Missoula Valley, MT May 2023

STYLE + BEAUTY

LABORS OF LOVE

SHOPPING

THE CURATED CATWALK

HOME + DESIGN

A MODERN MOUNTAIN HOME

The Women's Issue

Love at first job.

I was 22 when I first met her. Midtown Manhattan, 2013. My first real job. I wore pencil skirts and silky blouses and shoes that made my feet ache and I pushed a mail cart the way all Hollywood and New York somebodies do. And every other day I'd sit at her assistant's desk, which was unclaimed, awarded to no one. Yet. Working the phone sent a shock of anxiety up my spine. Learning the ropes was both agonizing and exhilarating. I wanted more than anything to earn that desk.

"It feels like kismet." I remember her saying this during my interview to be her full-time literary assistant. I felt the same way. Over the next year and a half we were a team. I read a hundred books, wrote a hundred letters, saw dreams come true, and encouraged writers to keep writing. I always had a seat at the table, and when I messed up or wasn't working to my full potential, she told me. She was direct and made eye contact. She winked at me, laughed with me, asked for my advice, and complimented me. She gave me space to forge my own path in this big, hurried world and she trusted me before I trusted myself.

The thing about first bosses—the good ones—is that their impression is long-lasting. When I'm in a professional pickle or I need a push in my personal writing, I think of her. I think of how she believes in me first, and my work second. We need people who choose us first. When that happens, whatever we produce comes from a place of love and strength and willpower. It's our fire. At the end of the day, whether a good or bad one, we know we are enough. Thank you, dear Margaret, for being one heck of a boss babe.

May 2023

PUBLISHER

Mike Tucker | MTucker@CityLifestyle.com

EDITOR

Chelsea Lyn Agro | Chelsea.Agro@CityLifestyle.com

COPY EDITOR

Erika Fredrickson | Erika.Fredrickson@CityLifestyle.com

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Marla Huggins | Marla.Huggins@CityLifestyle.com

MARKET SUPPORT ASSISTANT

Jace DeWalt | Jace.Dewalt@CityLifestyle.com

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Erika Spaulding | InspiredByMontana@Gmail.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Chelsea Lyn Agro, Shelby Humphreys, Susie Wall, Betty Venom

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Chelsea Lyn Agro

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 Whitney Lockhart

CHELSEA LYN AGRO, EDITOR @MVLMAGAZINE

LAYOUT DESIGNER Kelsey Ragain

Left to right: Julie Passuccio, CWP, FPQP®, Senior Registered Associate; Frank D’Angelo, CFP®, CWS®, Senior Vice

Advisor, Branch Manager; Cynthia Fritch, CFP®, CPFA, CWS®, Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor; Laurel Saravalli, CWP, FPQP®, Senior Registered Associate.

Photography: Erika Spaulding

Bethany

business monthly

A round-up of exciting news from local businesses.

Families First Volunteer Day

On Wednesday, May 3 between 12 and 1 or 5 and 6 p.m., go to the Missoula Public Library to volunteer and prep for Missoula Gives!

Wild Wander

On Wednesday, May 10 from 5 to 7 p.m., join Sydney Morical and Cathryn Rann of Wild Wanders on an informative and celebratory walk at the beautiful Maclay Flat. Deepen your appreciation of the plants that are sprouting up after a long winter. Sydney and Cathryn will share their knowledge about different edible and medicinal plants and mushrooms in the area.

Wacky Wildflowers

On Saturday, May 13 at 1 p.m., arrive at the Montana Natural History Center and celebrate the return of our lovely native wildflowers with a fun craft of hammered leaves and flowers. Cost of admission or free with a membership!

Want to be featured?

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

Photography Erika Spaulding

Your health

is our mission.

Concierge medicine removes the relationship-based roadblocks from more traditional primary care or family doctor relationships. It focuses on your entire health, creating a better, more sustainable life for you 5, 10, or 20 years from now.

A Different Kind of Hearing Care

Labors of Love

A close look at Field Five Flowers

ARTICLE BY SUSIE WALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHELSEA LYN AGRO & ERIKA SPAULDING

Bethany Stanbery and Tracy Potter-Fins put colorful blooms into the hands of their Montana neighbors, even in March when the ground is still blanketed with a late autumn snowfall. Spring, with all its variety, arrives at a relentless pace at Field Five Flowers where thousands of flowers grow on their 10-acre organic farm in Huson.

The idea for Field Five Flowers was first planted in 2018 when Tracy and Bethany met.

Tracy had been running County Rail Farm since 2011, first on leased land in Dixon, then at the current location in Huson, which she purchased in 2016. Tracy had been focusing on vegetable production and every fall she sold decorative braids of garlic with dried flowers woven throughout. Bethany was in the restaurant industry, but farming interested her, and she was looking to transition into

something more grounded and closer to the earth. Tracy asked Bethany if she would like to try her hand at growing the dried flowers for the braids and she jumped at the chance, despite having had very little experience.

“I had never grown anything in my life,” Bethany says. “But from there I got addicted to learning about all the new varieties of flowers. It just kind of happened organically.”

Bethany and Tracy started Field Five Flowers in 2020 as an addition to County Rail Farm. This land is also where they make their home, spending their days farming in the fields, running the business, and raising their delightful daughter, Imogen. And let’s not forget Nibs the dog.

The women work the farm together, but Field Five Flowers is technically run by Bethany. Mainly self-taught in CONTINUED >

growing flowers, she credits Tracy with being the perfect teacher when it comes to farming. She also took a 6-week intensive online course through Floret Farming when she was first starting out.

“When I fall in love with something, I want to do it all,” says Bethany. “Tracy had to pull me back a bit. I’m this dreamer that wants to do and experience all these different things.”

Bethany and Tracy grow over 60 varieties of beautiful blooms including daffodils, delphiniums, ranunculus, snapdragons, poppies, anemones, violas, and roses. They were very excited to grow close to 40,000 tulips this winter and hope to continue doing that in the future, although it makes for more work.

“Having flowers and colors this time of year and bringing that into local homes is really exciting for us,” says Tracy. “I was reluctant at first because I didn’t want to give up anymore of our limited downtime, but it has really brought us joy.”

This marks the fourth year that Bethany has been growing flowers and she says there is always something new to learn. “Flowers are little divas,” she says. “I’ve noticed every variety is so different and there’s all sorts of different variables like humidity, light, watering, bloom time, and harvest time.” Even Tracy with her years of farming experience was surprised. “I thought I could rely on my farming knowledge and background with veggies,” she says. “Before Bethany took that class I was like, 'We can grow things. You don’t need to pay money for this.' Turns out I knew nothing about flowers and she needed all that information.”

Bethany and Tracy face unique challenges growing flowers in Northwest Montana. One of the biggest is dealing with the weather and climate, and figuring out what flowers grow best in each season without the aid of any chemicals. Three plastic tunnels give their flowers some protection, but the tunnels are open to the elements. At night, the temperature inside is the same as the temperature outside so Bethany and Tracy can spend hours covering and uncovering the flowers with cloth as the temperature swings.

Planning is also a challenge. Bethany must purchase seeds, plugs, and bulbs a year in advance. Before being done with the current flower season, she is already CONTINUED >

planning the next. Tulips for 2024 were ordered three months ago and not expected to arrive until October. Often seeds for a September crop are started the previous November.

“Harvest can also be a challenge. All our flowers are harvested by hand and each variety can have a different harvest window,” says Bethany. Some flowers do best when harvested before sunrise. Others, when bees are most active. If selling to a wholesale market, they will harvest the flowers when they are relatively closed so they last longer. If they are harvesting flowers for a farmers’ market or a wedding, the flowers need to be open and ready to enjoy.

Being good neighbors and good stewards of the land are of the utmost importance to Tracy and Bethany. All the flowers, as well as all the veggies, are grown organically.

“Growing organically for us means that it is sustainable environmentally as much as possible. We’re not using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Only organically produced compost and other fertilizers,” says Tracy.

Sharing their beautiful flowers with their customers is the ultimate reason Bethany and Tracy work so hard. They sell many of their varieties through a wholesaler, Farm

to Florist Montana. They also sell their flowers through a CSA program, or Community Supported Agriculture, where customers purchase a subscription to receive weekly bundles of tulips, peonies, and more based on what is in season.

Bethany also designs stunning floral arrangements for weddings and other special events. She has been designing jewelry for many years and feels this background has helped her with this side of the business. She has created some floral installations for local fundraisers and friends and hopes to do more large-scale installations in the future. “I’m always looking for ways to create this overwhelming experience of flowers,” she says.

A fun way for the community to share in Field Five Flowers’ bounty is through a “U-pick.” Two days a week during the summer you can visit the farm and pay $20.00 to pick and take home as many stems as you can fit in your hand. “I feel like flowers are such a powerful tool to change moods,” says Bethany.  “They’re nostalgic, they bring back memories, and feelings. I love that immersive feeling of being around flowers. That was one reason we wanted to do U-pick so that others could have those feelings and experiences.”

Bethany and Tracy grow over 60 varieties of beautiful blooms including daffodils, delphiniums, ranunculus, snapdragons, poppies, anemones, violas, and roses.

Left to right: Julie Passuccio,

THE CURATED CATWALK

Betty V Vintage offers groovy, funky, and fresh looks for springtime

Simple vintage belts, jewelry, and purses add great accents to any of these looks, and can be added as extra flair to any outfit. Wild patterned sundresses and blouses elevate any outfit and bring out great personality in your wardrobe.

ARTICLE BY BETTY VENOM PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIKA SPAULDING

1960s Lilli Ann double knit polyester dress and coat set, 2000s leather drawstring bag

1990s leather and faux fur coat, 1970s Natural Woman rust orange hair pin lace sundress

1970s red A line skirt and blazer set, 1980s gold stretchy belt with rhinestone buckle, 1980s Pykettes p*ssy bow blouse

Hand burned and decorated cowboy hat (by Chelsi, the model), 1990s La Belle southwestern cropped jacket, 1970s Cloak of Many Colors linen and lace blouse, 1970s Modern Juniors pierced leather in a line skirt

1960s psychedelic paisley dress, 1960s green molded plastic double strand necklace

1960s Alfred Shaheen green polyester dress with flowers and gold accents, 1950s black leather hand bag, 1980s knotted stretchy belt, 1960s emerald green wool pill box hat

1990s flower patterned denim vest, 1980s white cotton sundress with pink roses, 1940s pink dress belt

1970s Scheuring Modell German culottes, 1970s Pykettes blue floral blouse with blush toned flowers, 1960s mustard yellow plastic bangle, 1960s Judy Lee gold tone and molded plastic necklace, floral patterned silk scarf

A Modern Mountain Home

ARTICLE BY SHELBY HUMPHREYS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIKA SPAULDING

MONTANA DECOR IS FULL OF WESTERN CHARM

Steer skulls or elk antlers are fixed above a fireplace mantle. Hairline fractures and grooves run like tiny rivers through their surfaces, indicating a time-worn look. These are perfect authentic pieces to illustrate and adorn a Western home, which is exactly what owner of Montana Decor Mahri Wright was trying to do when she moved back to the hometown of her alma mater.

Mahri graduated from The University of Montana in 1995. After working for two decades in the accounting field, she and her husband, Sean, returned to Missoula in 2020.

“Those UM years were the best years of my life. Deep down, I knew I would always come back,” said Mahri. When building their Missoula home, Mahri discovered a void in decor options. “I wasn’t able to find exactly what I was looking for. I’ve always been very enthusiastic about interior design and saw that I could open a store that would represent me and what I loved in a home.”

When considering a location for her business, downtown was always at the top of Mahri’s list. “I love the camaraderie among business owners. I love my neighbors. The Downtown Missoula Partnership does an amazing job creating a community among businesses. It just wouldn’t be the same somewhere else,” she said.

Located on East Main Street, Montana Decor’s showroom expresses an emerging genre in design known as “mountain modern.” This aesthetic combines smooth surfaces and durable structures with textures and colors found in the outdoors. According to Mahri, it represents what many who move to Montana are looking for to

reflect their new lifestyle; retaining that modern feel while incorporating elements of what drew them to this area in the first place.

“Look where we live,” said Mahri, with a smile. “We are surrounded by natural elements. We bring those characteristics into our showroom along with a sophistication that adds modern flare. For example, we have a dining table with a solid, chunky reclaimed oak slab top and sleek, heavy black steel legs. We topped it with leather placemats, a nordic design runner, and hand-glazed stoneware. All of these items together give the feel for what I consider to be a mountain modern design. That’s why we chose the tagline ‘Made for Mountain Living’ for our shop.”

Mahri has a talent for combining color and texture, so when planning to visit Montana Decor, be sure to add extra time for surprise moments of delight. A shopper’s eye can drift from large anchor pieces like sofas and chairs, and then catch the flush of cerulean blue in a ceramic bird perched on a candlestick or the watery reflection of Hungarian cloches made from recycled wine bottles.

“I love a neutral palette with earthy tones,” said Mahri. “Then we can add a little accent color here and there—just like the colors you see when you're outdoors. They complement the natural wood and stone textures but also create a cozy and inviting atmosphere.” Mahri continues to mold her mountain-living style to fit the desires of the customers who walk through her doors. “I often hear, ‘I’ll take one of everything!’ I love feedback from all my patrons and try to incorporate what they’re looking for into new and exciting additions. Recently, I took on a new line of floor and furniture accents from Denmark, including extra large sheepskins which are handmade and hand-dyed.”

From her own experience, Mahri understands the frustration of not finding items that will make a house feel like your home, so when her customers discover that perfect piece, she tries to make the purchase as seamless as possible.

“We are surrounded by natural elements. We bring those characteristics into our showroom along with a sophistication that adds modern flare."

the DETAILS

MONTANA DECOR

135 East Main Street

406.550.2762

MontanaDecor.com

“If it’s on the floor, you can take it home. Special orders are not a problem and I can get items within four to six weeks,” said Mahri. For customers who fall in love with an item in her showroom but aren’t sure how to make it work in their current space, Mahri has an interior designer on staff to help. Also, for shoppers who want to support local makers but don’t know where to start, Mahri has options. “I try to support as many local manufacturers for things like art, throw pillows, handmade candles, and photography books. I want to give back to Montana as much as possible.”

Montana Decor is online at MontanaDecor.com where you can spot new items that have just arrived, get ideas from Mahri on how to bring a tableau of pieces together, or find inspiration in the new season’s color palettes.

events

A curated selection of the most intriguing upcoming events in our area.

MAY 6TH

Big Sky Horse Park Pet Run

BIG SKY HORSE PARK | 9:00AM

The Big Sky Horse Park and the Missoula Horse Council welcome all dog owners to the 2nd Annual Pet Run! Prepare for a fun-filled day of racing, prizes, vendors, and pet portraits at the Big Sky Horse Park on North Avenue. This is a competitive, timed running event limited to one dog per person. Participate in the 3k or 6k!

MAY 8TH

World View Film Series

THE ROXY THEATER | 7:00PM

Attend this four-film series on Cultures In Love and support your local theater! All films are free and open to the public because of the generous support of these businesses and organizations in Missoula: Rideg Law, US Bank Southside Branch, The Roxy Theater and Lake Missoula Tea Company.

MAY 12TH

Food Truck Festival

OGREN FIELD AT ALLEGIANCE PARK | 4:00PM

From 4 to 9 p.m., there will be over a dozen food trucks with a wide variety of entrees and desserts to choose from. There will also be games to play on the field, art activities, and a bounce house. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. This event supports Cancer Support Community, which is a national non-profit that brings physician-supported psychosocial support to people affected by cancer.

for her A Treat

Give the gift of self-care this Mother's Day

IF A DAUGHTER WANTS TO GIFT HER MOM OR A FRIEND A SKIN CARE TREATMENT OR PRODUCT, WHAT’S THE MOST ACCESSIBLE TREATMENT OR PRODUCT THAT WON’T SCARE SOMEONE WHO DOESN’T NORMALLY INDULGE IN SOMETHING LIKE THIS?

FG: I recommend our Diamond Glow Facial that is customized to anyone’s skin care needs. A Diamond Glow facial is one of the newest treatments for addressing a variety of skin concerns. It exfoliates the outermost layer of the skin with hydrodermabrasion technology to remove dead and damaged skin cells affected by sun damage and other concerns. Neuromodulator treatment or best known as “botox” is the ultimate “gateway” treatment that works effectively for diminishing wrinkles giving the skin a smooth and youthful appearance.

For products, I recommend any of our skin care lines starting with foundational products such as a gentle wash, exfoliant, toner, and moisturizer.

WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR THE MOM WHO IS WELL VERSED IN SKINCARE BUT MAYBE ISN’T UP TO DATE ON MODERN PRACTICES OR METHODS. WHAT CAN YOU OFFER THAT PERSON?

FG: Retinol products are a must-have. Because retinoids help your skin make more collagen, they soften wrinkles and fine lines. They also stimulate new blood vessels, which can give your skin a rosy color. Retinoids also help fade age spots and smooth rough patches.

Another method would be the use of our device, Moprheus8. Morpheus8 is a fractional skin treatment that is designed to stimulate collagen production and resurface the skin. It works by targeting the underlying layers of the skin to reveal a new, radiant appearance. Morpheus8 helps tighten existing collagen and elastin, stimulate the production of new collagen and remodel fat.

ARTICLE BY CHELSEA LYN AGRO

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIKA SPAULDING

Sustainability in Action

We’re committed to delivering responsible recycling and waste disposal with a workforce representing the communities where we live and work. We are your trusted provider.

RepublicServices.com/locations/Montana/ Missoula-trash-pickup-and-recycling