What makes Bozeman great is the love of community; from businesses, to nonprofits, to events, and the wonderful outdoor activities available for us. One of our deepest passions is to support local businesses. This month we want to shine a light and show love to all of our local workers whether they are employed at locally owned or big box businesses to keep Bozeman a beautiful and supportive place to live.
As we all know, Bozeman is the home of our beloved Montana State University, but what would our school be without the students? Many of those students are Montana residents, with most working while studying for their degrees. These are hard working students! And you best believe we can consider them their own businesses: working hard for their tuition, their lives outside of school, and maybe even their families. These students contribute services to the community they live and study in by working in the restaurants, retail, labor, etc, supporting themselves while at the same time bettering themselves and their community.
With the growth rate of Bozeman rising every single year, new families join our local families in this lifestyle. Families like my own who have found a home here 8 years ago, or those who moved in last week, the growth is extraordinary, and we are all here with a common goal: work hard and play hard. Many families have both parents working full or part time jobs. These parents are also contributing services and even goods to our community, just like our students. Think about it! In service industries, the tips collected by these parents can pay for dance lessons, Christmas presents, you name it! Let’s face it. Living in Bozeman is rather expensive, but very much worth it!
With such a connected community, we help spread the word verbally or virtually about the old and new “brick and mortar” businesses. That is what makes them thrive! Take Capelli’s for example. Twenty-two plus years in business and we are still being discovered by local and visiting clients. The word gets around and keeps going. It can be difficult for locally-owned businesses to succeed in their community. It is up to us to maintain the environment and connectivity in our community to encourage the expansion of our local businesses. If you discover a new, upcoming store/boutique/restaurant, share the news!
We love our local businesses here in our ever-expanding Bozeman. Everyone: service providers, sales people, laborers, retailers, etc. We are all here together to live our best possible lives. There is nothing better than a community that helps each other, spreading the kindness and love that this wonderful town has to offer. Remember to tip your server!