SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Customers packed the parking lot and filled tables at Conley’s Place Restaurant as the longtime Spokane Valley business served its final meals.
Owner Jennifer Conley is retiring after decades at the restaurant. Conley and her husband bought the business in 1993, after she had already worked there as a manager for several years. She said the restaurant’s success came down to two things: good staff and good customers.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Conley said. “It’s just, 43 years in this building is a long time, and it’s been a lot of work. But I’ve enjoyed it. I keep doing it. I get up every day. But it’s time. I’m excited that I’m retiring from here.”
The restaurant was once known as Pioneer Pies. The Conleys kept its famous pie recipe and added an Irish influence that reflected their heritage. The pies became a centerpiece of the business, and staff sold hundreds on the restaurant’s final day as display cases steadily emptied.
Employees and customers said the closure was bittersweet. For regular Ronald Keatts, Conley’s Place was tied to memories with his late wife.
“It’s kind of emotional,” Keatts said. “Because it’s been here so long.”
Conley said the relationships she built with customers and staff are what she will remember most.
“We set out to make friends, and that’s exactly what we did,” Conley said. “And you know, we’ve had bad days, but more good days than bad days.”
The building has been sold, and a new restaurant is expected to open there sometime in the future.
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