Dan Booterbaugh, owner of North Idaho Log Furniture Company at 5872 N. Government Way in Coeur d'Alene, has built log furniture for the past three decades. 

"We moved here from California in 1996, and I partnered with my neighbor, who was building log furniture and selling it to local furniture businesses," Booterbaugh said. "After doing that for a while, I decided to get my own business going." 

Booterbaugh had been in the building industry for a "good part of his life," working for lumber yards and owning a cabinet-making business for several years. 

"I used to do a lot of finish work in the cabinet business — building furniture out of logs is a little more forgiving," Booterbaugh said.  

Unlike having an unlimited supply of milled wood for his cabinets, Booterbaugh often struggled to source logs to make his furniture. 

"Trying to find logs in the late fall and winter that were dry enough to make tabletops was a big challenge. You don't use green lumber because the mortise and the tenons (joints) shrink as the wood dries, which can cause shrinking and warping," Booterbaugh said. "We also make sure we are using dead standing logs rather than something dead and, on the ground, that may have bugs in it." 

Ponderosa pine is the primary wood Booterbaugh and his shop foreman, Nick Masten, use to make their tabletop furniture, cabinet dressers and desks. 

"We source it in Idaho and Montana," Booterbaugh said.  

They use lodgepole in the log chairs, beds and bunk bed frames, ladders and handrails. 

Some of the more challenging things they have done over the years include 12- to 14-foot dining and conference room tables, a king-and-queen combo bed, a sleigh bed, triple bunk bed sets and an L-shaped futon couch. 

"We also built a 14-foot bridge for a guy in Hayden so that he could cross over a pond in his backyard," Masten said. "It took us a week to pre-fab it in our shop, and then we took it over to him." 

Booterbaugh said they make as many as 350 pieces of furniture a year. Some of the bigger jobs they've taken on include furnishing an entire home. 

"We did a three-bedroom, two bath for a guy in Vermont and one for a guy in Bend, Ore., and some condos in Schweitzer," Booterbaugh said. "We've done some things for Gozzer Ranch and built mantles and handrails for Monarch Homes, Aspen Homes and Creekside Construction." 

Booterbaugh said they've shipped furniture to all 50 states and to Canada, too. 

His wife, Kelli, is the business administrator. 

"She does the books and pays the bills," Booterbaugh said. "She actually peeled logs when we first got started." 

Kelli said she enjoys seeing the satisfaction on Dan's face when he completes a project. 

"He's very excited about what he does and gets a big smile on his face after finishing a project that was more difficult than he planned," Kelli said. 

North Idaho Log Furniture Company is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit nilogfurn.com for more information and to view the furniture. 

Now the TidBits   

New and Upcoming  

• Jersey Mike's, 8289 N. Highway 41 in Post Falls, is now open. 

• Mor Furniture for Less, located in the Prairie Shopping Center in Hayden, is open. 

• The Flying Pickle, a state-of-the-art pickleball facility, is now open at The Pointe in Post Falls on 140 N. Beck Road.   

• Golden Rule Brake at 3637 N. Government Way is open for business. 

• The Crescent Moon Bakery at 315 E. Walnut in Coeur d'Alene is now open. 

• Jefe's Tacos and Tequila at 761 N. Idaho St. in Post Falls is now open.   

• Dragon Fly Support Services, a mental health and substance use counseling facility, is now open at 601 E. Seltice Way in Post Falls.   

• Les Schwab Tire Center is now open at 1656 N. Nicholson Center in Post Falls. 

• Sierra Ranch Chili in the Silver Lake Mall is now open. 

• The Coral Cafe is open at 1524 E. Sherman Ave. in Coeur d'Alene.

Ongoing Projects    

• Super 1 Foods is breaking ground on a new location at Highway 41 and Prairie Avenue in Post Falls on Sept. 3.

• American Universal Storage is planned for Spirit Lake along Highway 41, across from the Jiffi Stop.     

• The Ross Point Gas Station is under construction at 310 N. Ross Point Road in Post Falls.        

• A new commercial building is planned for the Riverstone development at 1570 W. Tilford Lane and will bring at least one new dining option to the area. The 7,500-square-foot mixed-use building is targeted for completion this summer.     

• The 33-unit, mixed-use "Nonna" building across from Post Falls City Hall on Spokane Street is anticipated to be completed by October of 2026.  

• A five-story, 173-room Hilton Dual Brand Hotel is planned for a 2.71-acre parcel of land off Lee Court and Appleway Avenue in Coeur d'Alene. The project's start and completion dates are not yet determined. 

Post Falls Business Licenses Filed 

• Legendary Paw Spa, LLC 

• A Touch of the Cascades Landscaping, LLC 

• Inland Motors 

• Two Left Feet, LLC 

• Nightshade Alchemy, LLC 

• • •  

Have a tip on happenings in the local business world? Contact Bob at [email protected].