Kat & David Barron, Silver Valley Realtors

40 years ago 80% of homes had one of these in the kitchen. Now, only about 3% of homes have them. What are they?

Need some ideas for a last-minute Father’s Day gift? Here are 5 spots in the Silver Valley to shop for the dad in your life!

1. Funky Monkey is a great place to get fun, eclectic gifts for someone with a good sense of humor! Plus, Les the owner is an awesome lady.

2. Wallace Ace Hardware has a few great last-minute gift ideas, that’s where I got David his Christmas pew-pew.

3. Todd's Bookstore & Coffee is an adorable little bookstore that is really fun to relax at, but also has some fun quirky books and good reads!

4. Muchachos Tacos! I mean, doesn’t every dad love tacos?

5. Mae's Market. 217 Main Street Smelterville Idaho. is a great little shop to grab a last-minute homemade pie or goodies for Father’s Day.

BONUS OPTION: David says Father’s Day isn’t really about dads (whatever, he will still get a foot massage and good food!) So, if you want to get the dad in your life a pile of lumber and just “hope” he builds you a raised garden bed or chicken coop, you could do that too! *hint, hint* 😉

- Kat (& also David)
(208) 699-8522

Hey Friends, I bought this ad space to shout from the rooftops how amazing my husband is this Father’s Day. He has no clue this post exists…yet.

I work with him every day, and after 19 years of loving this man and watching him grow as a human, I can say honestly, I have never seen someone who cares more genuinely for the people he cares about. He consistently prioritizes his wife, his children, his clients, and his friends. He is honest and genuine, and always strives to do the right thing. His willingness to go above and beyond not only for our family but also for our clients is something I very much admire.

If you’ve worked with my Husband, or if you know him personally, I’d love to fill the comments section with amazing stories about him. Even if you don’t know him, please help me in wishing him a happy Father’s Day! I love you, and thank you for all that you do!

- Kat
(208) 699-8522

5 reasons your dollar is best spent locally.

5) About $0.68 of every dollar spent locally gets reinvested in your community. This isn't just about keeping money in the same spot. It's about making that money the most effective. When you spend your money inside of your community, it creates an economic synergy. You decide what businesses survive with your hard earned dollars.

4) You create a better place to live. Towns thriving with local, small businesses are just more interesting, culturally vibrant places to live. No one wants to live in a city dominated by national chains and big box stores. Ironically, if you want more variety and specialty options, think smaller. Not bigger.

3) Local businesses have to serve their communities well. They literally can't afford to offer a bad product or a substandard service. They don't have big, fancy marketing budgets to make up for it. So, every dollar and every customer counts. Most small businesses literally have their name on their buildings, so it's their reputation that's at stake, not just the bottom line.

2) Your dollar spent locally buys you access to real people, not a customer service line. Small business owners are passionate about what they do, so they are your best source of expert information on the subject. You don't have to worry about your call or your concern being outsourced to an overseas center. Chances are you'll be speaking to a knowledgable business owner or employee when you shop locally.

1) Your dollar directly influences a life, not a logo. There is a person and a family behind every small business. What's more, 2 out of every 3 new jobs have been created by small businesses since 2014. So your dollar creates local jobs for other people in your community. Spending your dollar locally is the best investment you can make in your neighbor's life.

- David
(208) 699-8522

This week work and life took the twins and I all the way to Spokane for showings, all over the Silver Valley, and it took David up to Sandpoint a few times and all over the Valley. The most noteworthy was making a wrong turn in pinecreek and heading about a mile up a gnarly mountain driveway, praying we didn’t slip off the cliff with the twins in the car, only to get to the top and realize it was the wrong place. It did have a nice view of the valley though 😂
David and I both had more 12+ hour work days than most weeks, such is the life of business owners. We met a few lovely new clients, wrote offers, won a bidding war for one client, got a call from a client/friend who needed to list immediately and was able to pull off a miracle getting the house listed within 24 hours. We are blessed to get to do this work together, even on stressful weeks, we wouldn’t change it.
It wasn’t all work, we even got a few walks in with our 5 boys.

A few weeks ago I was doing a showing up north in Stephanie’s area, so I sent her a text to see if I could stop by and visit! We ended up spending a few hours together at her family’s extraordinary property.

It is one of the most beautiful acres of land I have ever seen if I am honest. It has gentle rolling grassy hills, a pond, and a garden.

A while back, they came to me with an ideal list for their dream home. We toured several properties together over months and months, and nothing quite met their needs…except this one. In fact, we toured this property multiple times and attempted to verbally negotiate with the sellers to no avail. Eventually, the sellers pulled the property off the market.

But sometimes, when you know, you just know.

Her family knew that this was the property worthy of raising their children on.

Stephanie and her family are hard-working people who serve their communities, Stephanie’s dad and husband are first responders, Stephanie’s mom, Marianne, has spent most of her life serving birthing and postpartum women, and Stephanie works hard to raise their sweet babies. There isn’t much I love more than getting to help good people.

So, after a few months, we reached back out to the seller's agent to see if they still wanted to sell the property. We started re-negotiating and closed on the property just a short while later.

Coming back to this property to visit was so heartwarming. From the window I watched the kids fishing together in the pond, roaming the acreage like children should. Stephanie, Marianne, and I caught up, with our babies sitting around on the living room floor. It was a very special day.

We also had the opportunity to sell these lovely folks their first investment property a bit later on! I am grateful for clients who become friends and for the ability to help people achieve their visions of what they want for their lives. I am grateful for repeat clients, who trust us enough to support them in the process of the biggest transactions in their lives.

- Kat
(208) 699-8522

It’s finally here! The Silver Valley Summer’s Events list! This was not easy to compile you guys, I hope you enjoy it and the hours upon hours I put into making sure I included as many as I possibly could (and accurately). Here’s to us all having an awesome summer doing the things we love to do!

🎉 Recurring events 🎉

Thursdays 5:30-7:30 through the summer
Music In The Park - Kellogg park
Trust me on this, music in the park is the best way to spend a summer’s eve.

June 6th, July 2nd, August 1st & September 11th
Daniel and the Gang Swing Dancing at the Country Barn Bed & Breakfast and Event Center. Ticket info is in the comment section!

June 18th, July 16th, August 20th
Jackass Jaunt 5K Fun Run
This 1st one starts from Sol & Serre at 6pm and ends there with a party!
More info at the Silver Valley Chamber
June 19th 6pm

1st Sunday of every month Farmer’s Market 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at Prichard Tavern
183 Prichard St, Prichard, ID

Monday Night Dinners at Kellogg Park
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Monday nights in the summer bring a potluck dish to share, open to all! Seeking a volunteer or two. There is a group for this one if you want to join the discussion, I will leave a link to it in the comments!

Every Saturday there is a Farmer’s Market at Tractor Supply in Kellogg, starting 06/15. This was very fun last year! We highly recommend to everyone!

Wednesday nights 6:00 pm - 8:00pm
Bunco at Albertini's, bring a snack to share! Their page will be in the comments section, check there for RSVP info and details.

Saturdays at 7:00 pm
6th & Cedar hosts Karaoke.

Saturdays 7:00 pm in July & 6:30pm in August
Live Music at Noah’s Canteen located at Silver Mountain.

3rd Tuesday of each month 6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Chapter Events: National Ladies Homestead Gathering
Each month they talk about something home-based, sometimes they go on a foraging hike, for more info see the Shoshone Chapter details below! I try to join whenever I’m available for their meetings, I’ve learned so much and have found a beautiful community through them!

Fridays Jun 21st - Aug 30th
Ride & Dine
Enjoy a scenic gondola ride, live music, and a savory mountain top BBQ. Lift tickets are included in the price. Reservations are required, link will be below!

The public libraries are great about doing puzzle competitions, trivia nights, art days, storytime, and various educational events!
Watch their pages for event announcements
Kellogg Public Library
Mullan Library - Public
Wallace Public Library
The Pinehurst Library, we will provide a link to their event calendar below

🎉One-time events 🎉

June 4th, at 1:00 pm the games begin
VFW Bingo at VFW Post 1675

June 9th
Hiawatha Trail Run - Negative Split
The registration link will be in the comments! You can choose between a 10k, 15k, 25k, or 50k distance.

June 14th at 1:00 pm
Stay Safe in the Outdoors Class - 1st Aid by the Shoshone Fire Department
At the Pinehurst Library

June 14th-16th
Gyro Days - 82nd Annual Event at Wallace Gyros

June 15th -16th
Silver Mountain Biking North American Enduro Cup
Registration information in the comments.

Essential Paint Night at Woodland Market and Studio. Tickets/RSVP are required so they have enough supplies! I will provide more info in the comments!

June 21st-22nd 9:00 am - 4:00 pm on both days
Retro Chicks Vintage Market

June 21st
13-mile Bike Ride Fundraiser by the Silver Valley Fuller Center for Housing. This is a paved trail and logging road bike ride.
Register online or at the event between 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm. The ride starts at 6:00 pm at Timber’s Roadhouse in Cataldo.

June 27th – 29th
Silver Valley Jeep Jamboree

Jun 27th-29th
Mountain Biking Race Silver Kings Hard Enduro, both registration for the race and spectator tickets will be linked in the comments!

June 28th – 29th from 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm
New Faves Fest at 600 Cedar St, Wallace

June 29th 4:30pm-8:30pm
Castle Rock Ranch Farm Tour & Burger Night by Food as Farmacy. Tickets are available at the link in the comments.

July 3rd
Statehood Parade in Wallace

July 3rd
City of Kellogg plans to do a small event of live music, an outdoor movie, small fireworks display, & other kids' activities! Parade entry, and vendor registration is available below.

4th of July
In Kellogg there is a vendor fair, horseshoes tournament, parade, live music at teeter’s field, kids’ bike parade, and trolley rides, and Firecracker 5k. Don’t miss the 4th of July Fireworks Show at Silver Mountain, they start at 10:00 pm!

July 10th-14th
The Historic Wallace Blues Festival
Come listen to some of the Nation’s best blues musicians in a beautiful mountain setting! Voted “Best Blues Festival” several years in a row by the Inland Empire Blues Society, the Wallace Blues Festival will not disappoint.

Silver Mountain’s 3D Archery Event
July 13th -14th
This is a great family-friendly event! The registration link is in the comments.

July 20th 4pm-7pm
Dollars for Dumpsters Auction at Old Mission State Park in Cataldo.
The Friends Of the River Coalition - FORC is putting on a beautiful night of dining, live music, and auction items. Proceeds go to the Dumpsters, trash services, and in-river cleanup services they provide along the CDA river. Tickets will be up on Eventbrite, but you can also text Dawn for tickets - or if you want to volunteer, help is needed! 208-771-0470

July 20th Community Olympic-Themed Pool Party at the Wallace City Pool. The date may change on this one, so double check their page.

July 27th - 28th
SilverHoops 3 on 3 Tournament
Check with Silver Valley Chamber or City of Kellogg for more details!

July 27th In The River Tire Clean Up
Text Dawn for details on boats to bring or where to launch 208-771-0470 *people with rafts and drift boats please get involved* It will be a long day of hard work and water fun!

Mountain Biking Race Northwest Cup 2024
August 2nd-4th

August 2nd-4th
Pinehurst Days

August 3rd, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Silver Valley CARES Mental Health & Resource Fair at Gene Day Park.

August 8th
Innovia Foundation Community Pool Party at the Wallace City Pool

August 10th
There is an amazing event happening at Silver Mountain on this day, it rhymes with Grews-fest. I can’t technically say the name of it in a Facebook ad. This is a fantastic event for the local community to attend! There will be live music and food trucks on site. Tickets go up in price on the day of the event, so buy them ahead of time. The link is in the comments!

August 10th
The First Annual Hidden Gem Fest. It is a one-day festival full of local music, food, vendors, mine tours, and workshops! Put on by Evergreen State Of Conscious and Crystal Gold Mine & RV Park. Located at the Crystal Gold Mine. This is a free event and all ages are welcome.

August 11th Silver Valley JesusFest at Teeter's Field in Kellogg

August 16th -18th
Wallace Huckleberry Festival and 5K Fun Run: 8/17&18 2024 Wallace, Idaho. The Miss Huckleberry Pageant takes place on the 16th, and the 5k is on the 18th.

August 17th.
Paper Flowers Remembering Fleetwood Mac at Timbers Roadhouse
Gates open at 6:00 pm and the show starts at 8:00 pm. Tickets are expected to sell out, and are linked in the comments!

August 24th 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Back to School Community BBQ at Silverton Health and Rehabilitation of Cascadia
There will be free food, free raffle (an extra raffle ticket to those dressed in 70’s attire), live music, games, community vendors, and much more!

August 30th – September 2nd
Under the Freeway Flea Market in Wallace

Sep 15, 2024
Local’s Day
Calling all Silver Valley residents: if you live between Mullan and Rose Lake, you are eligible for a free gondola ticket at Silver Mountain on this day!

Locals please share in the comments any events big or small that I missed (bonus if you share a flier photo with all of the details). Some links have to be put in the comments, so please check there for more info!

- Kat & David
208-699-8522

URGENT rental housing need: local family of 7 just got a 30 day notice of lease nonrenew on their rental and are searching for housing - send me all your options please!
Max budget 2400
3-5 bedroom
Hoping to stay CDA post falls ish
Up to 30 min away from CDA ok

Moving to the Silver Valley? Here’s what you need to know. The place to grab pizza is Pizza Factory Wallace. If you see Jamere, say hi to him from us! If you are craving a burger, I have two recommendations! Uphill Grill and Timber’s Roadhouse. Timber’s has the best house-made chips and fries, hands down!

The best all-around Mexican restaurant is Muchachos Tacos! They have amazing tacos. If you are a huge nachos fan, I love the brisket nachos from City Limits Grill in Wallace!

The best chicken sandwich around go up the river to Hooks Landing. Pro-tip: make sure you order it with spicy chipotle seasoning and their smoky fry sauce instead of the honey mustard. You won’t regret it!

For the best BBQ, you can find the Garrenteed BBQ truck at 110 N Hill Street in Kellogg, Tuesday - Saturday from 11am - 6pm, unless they have a catering event that day.

The best breakfast can be found at Brooks Hotel and Restaurant.

My favorite sit-down coffee shop is The Beanery! They have amazing drinks, and a great selection for lunch if you are looking for somewhere to sit down and get some work done!

Who doesn’t love diner food? Sam’s Restaurant has great portion sizes, and nothing on the menu disappoints!

The best sit-down bakery in town is The Parlor inside Blackboard Marketplace. If you see Erik & Melissa, say hi!! The blackboard also has the best Italian food in the Valley!

If you have visited way too many places on this list so far, I highly recommend Silver Valley Fitness 😂

Moving to a new area, finding a hairstylist that you love can be stressful! Ladies, don’t miss seeing Hair by Janell O'Mahoney or Nicolette at Cascadia Rose Cosmetics for your hair! They’re both AMAZING.

For your Barbershop needs, David’s favorite is Trim Time Barber & Beauty Shop in Kellogg!

If you are moving with pets, you will love the whole team at Kellogg Veterinary. They have always taken amazing care of our animals.

There is no shortage of things to do with kids in the area, but one of our family’s favorites is Silver Rapids Waterpark. There is also a great bowling alley located at The Morning Club in Mullan. It is reservation only.

Ever been to the Center of the Universe? Well, it is located in Wallace Idaho! It is at the intersection of Bank and Sixth Street! 😉

Everyone needs a florist from time to time, whether it is a special occasion or an event. I cannot recommend SOL & SERRE enough.

Most people move here for the outdoors and the beautiful scenery. We have two fantastic ski & snowboard places here: Silver Mountain and Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area.

We have amazing hiking trails all throughout the area, but the Pulaski Tunnel Trail is a local favorite! And you absolutely must do the Hiawatha bike trail, it’s incredible. There is a reason people from all over the U.S. travel here for the Route of the Hiawatha - Scenic Bike Trail.

In the summer, Music in the Park is very special. It takes Thursday evenings!

For locals reading this, any restaurants you absolutely recommend trying? What other suggestions would you have for people moving to the Silver Valley area?

- Kat & David

How old were you when you bought your first house?

- Kat and David
(208) 699-8522

These photos were taken about the same year (1988/1989) of David and I.
Obviously, everyone has regrets in life. We sure as heck do. For starters, we should have been buying land and investing in real estate. But, we were too busy being kids.

David showed some houses today in Sandpoint for a new client. You know what I’m most proud of? The fact that we were able to present this client with 4 off market properties that fit their criteria. Yes, we also showed properties that were on the market, but any agent can do that. Not any agent will take the time to seek out properties that nobody else knows are out there and available yet. This is something we’ve always thrived in, we go above and beyond for our clients.

Picture of Lake Pend Oreille, because it’s pretty ❤️

David has shown most homes to our buyer clients over the last year while I grew our twins and then the last 4 months have been nursing them… but a lovely former client turned friend wanted to see a house today in Cocolalla and so I packed up the babies, and the pr***en to help and went out to show my first house in quite some time. After the showing, we all went to a mutual friend’s house (I sold them their beautiful property too in the same neighborhood and then introduced the families and they became close friends!! Love that community connection) and we let the dozen children run around playing in the pond and grassy field. It turned out to be quite the lovely, special bring-kids-to-work day 🥰

This is my Son, “C”. I'm so dang proud of him. Here's why: I didn’t ask him to put the shopping cart back. In fact, today he was in quite a bad mood. I was shocked when I turned around and saw him rushing the cart back inside the store, I was going to do it myself.

I've always tried to teach my kids to be the type of people who brings their cart back to the cart return station when shopping. It's not that this small act somehow changes the world... let's be honest, it doesn't. But raising a kid who grows up with a sense of initiative DOES make the world a better place. Liberty requires responsibility. 🇺🇸

Raising kids who bring the cart back makes me a proud mama.

I've tried to teach my kids to never wait for other people to do the right thing. The right thing is the right thing even when no one else does it.

The world needs more leaders who do the right thing... because it's the right thing. Not because it's popular or easy.

Sometimes, that starts in a Yoke’s parking lot.

- Kat
(208) 699-8522

P.S. He also turns 8 this month so wish him a “happy birthday” if you can in the comments section, it would make his day ❤️

Hey Silver Valley, are you looking for something to do now that the weather is heating up? Here is a list of 7 great events happening this month here in the area:

1. May 5th is the annual Spring Fling Gala put on by Barnard-Stockbridge Museum! There will be complimentary appetizers and refreshments. It is a free event open to the public kicking off their annual revision of their exhibition space. This is such a great event to attend in order to support the local community.

2. SOL & SERRE will be hosting a floral crown-making class closer to Mother’s Day. They will be posting updates on their page for reservation details!

3. May 7th-9th is the Central Mine Rescue Competition at Silver Mountain. They will also have some equipment on display from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on the 7th in the Silver Mountain parking lot.

4. May 11th is the 38th Annual Depot Day Classic Car Show by Northern Pacific Railroad Depot Museum. This is such an awesome event with local vendors, booths, food, and live music by One Gun and the Long Shots.

5. May 15th at 3:30pm there is a microgreens class at the Kellogg Public Library.
Tickets are free, and there will be a link in the comments section to reserve your spot!

6. May 24th there is a kick-off event for the opening of the Scenic Hiawatha Bike Trail for the season.

7. Retro Chicks Vintage Market's annual sale is May 24th & 25th in Kingston. If you are into vintage shopping…you don’t want to miss this!

If I missed any events, big or small, post them in the comments! I would love for this post to be a community resource of all of the fun things to do here in Silver Valley this month.

- Kat
(208) 699-8522

This photo is extremely special to me. Before I became a realtor, I was actually a home birth midwife. I served this beautiful family while the father was deployed in Iraq, you can see him videoing in on the iPad. This mom in particular really needed a support system nearby, and I was so grateful to be it. Being the calming presence in a room is something I have always been good at.

But, I am now in my 7th year as a full-time real estate agent. So why did I leave midwifery? I was very good at it, and most importantly, I loved it. Over my 17 years attending births, I witnessed more than 750 babies be born. I’ll be honest though, the burnout was real. Many births were 24-36 hours long (my record longest was 72 hours) and with a family of my own, I needed some real balance. So I sought to find a career I could love equally.

After 7 years of education to become a midwife, I knew I couldn’t commit to going back to school for a long period of time. I reluctantly decided to give real estate a try. I quickly found that I love it just as much as my former career, and I think it is because they are so similar.

At their core, both professions focus on helping people through big life transitions. Both are often times intense, stressful, and unpredictable. But the finish line is a beautiful, triumphant moment. The journeys for my clients in both professions are oftentimes the result of years of careful planning, praying, and well, love. Guiding people through these huge life moments is what “fills my cup.”

Not to mention most of my responsibilities in both careers were paperwork, the unseen part of the job. It is a good thing I don’t mind it. 😅

As a midwife, some of the calls I had to make were very real life and death decisions. I think a lot of that helps me keep perspective, and maintain my resolve at the negotiating table. I also realize that the financial decision many families make when pursuing homeownership can also feel…a bit like life or death. I hope that I help them keep perspective too.

I feel so grateful that I was able to find a career where I could be myself, and continue to serve others with integrity and honesty. I truly believe my experience as a midwife is what makes me different from others in this field. (I know some of the values I hold dear aren’t common in this industry.)

Even in my first year as an agent, I was considered a “top producer.” I think that’s because people can see how much I genuinely care and work hard for my clients.

So feel free to Call the Midwife…er I mean Realtor.

- Kat
(208) 699-8522