Double Barrel’s new owner

Stephanie Ross is the new owner of Double Barrel Coffee House Cafe.

She assumed ownership on Oct. 1 from Lucas and Melissa Cyr, who were part of the partner group that established the business in 2018.

Ross said that they’ll”continue to have everyone’s favorite breakfast items, biscuits and gravy, haystack and such. We will continue to serve all day breakfast. We are going to move away from burgers to doing sandwiches with homemade bread. We will also be running a lot more bakery items and specials. This month we’re going to have pumpkin cinnamon rolls with maple icing. All bakery items being made in-house.”

Business Bites: Double Barrel reincarnated in former Pickle Barrel; Allure Aesthetics wins national award [2018]

She said they’ll gradually implement changes, “but nothing so drastic that current Double Barrel fans won’t recognize the restaurant. We hope to continue to serve current Double Barrel fans and bring in new ones with our changes.”

Double Barrel’s are currently 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

Bricks and Minifigs

Brad Martinich is opening Bricks and Minifigs at 2414 11th Ave. S.

He’s hosting a grand opening of the LEGO shop on Oct. 11 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The shop specializes in all things LEGO, buying, selling and trading.

Business Bites: Amazon facility; barrel building; Dahl House moving; Pizazz’s new owner; Farmer’s Daughter Fibers anniversary party; Oktoberfest downtown; former Access Fitness plans

Great Falls Community Concert Association opens new season

The Great Falls Community Concert Association opens its 97th season this month.

The first of six shows is Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Mansfield Theater featuring Trevor Panczak, a western singer originally from Cut Bank who now lives in Alberta.

Sometimes called the “gentle giant,” he plays guitar and sings along with a small ensemble of drums, bass, and steel guitar.

Tickets are now on sale at the Mansfield Box Office, by telephone at 406-455-8514 or online here.

Business Bites: Planet Earth closing; new owners for Roadhouse Diner; Elevation reopening; cottage market; Pizza Ranch opening; downtown historical walking tours and more

TDS presents Hometown Hero Award to Peace Place

TDS Telecommunications presented its Hometown Hero Award to the leaders of Peace Place on Oct. 7.

The award “honors those making a difference in the community, and it especially aims to recognize our unsung heroes,” according to TDS. “Peace Place offers weekly respite sessions for families of children with special needs. Its programs give parents and caregivers a well-deserved break while Peace Place’s licensed child care providers help nurture important developmental skills.”

TDS also made a donation to Peace Place.

Business Bites: Pomodoro opening; new owner for The Living Room; Three Moons opening downtown; Nosh owner selected for national program; Great Falls Clinic foundation needs sheets, towels; events in city, state parks and more

Author event at Cassiopeia

Meet author Raylynn Van Oort at Cassiopeia Books at 6 p.m. Oct. 14. She’ll be discussing her memoir, From Sh*t to Sunshine, “which deals with her recovery from an evil narcissist who inflicted years of physical, psychological, sexual, and spiritual abuse. This is a story of hope, inner strength, and the power of faith.”

Business Bites: Pizza Ranch hiring; Touch-A-Truck; Skate Jam; Windsor Plywood closing

MHSA All-State 2025 Gala Concert

The Montana High School Association presents the 2025 MHSA All-State Music Festival Gala Concert at 7 p.m. Oct. 17 in the Mansfield Theater at the Civic Center.

Montana’s best student musicians will unite on stage in a evening of performances under the direction of conductors.

The All-State Band will be led by Dr. Stephen P. Bolstad, retired of James Madison University, the All-State Orchestra is conducted by John Gennaro Devlin of Wheeler Symphony, and the All-State Choir is under the direction of Dr. Richard Sparks, retired of North Texas University.

Business Bites: Howard’s delivery; Buffalo Blanc car show; Wholesome Hal’s for sale; Big Sky Sips going mobile; Second Saturday; MDSB parking lot sale; Movie in the Park

The festival runs concurrently with the Montana Music Educators Association Conference that is being hosted at GFHS Oct 16-17.

Great Falls will be full of music makers with these teachers and their students in town.

Tickets for the concert are available at the Mansfield Theater box office for $21.

Business Bites: “Does anybody know what’s being built?”

Boy Scouts coat drive

Boy Scouts Troop 1 in Great Falls is hosting a winter coat drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 18. at Super 1 Foods, 3160 10th Ave. S.

They’ll be collecting new and gently used coats and winter gear and all donations benefit the Great Falls Rescue Mission.

Business Bites: Best Wok reopen; Ramble Inn for sale; Peres Food Basket; summer sidewalk sale and more

AAUW book sale

The 66th Annual AAUW Used Book Sale returns to the Great Falls Public Library this month.

Items for sale include used hardcover and paperback books, DVDs, games, CDs and other various items in good condition.

Proceeds go to local libraries and scholarships for college women.

The sale takes place on the third floor of the GFPL and the AAUW accepts cash, checks, debit/credit cards for payment.

FULL-PRICE SALE 

• Oct. 15: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Oct. 16: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Oct. 17: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Oct. 18: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m

HALF-PRICE SALE

• Oct. 22: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Oct. 23: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Oct. 24: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

SACK SALE (all you can fit in a sack for $5)

• Oct: 25: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Business Bites: Great Clips, vintage shop, Pizza Ranch, wine tasting, GF Theatre Company season announcement; new L&C Foundation director; and more

CMR food pantry drive

CMR Drama Department students will be collecting donations for the CMR Food Pantry from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Westside Albertsons and Smith’s.

The students will pass out lists of suggested donation items to customers entering the stores and collect the donated items as customers leave.

Business Bites: Hometana’s new location; basketball facility; economic development conference; summer open house; counseling office moves; Cost Cutters closing

City utility window hours change

Beginning Nov. 5, the City of Great Falls Finance Department is moving its monthly staff meeting from the first Thursday to the first Wednesday of each month.

As a result, the utilities payment window and customer service will be closed from 8-10:15 a.m. during these monthly
meetings.

During the time of the monthly meetings, customers needing to pay utility bills may:

• use the drop boxes outside the Convention Center or beside the payment window
• pay online
• pay by phone at 406-727-7660, option 1
• customer service calls will go to voicemail and will be returned after 10:15 a.m. Messages will be returned as quickly as possible and in the order received.

For questions, contact customer service at 406-727-7660, option 2.

Business Bites: KellerGeist event space opening; pilates, boutique trunk show; Kegs and Eggs; Chik-fil-A update; Hopper and Ro switch; and more

HomeStretch

NeighborWorks Great Falls launched HomeStretch on Oct. 1.

It’s Montana’s new state-sponsored down payment assistance program created by House Bill 819, HomeStretch will allow NWGF to serve Cascade, Chouteau, Teton, Toole, Pondera, Blaine and Glacier counties.

Through a dollar-for-dollar match with the state, NWGF has leveraged $7 million in private funds – creating more than $14 million in available loan capital to serve seven counties across north central Montana.

In collaboration with NeighborWorks Montana these matching funds are available from Stockman Bank, Opportunity Bank, First Interstate Bank, Clearwater Credit Union and Glacier Bank.

Those banks are preferred lenders for the program.

County opts into new state housing funding; designates NeighborWorks Great Falls as lead agency

HomeStretch creates a opportunity to serve households earning between 60 percent and 140 percent of area median income, “reaching families who are often considered the ‘missing middle’—earning too much to qualify for traditional assistance yet still struggling to afford rising housing costs,” according to NWGF.

Through this initiative, NWGF will help qualified homebuyers finance up to 30 percent of the total purchase price of their homes. The program also creates a revolving loan fund, ensuring long-term financial support for counties while bolstering affordable housing options for generations to come.

House Bill 819 was passed in 2023 by the Montana Legislature and allocates $50 million to a downpayment assistance program for homebuyers in Montana.

Each county that signed on to a community reinvestment organization is earmarked a certain amount of the $50 million based on county gross domestic product. Passed with bipartisan support, the purpose of this bill was to
offer a regional, community-based solution to create affordable workforce housing that ensures families and future generations can live, work, and raise their families in the state.

Cascade County Commissioners voted in August to opt into a new state housing program and designate NWGF as the community reinvestment organization.

NWGF will collaborate with NeighborWorks Montana as CROs to deliver homebuyer assistance coupled with homebuyer education and financial planning.

NWMT will provide services to its counties, which include, Beaverhead, Fergus, Gallatin, Judith Basin, Lake, Lewis & Clark, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Musselshell, Park, Petroleum, Powell, Sanders and Valley.

By combining NWGF’s local expertise with NWMT’s state reach, this partnership will have a statewide impact.

For more information on this program, call NWGF at 406-761-5861, email info@nwgf.org or visit their website.

Youth Craft Fair

Alliance for Youth is hosting its fourth annual youth craft fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 8 at 3220 11th Ave. S.

It’s free and open to the public.

The fair “gives kids and teens a platform to showcase their creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and artistic talents. Guests will find a variety of unique, handmade gifts—from festive holiday decorations to one-of-a-kind art, jewelry and more—all crafted by local youth,” according to Alliance for Youth. “This event is about more than shopping. It’s a chance to celebrate the imagination and hard work of our community’s young people while offering shoppers meaningful gifts for the holiday season.”

Golden Triangle Pheasants Forever

Golden Triangle Pheasants Forever is hosting their banquet at 5 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Elks Lodge, 500 1st Ave. S.