Trovare owner Julie Hickethier says her small business wouldn’t be open if it wasn’t for the commitment from the Whitefish community to shop locally amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the gourmet foods and cookware store that opened its doors a year ago, Hickethier says she and her staff thank every customer that comes through the door because they’re the reason Trovare is open this holiday season.

“We hear it multiple times per day from customers that they thought about shopping online, but they wanted to support local businesses — there’s a strong commitment to that here,” she said. “We thank everyone because we want them to know we appreciate them.”

Hickenthier spoke about the challenges facing her business through the spring and summer during the midst of the pandemic during a visit Thursday afternoon from Brent Donnelly, Montana District Director for the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Donnelly spent some time talking with Hickethier at her store on Central Avenue on his "Peaks to Plains Business Resiliency Tour." He was set to visit a business in each of Montana’s 56 counties between Dec. 10 and Dec. 18 as part of a statewide small business tour to highlight the importance of supporting small businesses during the holidays and the impact of local entrepreneurship.

“We really want to highlight the businesses that have done certain things to stay open,” he said. “Also to encourage Montanans to shop local while finishing their holiday shopping.”

Small businesses make up 99.3% of Montana's businesses and employ more than 245,000 people, according to the Small Business Administration.

Hickenthier says the SBA helped her set up her business and has been a resource through the pandemic. She says her business had to modify operations and one of those ways was to add an online presence for shopping.