Entrepreneur opens eclectic community hub in Marion

Nancy Krause is bringing the world to Marion.

She opened the Marion Trading Company on U.S. 2 to provide Marion residents with “things you can’t get anywhere else.”

The Marion Trading Company opened in July with a menagerie of unique goods and services, from Trader Joe’s groceries to foot detox treatments.

“We knew we needed to be as diverse as the Marion population with our offerings,” Krause said.

These offerings include coffees from Africa and Central America, organic dog toys from Florida and fudge from Minnesota. Services at the Marion Trading Company range from self-serve kayak rentals to yoga classes, foot detox sessions and reservations of a Zaaz whole body vibration machine. There is also a drive-thru and full-service café serving espresso, baked goods, ice cream and milkshakes.

“I’ve traveled a lot, and I always like bringing back things to share,” Krause explained as the main influence behind her uniquely varied selection. “A lot of the stuff [sold there], you can’t get in the Valley.”

At the same time, the Marion Trading Company is very locally focused. They sell Made in Montana crafts from Marion-based artists and employ Marion residents who live within walking distance to the store or only “a few miles down the road.”

“Marion’s starting to grow,” Krause said. “One dollar spent here can be re-spent over there and the money just stays” in the Marion community. Contributing to this local community, both financially and socially, was her main goal in establishing the business.

In addition to the items sold at the Marion Trading Company, the space also serves as a gathering place for locals to access WiFi, hold meetings or play dominos with friends. There are a number of tables and a fireplace “to make it cozy.” Yuliya Golovko, who manages the café and Made in Montana booth, described it as “a safe environment to come in and visit with someone” that can “bring the community together.”

In the Trading Company’s first two months, Krause reported the community response has been “quite positive” but not overwhelming. Golovko already has a number of regulars frequenting the café, and Krause said it has served as a good stopping point for people commuting from Libby and travelers going across U.S. 2. They also held a community market yard sale on Aug. 26 that “got everybody involved,” Krause said proudly.

She admitted the unique collection has taken some locals by surprise. While some are excited to see the Trader Joe’s merchandise Krause brings in from Spokane, others ask her, “What’s Trader Joe’s?”

“It gives us a chance to talk to people” and introduce them to some of her favorite goods, she said.

Many of the initial patrons have been amazed by the building’s transformation. The former firehall-turned-feed store was abandoned and underdeveloped for months before Krause and her husband took it over last October. “It didn’t even have a heat source,” she remembered. They worked for months to refurbish the place from the ground up. “The floor is made of recycled tires,” she reported. “We kept 100 of them out of a landfill.”

Krause prepared for the project with an economics background and decades of experience in sales, personal training and the Air Force Reserves. She has also been able to “travel around the world” curating her collection with her husband, a retired pilot. Even with this extensive experience, Krause made clear her goals for the business: “I’m not here to really make a living…We did this with a passion for the community and the people.”

To continue serving this community, she hopes to hold farmers markets, movie nights, car washes with the local schools, live music and more craft sales in the future. Krause wants to “let it go where public interests lie” and “take on its own shape.”

In keeping with the goal of bolstering the entire community, her aim with the growing business is to avoid competing with nearby neighbors such as the Hilltop Hitching Post and the Cenex gas station. “All the businesses here in Marion have their own individual purpose and we’re happy to have added to that,” she explained.

The Marion Trading Company is located at 8200 U.S. 2 and is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.

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