Bob Ricketts figures there are a couple of good reasons he’s still in business at Three Dog Down in Polson: Loyal customers and the ability to diversify when the economy went south.

“The last five years have been difficult,” he admitted. “There used to be six down outlets hooked to the [manufacturer] in Cincinnati. I’m the only one left.”

Instead of downsizing, Ricketts expanded a year ago, filling up the expanse of the long building along U.S. 93 he calls “Polson’s largest mall.” The store remains the hub for Three Dog’s wide array of down products, such as pillows, comforters, featherbeds and outerwear, along with a custom sewing operation.

“We make the pillows right here, and four of our comforters are made here,” Ricketts said, adding that Cincinnati-based Down Lite International makes other down products sold at the Polson outlet.

Now there’s also a dedicated T-shirt room at the Polson store, along with a slipper shop featuring a full line of the popular Old Friend slippers and moccasins, plus a candy store.

“I always wanted a candy store,” Ricketts said. “We have over 100 varieties, flavors you can’t find anywhere else.”

Ricketts found a family-owned Florida company that makes unusual flavors of saltwater taffy such as banana split, Capt. Morgan rum and tiramisu. He won’t reveal the name of his Florida supplier, but said he talked long and hard to cut a special deal with the owners.

“They don’t wholesale, but finally they agreed to sell to me,” he said with a smile. “It was, ‘OK, but keep your mouth shut.’”

Three Dog Down remains a place where Ricketts, a professional opera singer earlier in his life, enjoys schmoozing with customers and telling stories. In his “World’s Smallest Theatre” that seats three, visitors can view historic memorabilia from Butte and its long defunct Columbia Gardens, and Ricketts loves to play the accordion and serenade guests.

The entire expanse of the Three Dog shopping complex is an eclectic mix, with unusual merchandise tucked into the nooks and crannies. Custom-made Gore-Tex ponchos in Montana Wildcats and Grizzly university colors, overruns from Liz Claiborne and other designer brands, locally made Tabasco sauce and ginger fudge and an unusual but tasty brand of ginger ale are among the items that keep shoppers coming back.

It’s quiet during  the winter, but custom orders coming in from around the world are the bread and butter until the summer tourists arrive.

In the lower-level sewing room, factory manager Julane Matejovsky works on custom orders, sewing duvet covers and other items. Her scraps go to quilting groups in Polson that use them to make wraps local firefighters can use in their rescue work. Some of the leftover material goes into fancy potholders.

Ticks are filled with a special vacuum system, and one of Three Dog’s biggest selling points is that comforters can be made with “hot and cool sides” to accommodate couples with opposite temperature preferences.

“Or if your feet get cold we can put more down at the bottom” of the comforter, Matejovsky said.

About 80 percent of Three Dog’s down comes from China, some is shipped from Poland and on occasion Ricketts can get smaller amounts from Hutterite colonies in the Great Falls area.

Three Dog offers a washing process that removes the microscopic goose dander, he noted, so all of the products essentially are non-allergenic.

Ricketts prides himself on offering the highest quality down available, but customers have a choice of the quality of down they desire. It all depends on how much money they want to spend.

Custom orders run the gamut, and repair jobs are often among the work orders.

“People have emotional attachments to their pillows,” Ricketts said. It’s not unusual for Three Dog to refill old pillows or comforters.

One project involved cleaning the chicken feathers from a 120-year-old heirloom pillow and then splitting the feathers into smaller pillows for keepsakes that will continue to be passed down in that family.

Beyond the walls of Three Dog Down are other business ventures that keep Ricketts busy. He rents out two old-fashioned trolleys for everything from pub runs to weddings.

Ricketts’ “Happy Hippo” amphibious vehicle is another popular venue in Polson, guaranteeing guests a wild and wet ride. His next big dream is to build a “theatrical” pirate ship that could roam Flathead Lake around Polson and stage make-believe pirate attacks.

The diverse offerings at Three Dog Down are a testament to Ricketts’ quest for a quality of life that lets him be whatever he wants to be and have some fun along the way. He dabbled in being a rodeo cowboy for a few years.

And he started Three Dog Down in 1990 on a whim.

“I needed a hobby and it took off,” he said.

The ideas just keep coming for Ricketts, who says he probably has some kind of attention-deficit disorder.

“I’ll be going along and I’ll get an idea. Then it’s, ‘Oh, cool, let’s do it.’”

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.