Business down after summer tourism

Business from summer tourism in the Bigfork and Lakeside areas was down slightly this year, but still higher than anticipated, according to local business owners.

Bruce Solberg, executive director of the Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce, spent time talking with local business owners and found that demands on chamber businesses were a bit lower than previous years.

However, many business owners had expected this summer's spending and tourism to be even lower than it has actually been, especially given the current state of the economy and the fact that the season started later than normal because of wet weather.

"I'm encouraged by the overall positive feeling everyone has," Solberg said. "Everyone knows what's going on around the country. Bigfork is not immune to that."

Businesses that provide services, like accommodations, tended to remain stable, while more luxury items, such as fishing charters, were more likely to be down.

People seem to be more cautious about spending money, Solberg said.

"[Business owners' said a lot of people were here and looking but there weren't as many big purchases," Solberg said.

Swan River Inn actually saw a slight increase in business this summer with a lot of people from in state but also a number of people from out of state.

"It was completely unexpected. I thought we would be down because of the economy," owner Margrit Matter said. "There have been just as many tourists if not more."

Other businesses have not remained as high as previous years.

Jeff Rach, owner of Flathead Lake Charters, anticipates his business will be down roughly 10 percent by the end of the season.

"We're making a pretty good comeback now," Rach said.

Rach said his services are too expensive for the surge of local Montanans in the area. People are not spending as much, Rach said.

Having slightly less business than previous summers meant some businesse owners had to make cuts and changes to how they operate.

The Big Sky RV Park & Eatery experienced this first hand.

While nights spent at the RV park were comparable to previous years, the eatery part of owner Sandy Johnson's business was down.

"The place people cut back first is eating out," Johnson said.

Because of this, Johnson has had to make cutbacks, hire less employees and work more hours herself.

"We've made a ton of business changes just to survive," Johnson said. "Now with property tax assessments out, I really don't know how anyone is going to stay on the lake."

La Provence Restaurant wasn't able to create as many jobs as it usually has in the summer. Its business is little bit down, owner Marc Guizol was able to pick up new business through catering.

"It took a lot of energy, but I'm not feeling too bad," Guizol said.

La Provence currently employs about 12 people. It usually averages more than 20. This was also due to the fact that the employees Guizol did have wanted more hours. In previous years, some employees would want to work only a few nights a week.

"Everyone did everything they could," Guizol said. "People wanted to work more to make more money. We had to readjust."

However, a few businesses were pleasantly surprised with average or above average summers.

Tamarack Brewing Co., which has been around for three years, saw an increase in business this summer, and much more of an increase than owner Andra Townsley expected.

"We were cautiously optimistic that we would be busy," Townsley said. "This was our busiest summer yet."

And much of this business, like others saw, came from people local to the area and the Northwest.

Many business owners reported seeing more locals venturing out.

Solberg said the Bigfork visitor's center saw more people stop in who lived within driving distance of the area than normal, as well as many Canadians.

The total number of people coming through the visitor's center has remained close to last year's figure, he said.

Big Sky RV Park & Eatery also saw fewer people from out of state.

"We've had way more in state and quite a few from Idaho and Washington, but usually we get Texas and Florida," Johnson said. "We didn't have that this year at all."

Matter also had many clients at the Swan River Inn coming from Calgary and the surrounding areas who were shopping for housing. She also had some visitors from Europe and Australia.

Mountain Lake Lodge actually saw fewer Canadians this year. Last summer, the lodge had 200 rooms for Canadians; this year, the lodge only let 50, said Rhonda Dominick, front desk manager.

The lodge did see a surge of people from Montana, but many of those were regulars, Dominick said.

Despite the changes, many business owners are optimistic about the future at the Lake. Solberg said business owners are expressing optimism about opporunities to bounce back in coming years.

"I think it will stay pretty much the same," Matter said. "It's a beautiful place. The more people find out about it, the more people will come."