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The Local Store in Trout Creek is under new ownership. Ross and Michelle Fitchett took over operations last November and they say business has been steady. "We were able to keep all the original employees and we were able to hire a few new people," Ross said. While the purchase of licensing to sell tobacco and alcohol took longer than expected, the owners say once those were approved, running the store has been pretty smooth so far.

With the idea of expansion in mind, the owners have started small with plans to take some bigger steps in the near future. "We've expanded the deli," Ross said. "It's now open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week, where before it was only open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m."

The Local Store has expanded the menu to include new dinner choices and new breakfast items,; including a revamp on their breakfast burritos. Ross says his creation of the "Bigfoot Burrito" is insanely good. He worked with the store's deli manager, Lisa, and they were able to create something people wouldn't normally see in a breakfast burrito. "We filled the burrito with chicken fried steak, beer battered fries, gravy, eggs and of course, cheese," he said. "We deep fry the beer battered fries and it just adds an extra crunch to every bite."

The Local Store will also see a newly added Keto section as well as expanded gluten free options for people in the community. New and upgraded gas and diesel pumps were recently added and a full-time butcher has been hired.

Ross says it's always been a dream to own his own store. "I've always worked in construction and logging," he said. "It's nice to have a job that's not seasonal. I like people and when you own a logging business, you're just by yourself all the time and I wanted to do something else. This just felt more like a natural fit."

Michelle has been on board with the idea to purchase The Local Store since the beginning and also shared the dream of wanting to own her own business. "I want to do everything I can to make The Local Store the best it can be," she said. "We want to expand in the next four to five years. We want to be able to get the prices down a little to help people out, which would also help create more jobs."

As the new owners prepare for summer, they were given a bit of a preview of the daily operations prior to officially purchasing the business. "I had the opportunity to work here for three months prior to buying," Ross said. He credits the experience and uses the knowledge he gained to help transition into the busiest season of the year. "We plan to stock up on everything," he said. "Normally we have 10 employees but during the summer it will be 12 or 13."

Being the only grocery store between Thompson Falls and Sandpoint, Idaho, Michelle says they not only plan on being able to cater to the locals but to those passing through the area as well. "I want this to be a happy, friendly environment," she said. "That's what I like and want to see when I walk into a store."

With Montana Lottery, tobacco products, beer and wine, a newly expanded deli and espresso, the owners say there's a little something for everyone. "We also bake fresh doughnuts and bread when there's time," Michelle said. "Someday, we hope to offer custom cakes."

Both Ross and Michelle have noticed the population in the area has doubled in the last five years and they are hoping to use the increase of traffic to their advantage in order to lower prices on goods for their customers. The biggest hurdle they face is expense and the inability to offer all the products possible to their customers.

"We have the same supplier as Harvest Foods, Yoke's and Super One, but the smaller the store you are, the higher the prices," Michelle said. The owners believe there are enough people in the area that would allow them to expand the space, bring in more products and in return, lower prices.

Miriah Kardelis

The Local Store in Trout Creek has expanded the deli hours and will now offer dinner. Customers will have options including burgers, chicken fried steak, specialty custom sandwiches and homemade pizza.

For now, business will be carried on as usual with a heavy focus on offering good quality, ready-to-go food from the deli, as some of their biggest dinner dishes have become the most popular. "You can get burgers, chicken fried steak, specialty custom sandwiches and homemade pizza," Ross said. "The prices from our deli are definitely competitive with the restaurants' prices. You can get a hot and ready to go pizza for $10.99. All the food here in town is good but what we offer is good quality food that you can get right away." Michelle says customers can call in an order, walk up to the window and pick up their meal, all in 15 minutes.

Check out the Trout Creek Local Store on Facebook or call (406) 827-4507 for product or deli questions. The Local Store is located at 2954 MT Highway 200 in Trout Creek and is open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The deli is open Monday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.