Bear Mountain Mercantile sparkles for the holidays

It’s the kind of store that begs one to take off their coat, pull up a chair and stay awhile.

For two decades, Bear Mountain Mercantile owners Debbie and Stew Adams have been welcoming customers into their “home” on Central Avenue. Open the front door on a cold fall day and the store’s warmth simply overwhelms.

“We want it to feel like home,” said Debbie. “We want to help people create in their own home this kind of feeling.”

Around the holidays, the store is transformed into a festive wonderland like no other in the valley. Christmas trees glimmer and are trimmed with varying themes, and wall-to-wall decorations delight the senses.

“Around Christmastime, we sparkle,” Debbie jokes.

“We close the store and move all the furniture. Then we bring in the lights and the garland and decorate all the trees. It’s a ton of work, but this is my favorite time of year.”

Every November the store holds a weekend-long holiday open house to kick off the season. In fact, it was Thanksgiving weekend of 1994 that Debbie and Stew first opened Bear Mountain. The couple had been living in California and sought a major lifestyle change. Debbie packed up her vehicle and set out on a 4,000-mile road trip to find their new home.

“We wanted horses, mountains, water, a Native American population and affordability,” she said.

After stops across Colorado and Wyoming, she finally made her way to the Flathead Valley on a suggestion from someone she met in Bozeman.

“I called Stew and said ‘I really want you to check out this Whitefish place,” Debbie recalled.

Not long afterward they leased a storefront on Central Avenue. The Whitefish Grill was in the back and they opened in a small space up front.

“We arrived Oct. 10 and opened that Thanksgiving,” Debbie recalled.

What started as more of a gift store has since transformed into what Debbie describes as a “Montana home lifestyle store.”

“If you want to decorate your cabin or home like a ski lodge, we can do that,” she said.

The couple has encountered some ups and downs in the business. They’ve expanded and downsized as the economy shifted, but their spirit has never wavered.

“The intent from day one was for anyone to come in here and find something, be treated well and feel really good about what they bought,” she said. “That’s been our driving force over the past 22 years.”

Reflecting on the last two decades, Debbie is quick to note the many changes along Central Avenue and the businesses that have survived.

“We’ve all been committed to providing quality and customer service and imagination in what we do,” she said. “As others have opened, that challenges us to keep getting more creative in keeping our niche. Our customers have been very supportive.”

Bear Mountain used to close on Sundays and Wednesday. Now, it’s a seven-days-a-week operation. Twenty years ago, the so-called shoulder season was a sleepy time.

“There were some months when we were nervous, especially in those early years,” Debbie said. “But now, there is still a shoulder, but it’s very small.”

They have no regrets about choosing Whitefish as home.

The couple adopted and raised two children here, Danielle and Dakota, who both attended Whitefish High School.

Danielle recently married, which sparked Debbie to think about a possible new business venture.

“I did the set up and flowers for the wedding,” she said. “It was a lot of fun. I’m thinking Bear Mountain might spin off into events and floral.”

A new challenge.

“I like the challenge,” she said. “I love what I do. I love to create beautiful places and beautiful environments.”

Bear Mountain Mercantile is located at 237 Central Ave. Call 862-8382 for more information.