After its initial plans to open a store in Evergreen were thwarted earlier this year, Fred’s Appliance is anxious enough to move into the Flathead Valley market to take up a temporary home in the northern part of the Gardner’s RV showroom in south Kalispell.

Fred’s, the largest appliance dealer in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, expects to build on a lot on U.S. 93 across from Gardner’s RV on land owned by Gardner Investments. The new store will be about 26,000 square feet.

Fred’s general manager Troy Varness said he hopes construction on the new building could be started in late July or early August as long as all goes smoothly with the Kalispell City Council.

“We’re renting it [the showroom], but Gardner’s made us a very, very good deal on it and provided me with warehouse space,” Varness said. “It’s a very nice partnership. They’ve been excellent to work with.”

Gardner Investments is asking Kalispell to approve a planned unit development for two commercial lots totaling 4.7 acres at the corner of U.S. 93 and United Drive, including the proposed site for Fred’s.

In the meantime, Fred’s has started stocking up on appliances in its 8,800 square feet at Gardner’s. Varness would like the temporary store to open within a week or so, but he said shipping delays are making it difficult to pin down an exact date.

“We feel there’s a need in the market,” Varness said. “If I could get my freight here, we’d be open next week. I was supposed to have three trucks here yesterday and I got one.”

He said the selection in the temporary spot will be extensive.

“We’ll have a better selection of appliances than anywhere else in town,” Varness said.

Fred’s is known for its service and in-stock selection. Fred’s services all of the appliances it sells, something Varness said is currently lacking in the local appliance market. Fred’s stores also have large warehouses and keep almost everything in the showroom in stock for quick delivery.

Fred’s carries all major brands of appliances for every room in the house, though the stores do not carry electronics.

The store announced in January that it would be moving into the Kalispell area by mid-March, although it did not reveal the location of its franchise at the time as all the paperwork was not complete.

Varness said that the expectations were that Fred’s would take over the vacant Ashley Furniture building in Evergreen, but that deal fell through and the building has become an Ashley Furniture site again.

Varness said constructing a new building has its advantages.

“Ashley was a little too large and not really a good warehouse facility,” he said. “When you build your own, you can make it exactly how you want it.”

About nine employees will work at the temporary Fred’s location, and Varness said once the store is completed the business will provide from 12 to 15 jobs.

“I have a good staff in place, but we’re always taking applications,” he said.

The current manager of the Spokane store, Bill Wirth, will take over as manager in Kalispell. The store will also be overseen by Varness and the manager of the new Missoula store, which opened in mid-April.

Hours for the temporary Fred’s will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. Varness said the store eventually will open on Sundays, too.

The phone number for the new store is 257-3288, and Varness said customers can also make contact by emailing through the web site at www.fredsappliances.com.

Business reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4439 or by email at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.