It's been a pretty rough go of things for a lot of businesses since the start of the pandemic. The forced closures, restrictions, and social distancing measures have dealt quite the blow to restaurants and bars - in addition to businesses of all varieties. We've seen places power through and remain open, seen places temporarily close, and we've unfortunately seen permanent closures when it's all been too much to overcome.

It's pretty cool to see the story of the Montana Distillery - as they were able to turn an uncertain future into a new beginning that included starting over in a new location. If you've been doing some heavy quarantining and haven't been in downtown Missoula much over the last year - you might even be surprised to learn about the distillery's move from Woody Street.

Rising costs and property taxes mixed with lost revenue from a pandemic aren't exactly the recipe for success. It forced the owners of the Montana Distillery to realize that it was too expensive to remain in Missoula and it set the wheels in motion for a move.

That move took them to Stevensville and owner Mark Hlebichuk shared some details of the journey with KPAX: “We found this place on a whim somewhere in early May, and we signed the lease and got here and opened up for production in August, and then opened up for a tasting room on Christmas Eve.”

It sounds like costs are lower and businesses is pretty good after setting up shop in Stevensville. It's great to see a local business face the hardships of the past year and be able to come out on the other side with a positive story and outlook.

Check out the Montana Distillery at their new location - 304 Main Street in Stevensville. Winter hours have them open 3 PM - 8 PM Tuesday through Saturday.

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