Local kayakers expand to add bikes, beds

Brian “BJ” and Joli Johnson, local kayak outfitters and owners of Sea Me Paddle Kayaking Tours in Lakeside, have expanded their kayak rental and guide business to offer bike and vacation rentals in Somers.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Montana-themed wholesaler opens Bigfork retail store

Montana-themed jewelry and apparel wholesaler Made of Mountains last month opened a store in Bigfork. Initially operating as a wholesale business, the new Made of Mountains location now offers products for retail.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Lakeside barbershop a nod to old masters

Lining one wall of the barbershop is a collection of knives, antique hairbrushes and hand mirrors. The knives are handcrafted, dating back as far as the 1880s to the 1930s. Against the facing wall, marking four separate stations, are mirrors, drawers and three Koken barber chairs from 1945 — the …
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

New skydive business takes off in Whitefish

Jessica Bradshaw had always wanted to go skydiving, so in 2010, using her friend’s birthday as an excuse to finally make her first jump, she headed a few hours south of Seattle to Skydive Kapowsin in Shelton, Washington.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Lakeside barbershop a nod to old masters

Lining one wall of the barbershop is a collection of knives, antique hairbrushes and hand mirrors. The knives are handcrafted, dating back as far as the 1880s to the 1930s. Against the facing wall, marking four separate stations, are mirrors, drawers and three Koken barber chairs from 1945 — the …
BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Local kayakers expand to add bikes, beds

Brian “BJ” and Joli Johnson, local kayak outfitters and owners of Sea Me Paddle Kayaking Tours in Lakeside, have expanded their kayak rental and guide business to offer bike and vacation rentals in Somers.
BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Montana-themed wholesaler opens Bigfork retail store

Montana-themed jewelry and apparel wholesaler Made of Mountains last month opened a store in Bigfork. Initially operating as a wholesale business, the new Made of Mountains location now offers products for retail.
BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

New skydive business takes off in Whitefish

Jessica Bradshaw had always wanted to go skydiving, so in 2010, using her friend’s birthday as an excuse to finally make her first jump, she headed a few hours south of Seattle to Skydive Kapowsin in Shelton, Washington.
BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Mobile coffee bar finds permanent home in Col. Falls

What started as a side gig has now turned into a full-time business for local barista Matthew Bussard, owner of Azul Coffee Bar, who recently moved his coffee bar into Uptown Hearth, a bakery in downtown Columbia Falls.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Kalispell tech business poised for future growth

Learned Reality, a Kalispell business that provides e-learning and web services for businesses, is a recent recipient of a Big Sky Trust Fund grant offered by Montana West Economic Development, funding that will help with employee training and equipment needs as the business makes plans to expand.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Whitefish bike shop opens for second season

Boedie Cycles in Whitefish opened last month for its second summer to offer custom-made bikes and bike repairs.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Mobile coffee bar finds permanent home in Col. Falls

What started as a side gig has now turned into a full-time business for local barista Matthew Bussard, owner of Azul Coffee Bar, who recently moved his coffee bar into Uptown Hearth, a bakery in downtown Columbia Falls.
BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Kalispell tech business poised for future growth

Learned Reality, a Kalispell business that provides e-learning and web services for businesses, is a recent recipient of a Big Sky Trust Fund grant offered by Montana West Economic Development, funding that will help with employee training and equipment needs as the business makes plans to expand.
BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Whitefish bike shop opens for second season

Boedie Cycles in Whitefish opened last month for its second summer to offer custom-made bikes and bike repairs.
BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Creative hiring solutions for worker shortage

As employers are faced with the challenge of finding workers in what the state Department of Labor and Industry has described as a “looming workforce shortage,” elderly workers, people with disabilities and felons are being considered to fill in the gap.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Painting parties take hold in the Flathead

Imagine a typical high school or college art class. It could be any medium — painting, drawing, sculpting — the basic principle is the same. A professor gives instruction on how to create a work of art, lecturing as he or she adds a line here and some color there. …
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Creative hiring solutions for worker shortage

As employers are faced with the challenge of finding workers in what the state Department of Labor and Industry has described as a “looming workforce shortage,” elderly workers, people with disabilities and felons are being considered to fill in the gap.
BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Painting parties take hold in the Flathead

Imagine a typical high school or college art class. It could be any medium — painting, drawing, sculpting — the basic principle is the same. A professor gives instruction on how to create a work of art, lecturing as he or she adds a line here and some color there. …
BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Owner expands to take on bakery business

Stumptown Marketplace owner David Gatton hadn’t planned on running the candy store inside the market when he bought the building in Whitefish three years ago. And he certainly hadn’t planned on taking on the bakery next door.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

RockFish gym aims to create climbing team

Since opening in August, the RockFish Climbing Gym and Fitness Center in Whitefish has hosted a public climbing competition, started an after-school climbing program for kids and taken steps toward running an accredited college course.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO