Downtown Kalispell is slowly coming back to life.

Storefronts that have stood empty for years are now filled with colorful displays, and shoppers bustle from one store to the next. 

The commercial area has been challenged in recent years as economic growth in North Kalispell has overshadowed Main Street, but the downtown has been reinvigorated recently due to combined efforts by the city and downtown property owners. 

“There has continued to be strong support for the downtown district,” Kalispell Planning Director Tom Jentz said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but throughout it all, people have been very supportive.” 

Through a city effort known as THE Downtown Plan, city officials have interviewed property and business owners to get input on what is working and lacking in the downtown district. The plan encompasses a tree-shaped area between Center Street and the Flathead County Courthouse, and Second Avenue west and east; a 24 square-block area. 

“The big issues we’re seeing emerge are parking, the noise levels and the sheer volume of traffic through the district,” Jentz said. 

According to Jentz, these issues have been a common concern for many of the businesses city planners have talked to, along with the future of the U.S. 93 couplet around the courthouse at the south entrance of downtown. 

As of October, a planning committee had conducted interviews with around 30 percent of the property owners, but will continue to contact the remainder throughout the coming months. More than 250 individuals will be contacted by the end of the project, according to the latest newsletter for THE Downtown Plan.

After this phase is complete, Jentz said the city’s Planning Board will sit down to analyze all the data that has been gathered.

“We’ll bring those big issues to the forefront, and we’ll just start hashing them out,” he said. “We’ll sit down and start solving problems.”

AMONG THE NEW ADDITIONS to the downtown business district is Bestow, an event center and vintage retail store located in the Adams Building, at 217 Main St. The owners were drawn to the downtown district because the building had the charm and style that echoed what they wanted to sell in their store. 

Owners Julie Croyman, Kris Clark and her daughter Megan all agreed that the downtown area is becoming more lively.

“We ask a lot of our customers what they’re doing with their day or how they found us, and it’s amazing the number that say they’ve come to this area just to shop and browse,” said Croyman. “[Downtown] is becoming a destination for tourists and locals, which is great.” 

Their building wasn’t retail-ready, so renovations took a lot of time, sweat and love. 

The women originally worked at 4th Ave. By The Tracks, operating individual booths, but found they all yearned for a larger space where they could teach classes, inspire customers and offer a vast retail selection of their favorite items. 

Early in 2014, the women began looking for a place to unfold their ideas.

“It started as a much smaller vision,” Kris Clark said. “But when we found this building, we were able to grow that vision into something even bigger.” 

The owners found the building by chance as they were driving downtown and saw the “for lease” sign, but they said they instantly knew it was for them. 

“The historic district suited us perfectly,” Croyman said. “But we had to do a lot of work to get it where it is now.” 

They spent the summer ripping up carpet and drywall to expose the original building underneath and highlight all of its unique characteristics. They had help from family, friends, and members of the Flathead High School football team. 

Bestow hosts a plethora of options for shoppers. The main attraction is the event center in the back of the store. 

“We wanted a place where people could gather and linger, and be inspired,” Clark said. “We know there’s a hunger to create for a lot of people, and this is a place to do it.” 

The warm event rooms holds tables, chairs and plush sofas, as a place for the Bestow staff or local artists to host classes such as furniture refinishing, painting and jewelry making. The space is also available for wedding receptions, business meetings or parties, as it also has a commercial kitchen. 

In addition, the retail space at the front of the store houses anything the women can imagine, from vintage furniture they have refinished to jewelry from Europe. They even sell freshly made French macaroons. 

In the future they hope to host events that will give back to the community, or design their own fashion line. 

The owners are excited to become involved in all the downtown district has to offer, such as the monthly Art Walk, for which they plan on hosting refreshments and appetizers, as well as musical acts. The owners believe that downtown is the place to be, and they’re excited for front-row seats to watch it grow. 

“It’s coming and it’s exciting” Megan Clark said. “Things are happening, and people want this.” 

THE OWNERS OF Shop 313, a vintage consignment shop, say the downtown district has been able to grow and thrive recently because all the businesses support one another. 

“Word of mouth is our biggest asset,” co-owner Evelyn Clarke said. “A lot of locals may not know we’re here, but other businesses are really good about recommending us if they think we have something a customer would want.” 

Clarke and co-owner, Barbara Fraser, opened Shop 313, located at 313 Second Ave. W. in February, but say they’ve had a slow start since it’s difficult to draw shoppers off Main Street. 

“It’s getting better and better all the time,” Fraser said. “And it helps that the whole valley supports each other.” 

According to the owners, the downtown businesses often refer business to one another, since each shop has a unique twist to their inventory. When a customer finds one store, the store owners are then able to suggest more local stores, which helps business for everyone. 

“If someone’s here on vacation and they find one store they’ll like, we’ll be able to point them to 10 more they might also like,” Fraser said. “Pretty soon, they’ll find 25 stores, and then a restaurant, and then they’ll be staying in a hotel and coming back again because they couldn’t get to everything. It’s a great system.” 

Reporter Brianna Loper may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at bloper@dailyinterlake.com.