Another chapter begins for landmark Kalispell Mercantile

Since it was first built at the end of the 19th century, the Kalispell Mercantile in the heart of downtown Kalispell has been home to many: government officials when Flathead County first split from Missoula County, bustling warehouses served by the Great Northern Railroad, and even the building’s longtime owner, Bill Goodman.

For more than 10 years, Goodman has been living in a one-of-a-kind apartment in the historic building he bought in 1997. But now that he’s in his 70s, Goodman has decided to downsize big-time. In January, he’ll move out of his third-story apartment to a 700-square-foot cabin in the Lower Valley, and Bill Goldberg of Compass Construction will take over the historic KM building.

When asked how he feels leaving behind his home and his massive pet project, Goodman merely said, “I want to go camping.”

Though Goodman might seem like he’s got his eye fully trained on the future, his tongue-in-cheek comment doesn’t capture the tireless work he’s put into preserving Kalispell’s past.

For 23 years, Goodman has been personally taking on staggering renovations of the 80,000-square-foot building that was once the distribution center for all of Northwest Montana. His projects have included installing a new roof, peeling plaster off all the walls to expose the original brick, and taking down the 1960s stucco facade that blocked out every window on the second floor.

“I’ve given this building another hundred years,” said Goodman, who started renovating the place without any construction experience.

It seems almost impossible anyone would be able to leave behind such an enormous labor of love, not to mention Goodman’s luxurious apartment, which includes two original vaults—now a pantry and a bathroom—plus a rooftop patio overlooking the entire town.

But Goodman said he’s finally run out of energy to keep working on the building, and feels he owes it to the hallowed space to pass it into the hands of someone who will continue his legacy.

“It’s someone else’s turn,” Goodman said.

He believes Goldberg, whose company, Compass Construction, has worked on numerous construction jobs across the valley, will bring new life and an updated vision to the old mercantile.

“He’s got lots of energy,” said Goodman.

Goodman has been careful about making sure he hands the keys to the right person. He first listed the KM Building for sale in 2016, and he’s waited patiently to find a buyer who seems like a good fit for the classic structure.

It’s a markedly different approach from the one Goodman took when he bought the building in the late ’90s.

BEFORE HE was the KM Building’s proprietor, Goodman was its Realtor. He said he fell in love with his own listing, and he ended up buying the huge downtown building without any real knowledge of what to do with it.

“I have no experience at anything I do,” Goodman insisted. “I’m a jump-off-the-cliff-and-learn-to-fly guy. That works.”

Some things have worked a little better than others, but none of them have changed Goodman’s positive attitude.

The renovations, especially Goodman’s personal quarters, are an obvious upgrade to the building, which Goodman said was “dying” when he took it over after the Kalispell Mercantile shuttered operations in the 1980s.

But pursuits such as the restaurant he established on the first floor, known as Red’s Wines and Blues, didn’t meet with quite the same success. Goodman said the bar and restaurant was “the hopping place in the valley” for about five years, but he never got the knack for managing other people and eventually had to close the joint for that reason. The restaurant space is now home to the Split Rock Cafe.

There are 34 other tenants spread throughout the building.

A hair salon and a martial arts studio now fill the first-floor spaces that once served as the region’s retail center, when the building was known as the Missoula Mercantile. Two of the three warehouses on the second floor have been remodeled to accommodate therapists, accountants and other offices. The third warehouse still sits empty, gaping in its vast original form, complete with a metal automatic fire door and a 1903, no-longer-functional Otis elevator.

Goodman said the “vast majority” of the 35 tenants in the KM building plan to keep their leases under the new ownership.

“That’s good for continuity,” Goodman said. But there will certainly be some changes to the old building.

The remaining warehouse will be renovated as space for special events, and another restaurant is planned for the downstairs bar space that was once a sports bar called Red’s Roost. Goldberg himself will move his family into the apartment after Goodman moves out.

Goodman said he’s optimistic about the new direction the KM building will take, even though the current plans are bound to change over time, if his experience is any indication. Like the 1890s mercantile executive who probably never anticipated his office would become a Pilates studio, even Goodman can’t predict exactly what’s in store for the KM Building in the years to come.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at (406)-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.