a small selection of homemade soups,?paninis and salads. There is a kitchen that just needs a few upgrades to make it suitable, she said.

A goal to be eco-friendly led to the use of reclaimed wood for the store fixtures. Several tables are inside, and more outside a roll-up door that is opened when warm weather allows, with a translucent roof letting in subdued sunlight.

Come the holidays, seasonal specialties will be added, such as wreaths and other gift and decor items. Special events will also be scheduled.

"We are open year-round," Starr said. "You can get a tree at Vanhoff's, and gifts and hot chocolate here."

Out back, next to the spacious parking lot, is a large deck where this weekend the two stores will hold a grand opening, with free burgers and hot dogs, live music on Saturday by Brett Hite, specials and prizes. The grand opening will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days, the same as Terrazzo's regular hours. This weekend will be the last day for Sunday hours.

Starr plans to make the store live up to its name more, with terraced display areas around the open-air part of the store.

Emphasis is on Tuscan influences, with wrought iron and ceramics on hand.

"It goes well in North Idaho," Starr said. "We tend to have a lot of rustic yards."

Gift items include hand-made jewelry of silver and various stones and crystals, Maid Naturally cleaning products from Spokane, Love & Peace Notes, lockets made by a local physician's wife with 10 percent of profits going to the American Cancer Society, handbags and several lines of Napa-style ceramic products.

A French-style line of melamine outdoor serving dishes mimics ceramic, with the ability to withstand more rugged use.

"It doesn't look like melamine," Starr said. "It looks like real china."

Many gifts are in the $20 to $25 range.

"I'm trying to keep prices low," Starr said.

Born at Kootenai Medical Center and raised in the Coeur d'Alene area, she worked in restaurants while going through high school and college, and spent a decade in the mortgage industry, then a couple of years as a traveling wholesale representative for a home decor company.

With a young son with autism at home, however, settling into a business seemed like a good idea to Starr. And she made a point of creating something different that would not compete with others in the area.

"Coeur d'Alene needed something like that," she said.

Shelly McBride of Hayden agreed, buying photos for gifts at Terrazzo on Monday.

"I love this place," she said.

Information: 930-4400