Billings, MT February 2023

For the Love of Local

P R O F E S S I O N A L S E RV I C E S

A LIN GERIN G E XPERI ENCE A R T S + C U LT U R E

O F I CE & OWL S M OU NTAIN OUS MU RAL S F E B R UA RY 2 02 3

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MISSOUL A

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BILLINGS

534 S Billings Blvd. Billings, MT • 406-259-2909

February 2023 PUBLISHER

Richard Boggs | Richard.Boggs@CityLifestyle.com EDITOR

Chelsea Lyn Agro | Chelsea.Agro@CityLifestyle.com

LIFESTYLE LETTER

Love: infancy and beyond Every morning, right before I wake my son up, I try to take a second just to look at him sleeping. His eyes are completely rested and relaxed, completely oblivious to the new adventure that awaits him when his senses start to stir.

His little hands and feet are completely still, and in just a moment they'll be set in motion with the feverish energy that only the youth possesses.

I love this part of my day more than anything else. It's weird to live for over thirty years and not know a love quite like this until you become a parent. My entire heart is filled with joy and excitement for this little boy.

But I know these times won't last forever. Babies turn into toddlers and then teenagers and then, as if suddenly, they're adults. I bet a lot of local businesses can relate to this feeling when their idea grows and changes and becomes something much larger and more grand than they ever intended.

This issue is centered around local love. We all have love in our daily lives: a spouse who is everything you could have ever asked for (even the things you didn't ask for but love anyway), a new puppy who pees on the carpet but greets you with a wag and a toothy grin, or even the extra foam on your morning latte. Every day we are given thousands of reasons to express love in some shape or capacity. The support we show each other and our local businesses is celebrated today and every day, all year long.

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Amanda Tucker | Amanda.Tucker@CityLifestyle.com STAFF PHOTOGR APHER

Chelsea Culp | ChelseaCulpPhotography@Gmail.com CONTR IBUTING WR ITER S

Chelsea Lyn Agro, Nick Mack, Sarie Mackay

Corporate Team CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt CHIEF SALES OFFICER Matthew Perry CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DeLand Shore DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA Mindy Hargesheimer ART DIRECTOR Sara Minor OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Janeane Thompson WEB APPLICATIONS Michael O’Connell AD DESIGNER Rachel Collins LAYOUT DESIGNER Kelsey Ragain

RICHARD BOGGS, PUBLISHER @BILLINGSCITYLIFESTYLE

Learn how to start your own publication at: citylifestyle.com//franchise

Scan QR code to visit our Instagram CIT YLIFEST YLE.COM/BILLINGS |

Proverbs 3:5-6 Billings City Lifestyle™ is published monthly by Lifestyle Publications LLC. It is distributed via the US Postal Service to some of the Billings area’s most affluent neighborhoods. Articles and advertisements do not necessarily reflect Lifestyle Publications’ opinions. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Lifestyle Publications does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors.

Information in Billings City Lifestyle™ is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but

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L I F E ST Y LE LE T T E R

the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed.

A Single Momen t In Time

Go to MandMTuck .PicFair .com

A Single Moment taken of the Beauty of the Montana Outdoors

F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 3

inside the issue The Local Love Issue

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F E ATU R E D

D E PA RTM E NTS

14 A Lingering Experience

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Lifestyle Letter

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City Scene

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Business Monthly

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Expert Help

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Artist’s Palette

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Must See

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Home Update

Roots Garden Center offers everything we need in the doldrums of winter.

22 Of Ice & Owls A late winter look at love.

26 Mountainous Murals Handmade art from a homegrown artist.

O N T H E C OV E R

Photography: Chelsea Culp Jon and Karen Switzer stand together in a warm embrace inside the perfect place to be this month: Roots Garden Center.

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PR O FES S I O NA L S E RV IC E S A RTS + C U LT U R E

A RTS + C U LT U R E HO ME + DES I GN

www.asinglemomentintime.net

Michael Tucker

A Single Moment In Time, are large canvas photos of local landscapes, and views from the summits of Mountains in Montana and surrounding states through the eyes of Michael Tucker. These photos have been taken with an inspirational view in time, looking down from the summits, or taken at just a moment in time that will never be duplicated.

Find these beautiful large canvas photos that will add inspiration to any wall in your home or office.

Go to www.asinglemomentintime.net 406.544.8333

F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 3

city scene

Where neighbors can see and be seen.

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1-7: Owner of Mac’s Floral, Katie Bennett, hosted a wreath-making class at Better to Gather.

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C I T Y SC E N E

Want to be seen in the magazine?

Tag your Instagram photos with @billingscitylifestyle

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8-14: Owner of Mac’s Floral, Katie Bennett, hosted a wreath-making class at Better to Gather.

FEB R UARY 2 0 2 3 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C O M / BI L L I N G S

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F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 3

business monthly A round-up of exciting news from local businesses.

Funky Bunch High School Improv Troupe On Friday, February 3 at 7:30 p.m., treat yourself to an evening of improv! NOVA's High School Improv Troupe is a group of young people who bring creativity, imagination, and hilarity to the stage. This event is just $10 at the door of the NOVA Center for the Performing Arts.

Scan to read more.

Albion Quartet On Thursday, February 23 at 5 p.m., the Billings Depot presents the Fab Four of exceptional young British string players who are establishing themselves rapidly on the international stage. Prepare for a feast of sounds!

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B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY C O N T I N U E D

Legally Blonde the Musical On Wednesday, February 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Alberta Blair Theater, Legally Blonde comes to life in a theatrical way. This is the story of Elle Woods, the confident girl who uses her ingenuity and charm to get into Harvard Law. School begins with endless struggles but with the help of her new friends, Elle quickly realizes her potential as she sets out to prove herself to the world and make everyone a believer.

Scan to read more.

Want to be featured?

Get in touch by heading over to our landing page to connect: CityLifestyle.com/Billings

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A Lingering E xperience

ARTICLE BY CHELSEA LYN AGRO PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHELSEA CULP

Roots Garden Center offers everything we need in the doldrums of winter

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EXP E RT H E LP | PR OFESS I ONAL S E RVI CE S

A green thumb hidden within a mitten, February. It might feel like a juxtaposition to even speak about greenery come such a frigid, unforgiving month but here we are, doing the necessary work of planting ideas surrounding spring. Before we get too ahead of ourselves, though, let’s sit a spell in the nursery with Jon and Karen Switzer, the owners of Roots Garden Center on Poly Drive, and find out why this month is important and how we can make the best of these cold days.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about the term ‘fallow,’ as in letting the land lie fallow and giving it some rest,” says Jon. He and Karen own Switzer Landscaping and Nursery, which, at its core, is a business they bought from Karen’s parents Jerry and Ruth Anderberg about five years ago. Along with the business, they also inherited decades’ worth of horticultural and landscaping experience. It’s safe to say that they still learn a lot of things on the job through what Jon calls “the cost of tuition,” as he describes the process of

learning and caring for new plants that our world is continuously harvesting from jungles much warmer than where we are now.

But one thing that Jon zeros in on during this particular month is being patient and letting the ground rest while we do the same.

The dormancy of this season can lend us a fresh perspective, one that lets us notice little details and crave brighter or warmer things, and that’s something that Jon has come to really appreciate. Spring, summer, and autumn are demanding seasons in the CONTINUED > FEB R UARY 2 0 2 3 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C O M / BI L L I N G S

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landscaping business so winter is a time where he and Karen get to stand back and take a good, hard look at what they can offer to their community, and also feel gratitude toward all that is offered to them.

“The brightness that we want to offer to people is sort of a rest and reset, things like fresh flowers.

We have Valentine’s Day, of course, but our fresh flowers will be presented to people in a great way all winter long, so that’s always something that can add a lot of vibrance to a room and it makes a big difference,” says Jon. And he knows the flower arrangements will do their part during this marathon of a month because their florist is also an artist. “We hired Marie to do some of the design and cultivation of the space for us, and with that comes sort of a different feel of things like the bouquets…we love that we’re trying to invite a unique experience for creativity for people so that they’re actually inspired by that.”

Like most small business owners, Jon and Karen didn’t really see the big picture when putting together all of the puzzle pieces at first. When they first secured this Poly Drive location for Roots Garden Center, they knew they wanted to offer seasonal treasures like Christmas trees and poinsettias but they didn’t fully realize the historical experience it was for the community, how folks really folded into the season with warmth and local support. Naturally, this seasonality has bloomed with its own type of beauty and gifted Jon and Karen the wholesome feeling of friendship. With Black Dog Coffee at their side, there is steady traffic flocking to and from one main craving: coffee.

“In the dead of winter, coffee is booming,” says Jon. He is thankful for the energy that this brings to the nursery, and he loves that customers who may just be looking to warm up with a favorite drink might end up finding an unexpected treasure to take home. “It’s kind of a sweet-spirited, symbiotic relationship between Black Dog and us, so we really are so grateful for their business being here and we just work really well with each other.” And since our attention to detail may be just a tad more refined this time of year, it isn’t lost on Jon that Black Coffee shares the same philosophy that Roots does—one that is centered around a relational experience. Many coffee

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EXP E RT H E LP | PR OFESS I ONAL S E RVI CE S

“The brightness that we want to offer to people is sort of a rest and reset, things like fresh flowers.”

—Jon Switzer CONTINUED > FEB R UARY 2 0 2 3 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C O M / BI L L I N G S

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EXP E RT H E LP | PR OFESS I ONAL S E RVI CE S

shops feel the pressure to serve more, faster, but Jon is excited to be linked with likeminded people who cater to a lingering experience, where customers and friends can be inspired and feel warmth even on the coldest days of the season and engage in the timeless art of conversation.

“That generates more community,” says Jon. Serving the community in many different ways is another unexpected blossom on this firmly planted business. Jon and Karen knew they wanted to have an art gallery in Roots but even that has taken on a life of its own. During Winter Fest, over 40 different local artists are represented in the building, and Jon loves giving new artists a space for their art to be seen by the community. He also likes the whole experience that exposure can offer to an artist, which helps that individual get an education on what the community responds really well to, and what could be altered for future sales.

As new artists are growing their businesses and new bouquets are being imagined and produced, Jon and Karen and their deeply thoughtful team of employees are focusing on our societal trends while remaining rooted in their passion.

CONTINUED >

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They’re offering their products and services to newcomers and natives alike, and they have some helpful tips for those who are eager to get their yards or properties in shape this coming spring.

“We always take it bite-sized,” says Jon. It’s easy for a project to feel overwhelming, both financially and physically, and there’s often this urge to redo everything, all at once. Jon recommends tackling one project at a time because, inevitably, that project will get bigger.

Try choosing a shrub bed or a flower bed and let things grow from there. He’s also quick to remind us about this resting we are supposed to be doing. That’s important for our land and soil, too. “Every year we sort of get this hilarious amnesia about how much fall clean-up we need to do, and if we can get it done in one fell swoop,” says Jon. “Leaves will actually contribute helpfully to some of the ecosystem of the soil over time.” This resting and rejuvenation will provide better nutrients and better water retention. Once that snow melts, you can pick up some slow-release nitrogen (Roots has their own blend) and purchase some starter potatoes to try your hand at indoor gardening before the season is in full swing.

If growing your own garden or changing up your outdoor living space isn’t on your priority list for the upcoming warmer months, indoor plants are of plenty once inside the quaint and cozy Roots Garden Center. In fact, it’s a sweet spot for staff and customers to just feel in the presence of thriving green beauty, and what more can we really ask for come February in Montana?

“We’re both Billings kids—we grew up here,” says Jon. It’s important that Roots Garden Center and the landscaping business tend to this community, the same way one would look after a plant or seedling with faith in tomorrow.

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EXP E RT H E LP | PR OFESS I ONAL S E RVI CE S

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OF ICE & OWLS A LATE WINTER LOOK AT LOVE

ARTICLE BY SARIE MACKAY

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A RT IST ’S PA LE T T E | ARTS + CULTURE

Climate change blows many winds, but we continue to associate February with snow and all things frozen. By now, winter has thoroughly cooled us down and made the summer garden into a wisp of memory. Social outings are as sluggish as the oil in the tractor, and the landscape is caught in a state of suspended animation.

In the quiet of the evening, the cottonwoods emit loud cracks as the moisture within them wreaks havoc in their woody fiber. On super cold nights, those who live near the river can hear the ice cracking too, and a farmer may hear the yip of a fox in a frozen field. The wild winds thunder along the foothills and moan in the chimney at night. They mutter against the windowpanes, reminding us that

we are mere mortals in the face of the bitter elements. All of this makes a crackling fire and a cup of hot chocolate sound pretty good.

But even in the grip of such dramatic natural forces, all is not silent and still. In fact, love is in the air. January and February are the mating months for that fox yipping in the field as well as for the great horned owls. Years ago I lived alone on a ranch, a place where a person meets winter solitude face to face. And then came the owls.

They made themselves known in late January, well before I expected them. A pair of great horned owls returned to the tall spruces at the edge of the lawn, where I had seen them last summer. In the chilliest arc of the year, they set about the mysterious rites of owl courtship. It wasn’t just a matter of bird talk going back and forth across the wide, winter-beaten lawn. It was an opera of mood and timing.

The male, not surprisingly, had a more baritone voice. He also seemed a good deal more impatient. When he called to the female, the sound drifted down like a church bell pealing from a steeple—regal and insistent. If she did not reply, he would punctuate his haunting calls with a series of barking grunts.

Finally, she did respond, in varying tones, as if to say, “Yes, yes, I’m here.” They had chosen a battered old magpie nest and had made a few refurbishments, which the female supervised. Then courtship began, much of which I missed due to a stodgy thing called a job. Courting typically involves the puffing of the male’s chest, a certain amount of CONTINUED >

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bobbing and bill-rubbing, offerings of food, and a great many peculiar sounds. During early February, there were times when they seemed to be laughing at each other, with much chuckling and giggling.

To add even more sentiment to an already charming story, they usually mate around Valentine’s Day. The eggs form surprisingly fast after mating, and incubation is complete after four or five weeks. Mom keeps the eggs and owlets safely under and around her while dad hunts for food.

When the white cloak of winter falls and all seems quiet, the pulse of life is beating all around us. And it’s worth noting that most human births occur in September, so the owls are not the only species who stay busy in deep winter.

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A RT IST ’S PA LE T T E | ARTS + CULTURE

But even in the grip of such dramatic natural forces, all is not silent and still. In fact, love is in the air.

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FEB R UARY 2 0 2 3 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C O M / BI L L I N G S

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ARTICLE BY NICK MACK PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHELSEA CULP

Mountainous Murals HANDMADE ART FROM A HOMEGROWN ARTIST

It began with a bison.

Sure, Rilie Tane Zumbrennen considered herself an artist beforehand. She’d sold plenty of work and even revolutionized the art department at Elysian Elementary. But the bison mural marked the opening chapter of her life as a local celebrity.

You’ve probably seen the painting—it’s become a downtown icon: a stunning 40-by-30-foot bison head on the side of the Grand Building, the home of Jake’s Bar and Grill.

Rilie first caught wind of the opportunity in the fall of 2021. A contest, organized by the Downtown Billings Association, called for volunteers to pitch their own unique mural design for the building, along with an artist’s statement. Rilie’s sketch, depicting a mighty bison head “burned” into the side of the building, stood out from the crowd, and what started as a dream became a test of all her talent. After months of planning, armed with a paintbrush and perched on a boom lift, Rilie introduced her vision to the public in the summer of 2022.

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M UST SE E | A RTS + CU LTURE

Ri l i e’s s k et c h , d e pi ct i ng a m ig ht y b i son h ea d “ b u r n ed” i nt o th e s i d e of th e b u i l d i ng , st ood out f rom th e c rowd , a n d wh a t st a r t ed a s a d rea m beca m e a t e st of a l l h e r t a l e nt .

CONTINUED >

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S i n c e t h a t s a m e s u m m e r, w h e n Ri l i e i n t ro d u c e d t h e w o rl d t o h e r s t y l e o n a m a s s i v e c a n va s t h e re q u e s t s h a v e n’ t s t o p p e d .

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M UST SE E | A RTS + CU LTURE

“The bison took eight days,” she recalls. “The Jake’s logo took another two and a half.” Her work speed is especially impressive considering that—apart from the power-washing and wall-prep—all the work landed with the July sun on her shoulders. Sunrise to sundown, operating the boom lift by herself, Rilie zigged and zagged methodically along the bricks, splashing color from ground to gutters.

“That pretty much started my career,” Rilie says.

Before the mural, her main practice had been pyrography. A pyrographer burns designs onto wooden objects using a heated pen known as a poker.

Depending on the temperature of the poker and the length of exposure, a spectrum of black to brown shades will decorate the wood and lend extra depth to any design. Rilie still sells a variety of works created through this process, from decorative oars to plaques that are custom framed by her husband, a carpenter. She’ll occasionally add extra accents to the wood with acrylic paints, and she taught a class on combining the techniques in Big Sky last summer.

Since that same summer, when Rilie introduced the world to her style on a massive canvas the requests haven’t stopped—not only from Billings, where Rilie is currently at work on ten indoor murals for Wilson’s Cabinetry and planning to paint a mural on the Clocktower Inn, but from all across Montana.

Recently, Rilie has earned a gig at a new concert hall in Missoula, where she’ll paint a mother bear and her cubs next summer. She’ll also show off her gallery at the Legends West Art Show, from March 16 to 19 in Great Falls.

The Great Falls audience will have the treat of viewing her newest creative endeavor: burnt hats.

Inspired by a Montanan artist, Rilie has lately translated her pyrography skills to cowboy hats, on which she burns mountain ranges and landscapes based on her customers’ preferences, from the cactus-littered hills of Arizona to the snowy crags of the Beartooths.

“The response has been overwhelming,” Rilie admits, but she thrives on the pressure. “You have to know that it’s going to be busy and it’s going to be messy, and you can’t get stressed out.” This is her main advice for her kindergarten through eighthgrade students, with whom she’s collaborated to paint an eagle mascot on the Elysian cafeteria wall and decorate various windows each year.

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“ I t ’s i n t e re s t i n g t h a t m o s t o f m y s t u d e n t s a re w i l l i n g t o d o a r t , I d o n’ t h a v e t o fo rc e t h e m t o s t a y e n g a g e d l i k e s o m e o t h e r t e a c h e r s m i g h t .”

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M UST SE E | A RTS + CU LTURE

“It’s interesting that most of my students are willing to do art,” she says. “I don’t have to force them to stay engaged like some other teachers might. The only problem is they won’t necessarily want to do my assigned project. In that case, I make sure they meet my requirements, and then I let them do free art, whatever type they want. There are so many things to create.”

For Rilie, the work isn’t over when the bell rings at 3:00. Reflecting on her insane schedule, she says, “You know, when you’re going to college, you’re up ‘til one in the morning a lot of the time doing your homework. So I went from doing schoolwork to doing my artwork in the evenings, and my weekends are filled with art. It doesn’t feel like work. It’s fun.”

Rilie is most comfortable working at home, and she doesn’t have plans to set up a studio anytime soon. “I sit at a foldout table in my living room and watch TV and paint and wood burn right there on the couch,” she says. While she’s working, she likes to watch true crime documentaries and hang out with her family.

Unlike the content in her favorite shows, Rilie’s art subjects have always been humble and wholesome: bear cubs and buffalo, rivers and mountain ranges— and she doesn’t see her inspiration changing, even as her career goes stratospheric. “I’d describe my style as modern western,” she explains. “It’s really just tailored to the Montana scene.

FEB R UARY 2 0 2 3 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C O M / BI L L I N G S

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ELEVATE YOUR CLOSET

3 WAY S T O O R G A N I Z E A N D

Every woman dreams of an organized and beautiful closet space, but it often comes last on the list of places that get their time and attention. Follow our three tips for transforming and elevating your closet as you Spring clean and declutter for a more peaceful, inspired space you absolutely love.

A sneak peek inside the closet of active mom and entrepreneur Keri Tarantino of Leawood, KS reveals a dressing room that rivals celebrity homes in Beverly Hills. But it didn’t come easily. Keri painstakingly planned, designed and curated the space with care.

When we first stepped inside, we gasped as our eyes beheld the glory. No detail went unnoticed in this dreamy dressing room. Here are some guiding principles that can be drawn from her exquisite taste and vision. How you organize your closet will of course differ based on the size of your space, the size of your wardrobe, and the kind of life you lead. But applying the guidelines Keri used in her space will result in a much more organized and aesthetically pleasing space.

1. USE REAL ESTATE WISELY Reserve the front and middle of the closet for clothes worn most often. For someone who gets dressed for work each morning at 6 a.m., work clothes should be at the front of the closet. Store lesser-worn items like formal wear and out-of-season clothes toward the back and on the upper shelves. The large mirror and counter with chair provides the perfect spot to select jewelry and finalize finishing outfit touches. While every closet is different, the key here is everything has a home.

2. ORGANIZE BY KIND AND COLOR Group clothes by kind first and color second. This ensures quick location of that favorite shirt when it’s needed.

Bonus - it’s easy on the eye. Group like with like: Gather belts, sweaters, long-sleeve shirts, work pants, dresses, button-down shirts, jeans, shorts, etc., and decide the best place to store each item as a group (e.g., hang pants in the closet, fold and stack sweaters in a bureau). Working with groupings will help you figure out how much space you need and the best way to store each type of item.

3. UPGRADED HANGERS The simplest and fastest way to make a BIG difference in your closet organization is to get matching hangers that go beyond the traditional plastic or wire hangers. And for sure ditch any with paper from the dry cleaner! Here’s a few of our favorite elevated hangers:

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H OM E U P DAT E | HOM E + DE S I GN

ARTICLE BY HALEY WILLIAMS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY CASSANDRA CASTANEDA

I NJ E C T ST Y LE I NTO YO U R S PAC E

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