New store to sell made in Montana outdoor equipment

Handmade signs with names of towns and places in the Flathead Valley hang on the walls along with a pair of antique ice skates, and a view of the river in the back creates the rustic and creative vibe that Hilary and Levi Shepard were going for with their new store, The Mountaineer.

The Mountaineer is an outdoor supplies store next to Brookie’s Cookies that’s set to open this week.

“We started this to fulfill a need, promote jobs, promote local businesses and artists and to have some fun,” Hilary said.

The store will sell camping, hiking, kayaking and other outdoor supplies as well as jewelry and custom signs. Many of their products will be Montana-made or from regional or American companies including Sweetwood Paddle Boards out of Woodsbay.

“We want to focus on that they’re great and U.S. made,” Hilary said.

The store will also feature local authors who wrote books about geo caching, avalanches and other outdoor activities as well as function as a booking agent for whitewater rafting through Glacier Raft Company and horseback riding through Swan River Outfitters.

Hilary is a real estate broker at Glacier Sotheby’s and Levi owns Shepard’s Glass, both plan to continue those jobs while also operating The Mountaineer seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the summer. Winter hours have yet to be determined.

Fortunately they won’t be going at it alone as their new shop will add about two or three full-time and three or four part-time jobs to Bigfork’s job market.

“Working in real estate, I encounter a lot of people who are like ‘where can I get a life jacket or sunscreen?’ and there’s not a place in Bigfork,” Hilary said. “A lot of people are on their way to Glacier and need supplies and they don’t want to spend time in the city.”

Hilary also said the local response has been positive as well since Bigfork residents want to buy locally rather than make extra trips for supplies.

In the future the Shepards would like to offer educational courses on things like fly fishing or Dutch oven cooking.

The Shepards have been working on The Mountaineer for about two months and are nearly ready to open up shop.

“It’s time consuming, setting everything up, but overall it’s just the standard process of setting up things and just waiting for the UPS and Fed Ex,” Hilary said.

Although the store opens this week, the grand opening won’t be until late June. For more information about The Mountaineer, visit their website www.mountainee rbigfork.com, find them on Facebook, or just stop by the shop to see what’s new.