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Toggery
To g g e r y Written by Gretchen Knuffke
Stepping into The Toggery is like walking into the quintessential Montana experience. The building, in downtown Whitefish, epitomizes the lodge style that we love here. The exposed brick walls with photographs of local spots, the beautiful, hardwood floors, and the smell of coffee wafting through the breezeway of Montana Coffee Traders, ensure that you will enjoy your visit. Everything about this store is uniquely Montana and such a fun place to shop.
Established in 1947 as Frank’s Shirt Shop, The Toggery has withstood the test of time and seen three generations of the Stephens family. What began as a men’s clothing store has evolved into an iconic clothing store servicing both men and women in a unique style of outdoor wear that you can only find here. In fact, visitors are thrilled to find the brands sold in The Toggery, because they cannot be found anywhere else. This store has it all from ski jackets, yoga wear, swim suits, jewelry, some of the cutest bags in the valley, a huge selection of shoes in the newly remodeled shoe department, and all kinds of stylish outfits for an afternoon barbeque, a hike in Glacier Park, spending the day on the water or a night on the town. Trek Stephens came back home to Whitefish after graduating from Montana State University in 1997 and took over the reins of The Toggery from his father. He was keenly aware of the change in fashions from the more dressed up era that his father and grandfather experienced to the more casual look that we enjoy today. He had a vision of taking the store to a new level with a quality of outdoor clothing that cannot be found in the city. You have to travel to Whitefish to find these brands and to have this experience. What makes The Toggery so unique is that you are able to walk in the store and buy a ski jacket for your day on the mountain and a fashionable outfit to wear après ski. That is what Trek Stephens had in mind. An outdoor store that embraces all the adventure of our remote mountain town combined with the fashion that is both uniquely Montana and urban chic.
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Above photo of Trek and Rene Stephens by Molly Claridge . Photos on right page from top to bottom are Frank Stephens original shirt shop, The Toggery in 1947, and a Whitefish Winter Carnival float in the 1950’s sponsored by the Toggery.
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The challenge for Stephens was to change the store enough to incorporate his vision while at the same time retaining the loyal customer base that were familiar and comfortable with the old store. Trek asked a lot of those customers for advice and also relied on advice from his father and was able to transform an icon into a fresh store