It's All About the People

SEELEY LAKE – When the Baier family opened Seeley Lake 1-Stop their goal was to run it for a few years and then sell it. Now 30 years later, they continue to strive to make a living, take care of their regular customers and said their favorite part of owning the business has been the people.

The Baier family, Norm, Rose and their two sons Bill and Bob, moved to Seeley Lake in 1957. Norm started out logging with Jack Long and Rose worked as the Seeley-Swan High School secretary for Principal Kim Haines.

Norm purchased nearly 15 acres of land in the late 1970's, early 1980's. He had hoped to start a store like the Axmen. Bud Johnson beat him to it when he opened Timberline Building Supplies just to the north.

"You can't compete with someone whose brother owns a mill down the street," said Norm. "We had to think of something else."

In 1986 Bob was in his second year of college and still was unsure what he wanted to do in life. Bill was teaching in Darby, Mont. and wanted to go back to school and finish his masters in counseling.

"We thought, Bob is at an impasse, we have the land, why don't we start this," said Bill. "It was more of an investment. We didn't see ourselves here more than a couple years because we certainly had zero retail experience."

They opened the family-run business in July 27, 1986. Seeley Lake 1-Stop was open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.

Bill and Bob ran the store with one other employee. Rose did the books and Norm did all the maintenance on the store, the pumps and with the fuel storage system. They built a vault system to store fuel aboveground. This reduces condensation and allows them to provide cleaner fuel for their customers.

While there were five other places in Seeley Lake at the time that sold gas, Bill said none of them were set up to get in and out quickly like what is offered by the convenience store. They offered convenience items including soda, beer, hot and cold snacks including hot dogs and items for warmer, oil and lottery and a full complement of gas including regular unleaded, premium and diesel.

"It seemed like something we could do," said Bill. "But we knew nothing."

Bill credited Frank Tabish for helping them get started and selling them gas for nearly 12 years before they switched to Sinclair.

Six months after the opening, Bob was involved in a car accident. Bill said that the six months that he was hospitalized and the next year and a half during his recovery was the most challenging time of the past 30 years.

"Between my mother [who was also working at SSHS], myself and my one employee we still stayed open seven days a week, 5 a.m. – 11 p.m.," said Bill. "Things got a lot easier once [Bob] got out of the hospital and could start working over here again."

They opened a gift shop in 1989. When that did not work out, they listened to the advice of Tabish and his son Greg, and turned it into a casino. In 1995, they added a bar in the back of the store. They hired eight employees year round and up to 12 people in the summer.

"At that time casinos were starting to pop up in gas stations. It was more of a sports bar casino. We served burgers, steaks and had some real good bartenders," said Bill.

Bill used to tell all of his employees, "This is the one business you'll work where the customer is not always right. In other words, if someone is in here just to give you a hard time, you don't get paid enough to take it. Just tell them there are other gas stations down the road," said Bill. "I also told my employees not to ever show up down here with a chip on your shoulder. Be ready to go."

The Baiers closed the bar in 2003 and decided to downsize to just the convenience store and gas sales. They reduced their hours to 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., seven days per week.

"We are now more of a mom and pop shop," said Bill. Outside of the family, they employ two part-time, year-round employees.

"We've had employees that have worked for us more than 10 years. We've had a lot that have worked for seven and eight years. We've had a few that this was their first job. And the two working for me now worked for me in the 80's," said Bill. "I learned more from our original employees when we were running a business, one of them being Lynn Farra and another being Frank Tabish."

Despite several offers to purchase the business, including one from the Flying J 20 years ago, they have always decided to keep the business and continue running it.

"Either the money wasn't right or the time wasn't right," said Bill. "For someone that was never in retail and didn't plan on staying in it, the nice part about the whole thing is the people that we would have never met if we would have stayed in logging or teaching," said Bill. "Some of them are the employees but a whole heck of a lot more of them are the customers. I still enjoy our regulars."

Bill said there are customers that he has been waiting on for 30 years that travel between Helena, Whitefish and Kalispell.

"We chat like we are old friends and I don't know their names and they don't know my name," said Bill.

Bill also said if the regulars will buy it, they will get it. He stocks specific brands of cigarettes and beer that only one customer buys. He also remembers finding locals in the cooler, helping stock the shelves.

"I asked them, 'What are you doing?" said Bill. "They said 'Well, you didn't have mine out and the girls were busy so I just started filling in the holes.' Nothing like living in a small town."

After 30 years, the Baiers are ready to sell the store and the accompanying land. They are intending to list it this fall.

"As far as us being here 30 years, life just got in the way. You have your plans but life just happened," said Bill. "But when I look back on it, it is all about the people we met, our employees and customers."