Peddlers Post offers unique combination of furniture and firearms

Kim Best is glad to finally have her store, the Peddlers Post, in Columbia Falls.

The store, which features hand-made furniture, firearms and reloading supplies, originally opened in Whitefish eight years ago, but Best said it was always her plan to have the business in Columbia Falls.

“I wanted it to be in Columbia Falls from the beginning, but there were just no good locations available at reasonable prices when I got started. Evergreen and Kalispell were also ridiculous, so I decided to go with Whitefish. It really did get me good bang for my buck, but I always wanted to be in Columbia Falls,” she said. “I’ve been trying to get to Columbia Falls ever since I opened, but I have always been under contract whenever a good location became available over here.”

When the former Harvest Foods location (across from Smiths at 426 Nucleus Ave.) became available last year, Best jumped at the chance to finally have her business where she had always wanted it.

Best said the move was slow, and she was only open by appointment as she was setting up the new location, but she hopes that word it getting around that she is open with regular hours.

“I have a lot of faithful regular customers who like how I do things and they have already been coming in to see the new location. Their support has been great, so hopefully the word will get around that I am open in my new location,” she said.

The Peddlers Post features custom furniture that is hand-made by a small family in Montana, and the quality and craftsmanship truly shows.

“It really is quality furniture. I know there is stuff out there that is really similar, but they are mass-produced. Each of the pieces in here takes time and the quality really shows in the final product,” Best said. “When they need a handle for a drawer, they don’t go to the hardware store and buy one, they make it. They cut down their own trees to get the wood for each piece. When I say it is hand-made, I mean it.”

While the quality is high, the prices are not, and that is just how Best wants to keep it.

“More than three-fourths of the furniture stores get their pieces from China and bring it over on ships. When they get here, the stores jack up the prices to make 400 percent profit. My store is not like that,” she said. “I keep my prices low so people can afford to buy here, and my furniture is not falling apart in a year like the pieces from the big stores.”

Along with the furniture, Peddlers Post offers a variety of new and used firearms as well as ammo and reloading supplies.

Best said it was her love of hunting and the outdoors that led her to make firearms a part of the business.

“I have always liked hunting and fishing, like most people in Montana. I have always enjoyed shooting, so I thought I would help out others who do by adding guns, ammo and reloading supplies to my store,” she said.

For those looking to sell their firearms, Peddlers Post also offers a reasonably-priced consignment option.

“Having consignment pieces is nice because it brings in a variety of firearms, not just new-production pieces. Getting people to be willing to sell their old firearms can be tough, though. That’s the tricky part,” Best said.

Furniture and firearms, it’s an interesting combination, but the Peddlers Post makes it work.

The Peddlers Post is open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit them on Facebook.