Longtime Ovando Residents take Ownership of Blackfoot Commercial Co.

OVANDO - Fred Valiton said he considered buying the Blackfoot Commercial Company when Howie and Peggy Fly put it on the market several years ago but just couldn't swing the price. This fall, however, Fred found himself manning the store counter as the new owner of the historic business.

Under the mentorship of the Fly's, he and his wife Leigh Ann have been learning how to run the business since the first of October.

Three years ago, Mike and Liz Raymond from Columbia Falls bought the business from the Fly's, intending to make it a family endeavor with Alona and DJ Sharp, their daughter and son-in-law managing the business. Under the Sharps and Raymonds, who came to the business with a construction background, the building got a facelift, a remodeled apartment, a small laundry facility for visitors and upgrades in the business' tire shop.

Circumstances changed for the Sharps earlier this year, however, and the business went back Leigh Ann said. Fred, who had been driving truck for the past 20 years, said it was time to get out of that line of work, and with a recently arrived second granddaughter, he wanted to have something local that gave them a chance to visit. The Blackfoot Commercial Company provided the opportunity he was looking for at a time he and Leigh Ann could take advantage of it.

With the Raymond's in the mood to sell and Fred in the mood to buy, they talked it over and decided it would be a good move. "You can't get a job and you've got a buy one, so that's what I did," he said.

Although Fred has a new job, Leigh Ann, the supervising teacher at Ovando School, doesn't plan to give up her career for the time being.

"I plan on still teaching at least this year and two more years, so that's kind of my goal," she said. "That way we can make sure things go smoothly here. It's nice to have an income from outside of your own business. It kind of helps a little bit with those lean months."

Like the Raymonds before them, the Valitons plan to keep things running pretty much the same way the Fly's did.

"Howie and Peggy did wonderfully and if we keep it fairly close to what they did . . . we'll make some changes obviously, make it our own – just keep that hospitality going," Leigh Ann said.

The Valitons hope to find a way to make the Blackfoot Commercial Company and Ovando more of a destination, rather than just a place to stop. In addition to reaching out further through advertising, they plan to put more of an emphasis on the winter sports opportunities in the area.

"Hopefully the bicyclists and the fishermen, the summer traffic that we get, weddings and such, that'll keep up." Leigh Ann said. "We'd really like to emphasize cross country skiing. I know that's becoming a bigger and bigger thing."

Although she'd like to one day see groomed trails, she said the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area (BCCA) north of Ovando nevertheless offers ample opportunity for both cross country skiing and snowshoeing.

"We've got a six room hotel here. You could come, spend the weekend here and go any direction you want up there," said Fred, who also has his sights set on attracting snowmobilers. "It's halfway between Lincoln and Seeley Lake for the snowmobilers, if they wanted to come in and spend the night."

As locals, the Valitons also appreciate the important role the Commercial Company plays in the community and are expanding their hours by being open seven days a week.

"In the past, some of the owners have closed one or two days a week in the wintertime, but we're gonna use those opportunities... so people can see we're gonna be open seven days a week," Fred said.

There's yet another reason the Valitons opted to take on the task of running the Blackfoot Commercial Company. Just as the Flys did 20 years ago when they bought the place from the Cenex Corporation, they recognize the role the business plays in keeping Ovando alive.

"Somebody just asked us here recently 'What are you trying to do, save the town?' Fred said. "The answer I gave was 'no, we're hoping to help save the community.'"

Howie, who stops by just about every day to show them something they'll need to know about the building or the business, said he thinks the fact the Valitons are locals helps make them a particularly good fit for the BCC and will make a difference with local customers.

"It's important to the community that we keep this," said Howie, who sees the business as an anchor. "There are certain elements you've got to have for a town...you've got to do everything you can to keep those elements, because if you lose any particular one then. . . basically it all disappears."

Howie said he watched that domino effect impact the businesses in Helmville after their store closed.

"I think it's very important for everything. It just all has to work together," Leigh Ann said.