When Mona Fancher started working at the Idaho Liquor Store roughly 25 years ago, she never expected it to lead her to where she is today.

Mona will be retiring after 25 years on Friday. At the time, though, Mona was working at a Hallmark store at the mall, she said. A woman working at the liquor store was planning to leave and told Mona she should submit an application.

When she first started, she worked three jobs to support her family, she said: At Walmart, with the liquor store and cleaning houses on Sundays.

“As things progressed, I got better pay and I ended up with benefits. So when you're raising three kids, you need benefits because they're always breaking something,” she said.

‘This is my home’

Since starting, Mona has worked at several state liquor stores in the Sandpoint, Ponderay and Bonners Ferry areas. For the past few years, she’s been the manager at the Sandpoint liquor store on N. Fifth Avenue.

Mona grew up in Sandpoint, and although she briefly lived other places when she was younger, including Vancouver, Washington, and Texas, she quickly found her way back, she said.

Now 62 years old, she still has friends from first and second grade. That’s something she cherishes, she said.

“I have to be here. I hit the end of that Long Bridge, and anytime I go anywhere for more than a day or two — I tear up,” she said. “This is my home. And I love it.”

Over the years she’s seen more than a few unusual occurances, she said.

“When I was at the store that's out by Walmart, we had an old lady drive through the front door,” she said. “This guy walks up and said, ‘what happened?’ And she goes, ‘somebody drove through the front door.’”

Working at a liquor store, Mona said, has also inadvretantly made her privy big moments in customers’ lives. She’s often been there during their saddest — and happiest — moments.

“People head to the liquor store when somebody in their family dies, and they're distraught. Those that you know, well, you give them a hug and tell them that you care. And you're thinking about them, and you just kind of try and commiserate with them,” she said. “[There is] a lot of sad stuff. But a lot of happy stuff. people having babies and their kids get married.”

Mona’s people

During Mona’s time at the fifth Avenue liquor store, she has grown close with many of her regular customers in addition to the staff, she said.

“They’re not just my customers, they’re my friends,” she said. “They're more like family than customers”

Some of those friends include Mary Thompson, the owner of Captn's Table, and Justin Dick, the owner of Trinity at City Beach. Both, along with many other business owners, go to Mona’s store for the liquor served at their restaurants.

“She’s a kick in the butt,” Mary said, “and she’s a sweetheart.”

For Justin, his connection with Mona started about four years ago, he said, when he learned they were both Green Bay Packers fans.

“I was kind of scared meeting her the first couple of times because her reputation preceeded her,” Justin said.

Mona is known for being no-nonsense, Justin said. But the two soon learned they had a lot in common, not only because of their love for the Packers but because of their jobs and the people they worked with. Their friendship grew as the they talked about shared challenges.

“We’ve been able to vent to each other the past few years,” he said. “We deal with a lot of the same customers, people, employees.”

Both Mary and Justin have been a sounding board during tough times, Mona said.

“Especially when I'm unhappy,” she said. “I think we we all kind of vent to each other.”

Justin goes to the liquor store every day for his restuarant, he said, and has become so familiar with it he can help customers find what they’re looking for when the store is especially busy.

“It’s fun for me to help out,” he said. “I do that because I appreciate [Mona] and the staff.”

Becky Campsey, a clerk at the store who moved to the area from the East Coast, said Mona always goes above and beyond to help people.

Sometimes that means working extra hard to make sure the restaurants the store serves can get their speciality liquors, which can be hard at a state-run store, Becky said.

Other times it means being available any time to answer questions no matter the time of day. Regardless, Mona is used to staying busy, said store clerk Kristi Coldsnow.

“I came in one day and she had been working for seven days straight, and I asked her, ‘do you need some help?’” Kristi said. “She was like, ‘oh my God, please.’ And I’ve been working here for four years.”

Mona is also generous with people outside of work, Becky said. Having Mona’s guidance helped her to when she moved from the east coast.

“Right before I started working, I moved. It was kind of like adopting a mother figure,” she said. “I wouldn’t be who I am today [without her].”

Kristi said Mona has always been considerate and willing to help out in times of need.

“She’s done a great job,” Kristi said. “I’ll miss her very much.”

Retirement

After she’s retired, Mona said she plans to spend more time reading, reclaiming her garden — and mud bogging in her truck.

Mona first got into mud bogging 20 years ago after her adult sons invited her to come with them on one of their trips, she said.

“It's my thing. I love it,” she said. “The people I've met through my bogging, I call them my mud bog family. They are good people. They'll do anything for you.”

Mona also wants to spend more time with her grandchildren, she said — something she wasn’t always able to do when she had to work holidays at the liquor store.

She’s looking forward to it, she said, and not sweeping her car off from the winter snow. But she’s also grateful for the friends she’s made during her time at the liquor store, including her clerks, Justin, Mary, and numerous other people she’s met along the way.

“I'm gonna miss my people,” she said. “Gonna really miss ‘em.”

Those who would like to wish Mona farewell are welcome to stop my the liquor store on Friday, Kristi said.