Moving to Montana (Missoula, Great Falls, Bozeman: 2013, consignment, home)

[tenaciousrei]

Hello,

I am starting to research a move to Montana from Kansas City and am looking to ask some questions and get general advice. We are going to visit next spring and summer and probably move there in 2013. We are a family of five with young kids.

My husband would really like to live around mountains and be able to have a decent bit of land. What would be good areas to look at when we visit?

He is also a motorcycle rider and really wants a snowmobile, lol. So we are interested in some outdoor activities.

We are small business owners. I do crafts (floral arranging, candles, incense, jewelery type stuff) and sell at flea markets and online. I am working to get most of my business going online eventually. My husband deals in liquidated goods. Would there be a market for either?

How is the gardening there? I grow veggies and wanted to know any general info about the growing season.

We are Black American and I went back and read the posts about that subject so I get the picture on that. To add to that we are Muslim, religious but laid back. As a Muslim woman I do dress the part and cover. I doubt the reactions to me and my family would be any worse that where I am now (Sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes amusing) but I wanted to know if anyone could give some insight on how would it be to be Black and Muslim in Montana.

That's all for now. My husband might post a little later. Thanks!

[pth]

Howdy! Use the search function in the montana forum and enter a query..you'll get tons of threads already created regarding this topic and I'd be willin' to wager you'll have information overload!

[Mt-7]

Polson, Montana

try this one, number 8 has quite a bit of information...it is a big state with lots of different environments for growing. Good luck.

[tenaciousrei]

Originally Posted by pth

Howdy! Use the search function in the montana forum and enter a query..you'll get tons of threads already created regarding this topic and I'd be willin' to wager you'll have information overload!

Thanks! It is a bit of an information overload! I am about 15 pages back so far and still going. I am learning a lot and the more I tell my husband the more excited he gets! He really is not fond of the area we are in now.

Mt-7: Polson, Montana

try this one, number 8 has quite a bit of information...it is a big state with lots of different environments for growing. Good luck.

Yes, that is an interesting post but not really all that helpful to me, I'm sorry to say. Thanks, we are looking forward to getting to know more about the state.

[MontanaGyrl]

Originally Posted by tenaciousrei

My husband would really like to live around mountains and be able to have a decent bit of land. What would be good areas to look at when we visit

Anywhere in western Montana, but that is more expensive than the eastern part of the state.

He is also a motorcycle rider and really wants a snowmobile, lol. So we are interested in some outdoor activities.

Lots of those everywhere! Motorcycles, snowmobiles, and other outdoor activities.

We are small business owners. I do crafts (floral arranging, candles, incense, jewelery type stuff) and sell at flea markets and online. I am working to get most of my business going online eventually. My husband deals in liquidated goods. Would there be a market for either?

I must tell you honestly that I don't think you could make a living here with those jobs. Everybody and his sister wants to do the craft show circuit and those aren't doing well in this economy. I wouldn't move here without a much more stable career.

How is the gardening there? I grow veggies and wanted to know any general info about the growing season.

The growing season is short. Depending on your elevation, it generally lasts from May through September. But I have also seen snow and freezing temps in every month, even June, July, and August.

We are Black American and I went back and read the posts about that subject so I get the picture on that. To add to that we are Muslim, religious but laid back. As a Muslim woman I do dress the part and cover. I doubt the reactions to me and my family would be any worse that where I am now (Sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes amusing) but I wanted to know if anyone could give some insight on how would it be to be Black and Muslim in Montana.

Being neither black nor Muslim I can't say what it's like first-hand but IMHO you would be much more accepted in the bigger towns, especially Missoula or Bozeman, which are home to our two biggest universities. Some areas of the state are extremely redneck and prejudicial.

Best of luck!

[happiness is]

I would recommend Missoula, Bozeman, and also Helena. Of the three, Bozeman has the shortest growing season, although excellent soil and community gardens, with many days and nights that freeze in the spring and fall. You have to really baby your garden with row covers.

Because of the universities in Missoula and Bozeman, I agree that you would find a more international group of people who live there because of the universities.

I am an artist, and honestly, I've never made money from Montana, as the population here is too small. All my clients are out of state, which is much easier now with the internet than it used to be when it was a matter of using fax machines, FED EX, travel, and the phone.

The winters are very long here, so the only fairs that are well attended are the farmers markets in the summer, where some allow selling of handmade items.

Are you on Etsy? I would recommend really getting your income online to a healthy level before moving, as there will not be enough summer flea markets or fairs here to support you.

Good luck, and if you have any more questions, keep asking.

All the best,
H.I.
in Bozeman

[tenaciousrei]

Thanks happiness is and MontanaGryl! Your input has been a big help!

We figured that my business would not work as well in Montana. Right now I have a shop in an indoor flea market. I do pretty good. I am working on getting online. I do have an etsy shop but it's not together yet.

My education is in Interior Design/Merchandising. I get the feeling it would not be in big demand there! My husband mainly works with ebay so he would just expand that and work totally online.

Are there any indoor flea markets in Montana or a need for one? If there is we would think about opening one. We have the money to invest.

We have lived in the KS and MO most of our lives so we have experience dealing with rednecks and such. We are also used to curious looks and questions. We tend to take everything in stride.

We are thinking Bozeman, Helena and Great Falls right now. We are going to go on a Montana road trip in the spring and check out two places at least.

[happiness is]

I'm not aware of any indoor flea markets. Thrift stores, consignment stores and antique stores are the closest we have to that, but many of those have gone out of business in the bad economy we have now. Even thrift stores do not do well when the population is small and people are not spending. The thrift stores here are mostly for charities, so people buy there knowing the money goes to support a good cause, such as the Salvation Army or Goodwill.

[tenaciousrei]

Originally Posted by happiness is

I'm not aware of any indoor flea markets. Thrift stores, consignment stores and antique stores are the closest we have to that, but many of those have gone out of business in the bad economy we have now. Even thrift stores do not do well when the population is small and people are not spending. The thrift stores here are mostly for charities, so people buy there knowing the money goes to support a good cause, such as the Salvation Army or Goodwill.

I see. I did a internet search and there is one indoor one in Helena. It's more of a consignment place from the looks of it. The concept of the one we would open would be different but I can see that it probably is not a good way to go if we move there.

[happiness is]

I think it is hard for people who come from a location that is close to population areas to realize how few people there are in Montana and how sparsely we are spread out in the 4th largest state of the country. The sparse population makes a huge impact on what types of businesses are viable.