Ilene Moss, with her red hair, looks Irish.

And with her accent, she sounds Irish.

She owns All Things Irish in Coeur d'Alene.

Ireland is about her favorite place in the world, she's been there many times, and is leading a tour there this spring.

She is, however, not from Ireland.

Try Spokane.

"I'm nine generations removed from Ireland," she said.

Yet, when folks stop in at her Sherman Avenue shop and meet Moss, they're certain she's from Ireland. And yes, they're surprised to learn she's not.

"I spend so much time with Irish people, I just talk similar. The similar language, the way you use your sentences and words and things, I'm one of those types of people, if I was in the south, I'm sure I'd come up with a southern drawl in no time," she said.

It's been 14 years since Moss opened All Things Irish. And with St. Patrick's Day just a week away, she's looking forward to another downtown parade and celebration of the green.

If there is an advocate for Ireland in Coeur d'Alene, meet Ilene Moss.

"Everybody is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. Everybody is a wee bit Irish, or they're a Wanna Be,'" she said.

How did you come to open this store, All Things Irish?

It started with having a good time going to the Spokane parade and entertainment with friends. It's the same as when the customers come in here. You start questioning each other and yourself about your Irish heritage. Then, the passion started to grow. I was interested in Irish merchandise. There were no stores around here. I did find a catalogue eventually. Whenever I had a chance to travel, I would always check to see if there were any shops in the area and if I had time, I'd visit.

Craig and I moved over here in 1994 after our kids graduated. That was right before they started with the urban renewal improvements on Sherman, bringing the downtown into a better limelight. I thought, well, how about opening our own Irish store. This will be a great location for an Irish store. After a couple more years of mulling around, Craig said, 'Let's just do it,' so I did.

How do you think it's turned out?

It's turned out great. Did I vision this? No. I'm not a visionary. It was more, 'Let's get started and see where it goes.' It wasn't a time when you got a lot of encouragement. It seemed difficult for businesses to survive downtown, and a lot of people didn't really encourage us, thought I was possibly a little bit crazy.

I was careful starting out. I didn't want to do something huge, then pay the price down the road later if it didn't work out.

So, how did you succeed, then?

A lot of hard work and just watched it grow in a manner that it seemed it was going to be profitable, eventually. They say it takes a long time, three or four years to really see any profit if you do it the way they suggest. I just took it one year at a time and it grew and grew. I worked here by myself the first six years, with help from my husband on weekends.

How many employees do you have today?

Two full time and one part time.

Do you find many of the items in your store in Ireland?

I do. All the textiles, sweaters, those things, you have to order ahead of time. They make them to order. They have an international show in January. It's nice, because you can see what you're buying. But in addition to that they invite craft people to the show, you're talking hundreds, usually, showcased. It's nice, because then you can find new things and are helping new and upcoming businesses get out there and get their name to the American market.

How often do you go to Ireland?

At least once a year to Dublin for the trade show. We try to get around the island to visit specific suppliers. We try to see as much of Ireland as we can. I've been there a lot of times and there's still a lot I haven't seen yet."

Is your upcoming tour to Ireland you're putting on with the chamber sold out?

Not quite sold out, but we did real well. We'll be leaving on April 30.

Are you kind of the guide on this one?

Yes. I have a couple suppliers who have offered to host us for a little reception when we get in to their town.

What are a few must-see places?

You need to see Dublin. Dublin can take a few days, and still bring you back another time. You have the galleries, museums, churches and you have to see the Guinness Brewery, downtown Repton, Grafton Street, Temple Bar. There's just a lot to do in Dublin.

Traveling the southern coast line east to west is a great way to experience Ireland. I often tell people when they are going on their own, be very careful not to get caught up in seeing all of the ancient things and trying to absorb it too much, because you'll never get very far outside of Dublin.

How did your love affair with Ireland begin?

I'm half German on my mother's side. I always remember my mom and dad saying, "Ah, but you're Irish, you're Irish." All those little traditional things come down through the years from hearing that over and over again.

Do folks come to your store from Ireland?

Yeah, they do. It's always fun to watch the expressions on their face. You go to Ireland, you won't find a store like this. There's very few places in Ireland you would actually go in and find all this merchandise that comes from Ireland under one roof. So they're always a little in awe that a shop would have all of these products from Ireland. It's always fun watching them, talking to them.

What's the best part of owning All Things Irish?

The people. I think my staff would attest to that. They've been here quite a long time. The people are just so much fun, there's a lot of interaction. They love to talk about their Irish heritage, or if they're not Irish, they want to tell you about their Italian heritage or German. It's a great place to share. You always hear about people going to Ireland and going into a pub and you just talk all the time. It's just kind of the same here.

St. Patrick's Day is coming up. How is the parade looking for this year?

It's looking great. It gets better every year. The first parade will always be a huge memory in my mind. We had it late in the afternoon, it poured rain all day long. We tried this little makeshift float and the rain pretty much wiped it out by the time the parade started.

I always tell everybody, it will not rain on my parade, it will not snow on my parade. It stopped raining just as the parade started, and it started again just as soon as it was over. It was one of the rainiest days we ever had. It was dark, we had it so late the afternoon. Thank goodness now for the next two years it will be after daylight saving times.

The reason why we started it was because of the customers, people in the community wanted their own parade. They've been going to Spokane for years and years. After a few years of working with the downtown association we got it going. Now, it's into its eighth year. We look forward to it. It's a great way to kick off the spring. It's a family event where the kids can come down, get their little faces painted up and wear their green.

Any expansion plans for your store?

I mull it over once in a while, opening up another store. Right now, this really just consumes me.

Are there any other stores called All Things Irish?

There's one in California, and I think there's one that's strictly catalogue back east. There's about 350-375 Irish/Celtic stores in the U.S., but most of them are back east. I'm the only one in Idaho. There's one in Montana.

What makes yours different?

It's part of my mission statement, my goal, was to have a place where people could come and just enjoy the experience while they shopped, try and let them experience Ireland, shop and engage with them. I think that's succeeded for the most part. I think people just like to come here.

Do people come in here, then decide they want to go to Ireland?

Yes. It surprised me. A couple from California came in, saw the flier (for the tour to Ireland) called and signed up. From flier one day to all signed up the next day.

Are the Irish pubs as great as everyone says?

Yes. They're great family places. You can bring your family, enjoy a meal, sit and chat with your neighbors, get to know people. It's funny. I think a lot of people think of Irish people sitting in a pub drinking beer all the time, I see more people drinking coffee anymore than I do drinking beer.

Are the folks in Ireland friendly?

They're very friendly. That's one of the things people fall in love with first. It's usually the first thing somebody has to say if you ask them, "What did you like the most?" The people are great. They're just fabulous. Ireland would not be the country it is without the Irish people.