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NEWPORT – It takes six of eight local siblings to run two small businesses in Newport and Priest River.
The Club in Newport and, as of Jan. 1, 74 Main Public House in Priest River are coowned by members of the Naccarato family: five sisters, one brother and all of their spouses. The Club is a gym, and 74 Main Public House is a pub, wine bar and restaurant.
Priest River has been the Naccaratos’ hometown since their Italian forebears settled in the area in the late 1890s to early 1900s. To them, owning businesses in both cities is a way to keep the Naccarato name alive.
“We’re all about reviving and continuing the Italian legacy and the pieces from our ancestors,” said Michele Hastings, a sister who co-owns The Club and 74 Main Public House.
A close Naccarato family friend who owned The Club, established in 1994, decided to sell it in 2017.
Michele and her sister-in-law Lauren Naccarato both worked there, Michele as a group fitness instructor and personal trainer and Lauren as a front desk cleaner. At first, the two were joking about buying it themselves. Then Lauren asked, “Why don’t we?”
So, they did. Michele and Lauren bought The Club in 2018 alongside Michele’s sister and Lauren’s wife Roni Naccarato; Michele’s husband; two other sisters; and those sisters’ spouses.
“When we were able to reopen, the community and the support we had from people and members was huge,” Michele said. The Club now has 1,500 members from as close as Newport to as far as North Spokane, Elk, Blanchard and even Sandpoint. “They were worried that it was going to close.” Since the Naccaratos came into ownership of The Club, they have done various renovations to the 12,000-square-foot building. The latest were to The Club’s locker rooms, sauna rooms and bathrooms. The Naccaratos also update The Club’s exercise equipment on a regular basis.
“Us having so many ties to the Priest River and Newport communities, we got to put our own little touches in here,” Roni said. “And we’ve grown it.”
Before they became co-owners of it, Michele and Lauren were regulars at 74 Main Public House and would eat there together or with friends.
Buying 74 Main Public House also started as a joke, this time between Michele and Jim Martin, former Mayor of Priest River. Martin co-owned 74 Main Public House with his wife Kerri Martin and wanted to sell it in 2024, three years after it was established in 2021.
He convinced Michele to take it seriously, and she consulted her family once again.
“I would not have been able to take all that on,” Michele said. “I don’t have all that background in all that business end. So, we kind of put it out there to family members to see who might be interested.”
Three other siblings and their spouses were interested. Alongside another sister, the only brother and their spouses, Michele, Lauren and Roni bought 74 Main Public House on Jan. 1.
After being closed for two weeks, what was meant to be 74 Main Public House’s soft opening on Jan. 3 was anything but.
“It wasn’t soft. It was slammed,” Michele said. “And it was fun, and it was crazy, and people were happy and supportive.”
Including Michele, Lauren and Roni, The Club has about 15 employees, and 74 Main Public House has seven.
“The day-to-day, the staff is great and helps us with that,” Roni said. “And then we kind of all fill in, have different little roles behind the scenes on the business end to keep things going.”
As co-owners of The Club and 74 Main Public House, the Naccaratos collaborate with other small businesses in the area.
Country Lane Crafts & Gifts in Newport makes The Club merchandise, and Petroglyph Printing & Signs, also in Newport, makes signs for The Club. And Truckin’ Delicious in Priest River is making 74 Main Public House samples for a dessert menu.
“It’s two different towns, two different states, but we really are one community. So many people have so many ties to both,” Lauren said. “Supporting each other is good for both communities, really. And I hope that’s what our business does.”
But being a small business owner is none of the Naccaratos’ full-time jobs.
Each of the siblings and their spouses works full-time elsewhere. Michele is a teacher and behavior interventionist at Stratton Elementary School. Lauren is a utility staker for the Pend Oreille Public Utility District, designing fiber and power. Roni is a wildlife firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service.
Other siblings and spouses have other specialties. Two 74 Main Public House co-owners, a sister and a brother-in-law, have experience with restaurants, coffee shops and retail businesses.
“Between all of us, we’ll figure out what works best too,” Michele said.
Though they were raised in Priest River, some of the Naccaratos no longer live in the area. Shanna Vassell, a sister, lives in Moscow with her husband, and Philip Naccarato, the only brother, lives in Phoenix with his husband.
Even so, the siblings come together for at least two things: family dinners and monthly cleaning weekends at The Club.
“We all love each other and support each other,” Roni said. “I want my siblings to be successful, and that means a lot to me, and I want us to be successful. So, I think we’re all pretty much working towards that same goal.”
The Club is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 74 Main Public House is open from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.
