Arts + Culture

A Decade of MVL

Meet the Missoula Valley Lifestyle team as we celebrate 10 years in this community Article by Chelsea Lyn Agro | Photography by Rick Szczechowski Michael Tucker Being a Montana boy through and through, my roots run deep in this beautiful state. I was born in Havre, and over the years I’ve called many Montana towns my home. Yet, Missoula has always held a special place in my heart. The community here is unlike any other, and that’s something to be immensely proud of. After years in the media...

Health + Wellness

Investing in Movement

Alpine Physical Therapy believes in letting your values be your compass Article by Marko Capoferri | Photography by Rick Szczechowski Talking to Samantha Schmidt, co-owner and managing partner of Alpine Physical Therapy, one begins to get a sense that the word community can operate on multiple levels, and at multiple scales of inclusion. And that’s another key word— inclusion —that has been a guiding principle for Alpine since they opened their doors in 2004. For instance, Samantha likes to...

Health + Wellness

Your Body is a Bank

Recognizing the mind-body connection means investing in whole body health at Aralia Health Article by Shelby Humphreys | Photography by Renske Photo When symptoms persist, despite all you’ve tried, the doctors and care team at Aralia Health in Missoula can work collaboratively with physicians to find solutions when all else has fallen short. Dr. Stephanie Raven recounted one patient’s remarkable journey to healing. "She came to us after years of debilitating pain. Initially, her discomfort...

Travel

50 States to Home

Missoula Valley Lifestyle writer shares her story on traveling to all 50 states before planting roots here in Missoula Article and Photography by Emma Trotter My journey home to Missoula put about 35,000 miles on my car. It started with a cross-country move for grad school. Having lived all my life in California, I was determined to go elsewhere to continue my studies. New York University’s scholarship offer was both an academic investment and a chance to experience life in a new place. So my...

Home + Design

Mountain Modern

Modory Home Furnishings offers heirloom quality items and local expertise Article by Susie Wall | Photography by Rick Szczechowski “We like to say we’re furnishing the new West,” says Lea, owner of Modory Home Furnishings and Amira Rug Gallery. She’s passionate about helping make a house a home, and her 4,000 square-foot showroom and design center offers everything you need to bring style and comfort to every room with furniture, rugs, wallpaper, and window treatments. “I would define our...

Travel

Home, Where the Buffalo Roam

The Meadow Homes at the Resort at Paws Up is a summertime oasis for family Article and Photography by Chelsea Lyn Agro I had a newly minted 4-year-old and a fresh 8-week-old baby on my most recent trip to the Resort at Paws Up during the dog days of summer in 2024. My husband and I thought it'd be better to chase around a wild little boy and soothe the cries of our infant while tucked away in a home away from home, because sometimes all you need is a change of scenery to shake the dust loose...

Home + Design

Presenting a Harmonious Home

Missoula Staging defines a space to lend the opportunity for emotional connection for buyers and renters Article by Marko Capoferri | Photography by Rick Szczechowski When viewing a property to rent or buy, how much do you really think about where the couch is placed in the living room, or how the kitchen table aligns with the counters and windows? Ideally, you’ll think about it very little, and with a lot of hard, meticulous work (and a dash of magic), you will feel those details of form...

Real Estate

Dialed in with Katie Ward

Real talk about real estate Article by Chelsea Lyn Agro | Photography by Rick Szczechowski "I actually was in the bottom of the Grand Canyon one time and I took a call."  Katie Ward is no stranger to hard work. It was so obvious to me, especially after we both chuckled about her level of devotion to this trade—the Grand Canyon, really ?—that Katie is among a small percentage of professionals within the real estate industry who uses 25 years of invaluable experience to bend back the...

Local Services

Policies & Plans

Justin Ross from Treasure State Insurance clues us in on how insurance can work for you or have you covered Article by Chelsea Lyn Agro | Photography by Rick Szczechowski Justin, what do you do at Treasure State Insurance? We're a brokerage, so basically there's two types of agencies. There's captive and uncaptive. Captive agencies are going to be like your State Farm, your Farmers, where all they can do is offer you one or the other. Being us, as a brokerage, we're appointed with everybody...

Arts + Culture

Cuisine De La ‘Pocalypse

Local film written, produced, and directed by University of Montana graduate Article by Susie Wall | Photography by Rick Szczechowski and Kyle Weingart Picture this: The world as we know it has ended. Zombies and aliens terrorize humans lucky enough to have survived the apocalypse. In New Missoula, a diverse yet tight-knit group of survivors hide away at their tenuous shelter until Chef John, who dreams of sharing his love of food, uploads his cooking show to the internet, inadvertently...