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...