The Toggery opens spacious store in historic downtown Kalispell building

The Toggery opened at its new downtown Kalispell location at 327 S. Main St. on June 29. Along with a bigger space, owner Trek Stephens and his business have cemented their place in history in a location with a lot of history.

The Toggery store on Commons Way in Kalispell was already well-received by the community, Stephens said, but the growing support for the Kalispell branch of the longtime Whitefish clothing store led them to search out a new, larger venue. 

“Main Street had been suffering for so long,” Stephens said. But recently people have started investing in new businesses downtown, and Stephens noticed.

“I did meet with the [Kalispell Brewing Company] folks and a handful of other people downtown,” he said. “I was impressed by the things that they were able to do and at the risk they took.”

Stephens said he and his wife, Rene, were waiting for an opportunity in the downtown area. They’d scoped out the vacant, historic Gambles building a number of times and finally bought it last fall. The renovations took nearly eight months. 

The remodeled building is an architectural homage to Kalispell’s history. The flooring, once gypsup concrete, is now made of aged, refinished wood ceiling trusses from a local former lumber mill. The front of the building had remained largely unchanged since it was built as the Gambles Store in 1946, a modern design for its time.

Gambles occupied the building until the mid-1970s, and later Army-Navy and an arts and crafts store were there. It’s been empty for about a decade.

“It’s awesome, it’s old and it’s Kalispell history,” Stephens said. “The Toggery is in its 68th year. Because of the history we have it’s rewarding that we can do that.”

Stephens’ grandfather, Frank Stephens, started Frank’s Shirt Shop in downtown Whitefish in 1947. Its next incarnation — owned by Frank Stephens and Russell Abell — was a men’s store called The Toggery. In 1952 a women’s shop was added to the mix.

The family business passed to Jessie Stephens in 1970 after the death of her husband, Frank, and it expanded in Whitefish to include footwear as well as men’s and women’s clothing. Her son Gary Stephens managed the property during that period. In 1985, Gary and his sister Judy Stephens Pettinato acquired ownership, along with five of Mrs. Stephens’ grandchildren.

In 1994 the family opened a downtown Kalispell store, also called The Toggery, that specialized in footwear; it operated until 2004 when the store moved to Commons Way. 

After a dispute in 2008, Gary Stephens bought out the ownership rights of Mrs. Pettinato and her three sons. Gary’s son, Trek Stephens, is currently the owner/operator of the store.

The Toggery continues to feature outdoor clothing and products, but has taken on local producers that fit its demographic. T Bird Leather, a Whitefish-based hand-cut leather company owned and operated by Tress Wambeke, began retailing with The Toggery in February. 

“They are so community-oriented,” Wambeke said. “Trek and Rene are great business people; the fact that they’re carrying small artists like myself is huge. It’s put me on the map.”

Wambeke is just one local merchandiser supported by The Toggery. According to Stephens, the store also has a few entrepreneurs within the company. Three sales representatives also make handmade jewelry in their spare time, which the Toggery in turn buys and sells at their locations in Whitefish and Kalispell. 

Stephens said there’s been a spike in business since relocating, but the response is bigger than that. 

“More importantly, there’s been an overwhelming support for downtown, and that’s so important to me,” he said. “This is a community who hadn’t had a center of community in a long time. And if we can help them do that then it’s a great thing.”

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.