By LEAH WEATHERSBY

Head down to Cranium's Coffee Co. any day of the week and the following items are likely to be available: a soup special, a salad special, a variety of coffees and teas, some funky old toys you'll remember from your childhood and a home remodel.

Of course, the latter item requires a bit more of a wait.

All these products and services are part of what some might call the Cranium's empire which was officially founded in 1991 as an antiques and collectibles shop in an old house at 12301 32nd Ave. NE in Lake City.

Husband-wife owners Leon Johnson and Nancee Harrison grew their business to include a construction company (run by Johnson) in 1999 and a coffee and lunch spot at 12301 Lake City Way NE in 2000. They eventually moved their collectibles business into the same space as their restaurant.

This isn't the first time a retail space and a restaurant have been co-located, but a construction company on top of everything else? Don't these people ever sleep?

Probably not, since Johnson says that his Cranium's Construction Co. is already starting to book house painting jobs for this summer.

Though it might seem an improbable addition to the other two businesses, Johnson has plenty of past experience as a handyman.

Immediately after graduating high school in Michigan almost 28 years ago, Johnson, now 46, headed up to Alaska to start career in the fishing industry. He went on to become a fishing boat captain, eventually settling in Seattle.

As Johnson explained, "captain" in one of those vessels really meant "jack of all trades."

"If you have a problem at sea, you can't just call Roto-Rooter to fix it," he said.

Johnson stayed in the fishing industry even after opening the original Cranium's shop. However, as the work began to dry up, the couple realized they would need another way to supplement their income. The construction company was born.

Johnson gained more building experience on dry land when he began remodeling the space which now houses the Cranium's restaurant and shop. Even to this day he said that fixing up the former Lake City Fuel Co. (which had also housed a Ryder truck rental office and dart company) is one of his proudest achievements as builder. It had to be done economically, and the building needed a lot of TLC.

"We pulled 20 tons of garbage out of here," said Johnson. "The carpet was three layers think and then there was old tile." (Cranium's now has a painted wood floor.)

Johnson also learned a lot about Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, and now considers handicapped accessible structures to be his specialty.

ADA remodels "should be a growing market," Johnson said. "There are a ton of businesses that are afraid to do anything because they're afraid it'll cost too much."

But, Johnson explained, just making simple accommodations like placing paper towel dispensers at a lower height can do a lot of good.

It appears that all three pieces of the Cranium's empire are here to stay.

Johnson said he is currently remodeling the former home that used to house Cranium's collectibles business at 32nd Avenue NE, which he and his wife continue to lease as an office for his construction company and an office or retail space for a future tenant.

Meanwhile, the Johnson has one employee in the construction end of the business, but will likely take on more this summer as house painting season gets underway.