The number of vacant store fronts/businesses on Main Street between 5th Street and Montana Avenue.

This does not count any side streets or streets parallel to Main.

Most recent addition: Ben Franklin which has a sign directing (former?) employees to the Job Service.

WOW!

It is amazing that you brought this up. As I was driving down Main Street this morning, I was also counting the number of vacant store fronts. However, I didn't notice the sign at Ben Franklin. With this economic downturn, I hope more stores don't go out of business in MC.

Ben Franklin closed?

That's to bad. I spent many a break hour from Steadmans over there at that little cafe.

No more Ben Franklin - that makes me sad... I am sure they just couldn't complete with the selection and prices at Wal-Mart

Gee what else has closed on Main Street? It seems odd that none of the BARS close down... Is there any place to shop uptown any more??

Actually a few bars have closed on Main Street. The Range Riders, the 600, Sully's and the Log Cabin have all closed down in the recent past. If I remember right, there is the Trails Inn, Montana, Bison, Texas Club and Parkers still open.

Slosh: I thought Log Cabin was purchased by the bank next to it so the bank could add-on to where the bar was? That's not the same as shutting-down due to a poor economy.

But I DO get the point...and, honestly, the state of the economy has things TOUGH pretty-much everywhere, not just Miles City.

Still, it's sad to hear about all these businesses closing, including Ben Franklin and other places that have been around since I was a kid.

The Log Cabin was indeed demolished by the bank next door due to the fact they apparently didn't wish to move to another location, or build up, but instead decided to build sideways. There's a thread somewhere on here in regards to its demise. I believe it was the last standing original wooden structure on the Main Street of Miles City. Quite a few Bucking Horse Sale visitors were later puzzled by its disappearance.

I was once an employee of Coast-to-Coast (before it burnt down), and in that role, organized the warehouse (before it too burnt down), assembled all sorts of stuff from bikes to grills, did some fixing of the same, and delivered many washing machines, dryers and refrigerators. We also took the jaunt across the street to the lunch counter to grab a caramel roll -- which was basically an awesomely huge cinnamon roll with a bunch of melted butter dumped on top. Not exactly healthy, but darn it was good, and it's sad to hear Ben Franklin is no more.

http://flickr.com/photos/.../281992003

FYI- the building is not completely abandoned. The apartments upstairs were renovated a few years back and I believe all are still occupied. They are leased and operated by the Miles City Housing Authority which paid for the improvements, an elevator, and maintenance within the building walls; the building owner is responsible for the roof and building shell. They're nice apartments.

Is that how the employees at Ben Franklin found out the store closed - sign on the door?? If so, that is loooooooooooooooooow.

No, the employees were the ones who left.

Many of the vacancies on Main are not due to the economy but landlord issues, management issues, insurance issues. The economy isn't helping, that's for sure, but is not entirely at fault.

As for shopping. . . Miles City Saddlery. . . Discovery Pond. . . John Stockhill's Jewelry . . . Rigg's . . . Good Things. . . Maurice's . . . there are still a few others I can't think of. Yes, downtown is not what it was in the sixties but no downtown is. We're hanging in there and I believe will survive this downturn, the way Miles City has every downturn since the 1920's.

[This message has been edited by Amorette Allison (edited 1/6/2009).]

East Montana Vision Center, Sunshine Hair Design, Mexico Lindo, and a pawn shop have all recently relocated or opened new on Main Street, near our beautiful riverside park.

Just to mention a few more new operators down on beautiful and historical Main Street.

Support your local Main Street businesses!

I am blown away, that bars are closing in Miles City. I love Miles City.

Learned today that a dear friend in Dallas, TX. (one of the biggest convention gatherers for the state) was laid off as were several hundred other middle management people at Marriott today internationally...

A 401K I acquired from my first marriage is now a 201K...sorry, sorry situation. (FYI, I was a broker for Merrill Lynch before moving into the public school education field).

Glad I work for a public school district in Texas as the math coordinator. Hope/guess I will always have a job. If not, I will be happy to step into a math or science classroom for which I am certified anywhere. I love teaching and working with kids -- expecially those that are struggling. I am active in Texas' math teacher organizations, serving in statewide offices.

I only took one math course in high school at CCHS - geometry from Irene Hoffman. I had taken Algebra I, II, and Trig before I moved to Montana mid-year as a sophomore in 1964. Ms. Hoffman told me often "you should be a geometry teacher," which happened 1999-2000. I wish I had talked to her about that before she died.

Mr. Albrecht, our principal, tried to convince my Dad to send me to MCCC to take college-level math courses my junior and senior years (since CCHS did not have pre-calculus nor calculus and nothing else to offer me mathematically.) My dad -- bless his heart -- suggested typing and other business courses for his dear eldest daughter. I try to forgive him today by thinking he knew the approaching importance of the keyboard. But when I got to Calculus at Montana State, I nearly lost it all. It took 30 credits of graduate level math at Rice University 1997-1999 to prove my mettle.

I graduated 1966 from CCHS and am very proud of it.
Hope to finish my doctoral studies this year in Curriculum and Instruction, Secondary Mathematics. (My God, believe it, I keep telling myself).

Love this forum -- more up to date than the Miles City Star...hate to admit at times I was a reporter in the 1960s for the Star. Don't think any of my articles still are available!

There is interest in some of the vacant downtown buildings. Unfortunately, sometimes the wheels of progress move slowly. But, as a downtown merchant, I am optimistic for the future of our downtown. Especially, since we just had a successful Fall Festival and Christmas Stroll. Miles City has the advantage of having a rich history. We just need to market ourselves better.

[This message has been edited by J Scheuering (edited 1/7/2009).]

Just curious, when did the Range Riders close?

Bob L., I think the Ranger Riders closed down shortly after 2008's Bucking Horse Sale. One rumor I heard was that space would be combined with the Trails Inn Bar and they could operate with just one liquor license -- which would allow the Ranger Riders' license to be used elsewhere.

- Dave

For those out of town, tonight's Miles City Star had an article that Ben Franklin will be opening up again.

FYI
ABC