Forget the rivers and mountains, Griz games and farmers’ markets, free bus system and fancy library.
Perhaps the greatest pleasure of living in Missoula is getting to tell people who moved here after you the amazing sights and scenes they just missed.
Remember Freddy’s Feed and Read or The Raven? Crystal Video or Jay’s Upstairs? Army-Navy Surplus or Pipestone Mountaineering? The Indian restaurant-cum-doughnut shop across the street from the Missoula Children’s Theater, or Taco Del Sol when it was firmly anchored at 422 North Higgins instead of way down at 420 North Higgins?
If not, wow. You missed everything.
The Pulp surveyed a diverse group of ten Missoulians—from infants to septuagenarians, and lifelong residents to total newbies—about their favorite dearly departed institutions, plus the current places they’d miss the most should they vanish in the future.
Gita Saedi Kiely
54-year-old non-profit leader
How long have you lived in Missoula?
21 years.
What former Missoula institution do you miss the most?
Tipu’s. It was a really good Indian restaurant. When I moved to Missoula, Tipu’s made me feel like it might be okay for a Middle Eastern girl like myself to live here.
What current place would you miss the most if it were gone?
Le Petit Outre bakery. I love their almond croissants and sourdough baguettes. All other baguettes pale in comparison.
Kain Synder
25-year-old barista
How long have you lived in Missoula?
20 years.
What former Missoula institution do you miss the most?
Hockey House, an all-ages venue for small bands. Being a young adult, I was able to go to shows beyond what was in bars.
What current place would you miss the most if it were gone?
Free Cycles, for sure. It’s an all-ages, really accessible space for live music and community events, not to mention being a community bike shop for all. Event tickets are almost always $10 or less, and they don’t turn anyone away even if you can’t afford it.
Willow Wilde (via her mother, Taylor Wilde)
10-month-old infant
How long have you lived in Missoula?
1 month.
What former Missoula institution do you miss the most?
The old Old Post. They redid the fries and my two older brothers got to partake in the amazingness and I don’t.
What current place would you miss the most if it were gone?
The new public library is awesome. There’s so much to do inside in wintertime. There’s the baby area, the bigger kid area, and the science area—all age-appropriate places to play and grow.
Steve Thorstenson
62-year-old ceramic artist
How long have you lived in Missoula?
30 years.
What former Missoula institution do you miss the most?
Tower Pizza. It was my favorite pizza place for the Supreme with everything on it. They had video games and Bayern had a special dark brew they used to brew just for that place.
What current place would you miss the most if it were gone?
Charlie B’s bar. Me and my friends hang out there in the afternoon. I like to get a little bowl of soup and a PBR.
Oliver Darlington
15-year-old high school student
How long have you lived in Missoula?
15 years.
What former Missoula institution do you miss the most?
Hastings. I got Skylanders there. It’s a toys-to-life video game, where you buy physical figures and you put them on a little portal. Each Skylander has its own microchip the portal reads and then you can play as a character in the video game. I have at least 80 of those figures and I got most of them from Hastings.
What current place would you miss the most if it were gone?
Muse Comics & Games. I buy Dungeons & Dragons books there. I have 16 or 17.
Liisa McDivitt
33-year-old baker
How long have you lived in Missoula?
8 years.
What former Missoula institution do you miss the most?
Johnny Carino’s. Before we had kids, it was our date night. We used to come down from Kalispell to go there. My husband always got the lasagna or spaghetti and I liked their fettuccine alfredo.
What current place would you miss the most if it were gone?
Biga Pizza. It’s the best pizza ever. I like the pesto pizza with goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, and roasted pine nuts. My husband is an original—he likes the pepperoni. If we have people coming from out of town, we always bring them to Biga.
Jaffery Nasir
57-year-old jewelry designer
How long have you lived in Missoula?
22 years.
What former Missoula institution do you miss the most?
The Catalyst. I’d order their club scanwich, double Americano, and spicy potato casserole. The owners Jim and Denis were always nice to me. It had the perfect atmosphere to catch up with a friend and enjoy a sunny view of people walking downtown. We don’t have breakfast like that available anymore downtown.
What current place would you miss the most if it were gone?
Butterfly Herbs. It’s a good place for souvenirs, spices, and their club sandwich is also very delicious. Rebecca, the manager, and Scott, the owner, are wonderful people. Lots of interesting people hang out in Butterfly Herbs and they offer some of the best coffee in town.
Daniel Morgan
45-year-old graphic designer
How long have you lived in Missoula?
6 years.
What former Missoula institution do you miss the most?
The Hob Nob. With Instagram and the internet, everything everywhere is becoming the same. It’s all filtered through the same algorithms and local flavor is disappearing. But the Hob Nob was local people using local suppliers to provide a great experience to locals, so you knew what you were getting. If I was really hungry or hungover, I’d get the corned beef. If it was a regular lunch, I’d get a salmon-barley burger.
What current place would you miss the most if it were gone?
The Roxy Theater. I’ve had a yearly membership ever since I moved to Missoula. Being a cinephile, I see probably 50 to 70 movies a year. I’ve met so many people there and they put on great events from the Wildlife Film Festival to the Documentary Film Festival to the outdoor cinema they recently opened.
Sally Brown
78-year-old book indexer and animal care provider
How long have you lived in Missoula?
47 years.
What former Missoula institution do you miss the most?
Borrowed Times. It was an alternative newspaper here in town many years ago. A handful of hippies got together to make a newspaper and they did it and they did it right. They told what was happening, they gave comments on it, and you could get your own events in it. There wasn’t anything else like that afterward for a long, long time.
What current place would you miss the most if it were gone?
Butterfly Herbs. I enjoy being able to go in the front or go in the back. I know the staff and they know me. One of the ladies in front took care of my daughter when my other daughter was being born. I can go into the café in the back and say, “Make me a special,” and the guy there says, “What’s that?” and I say, “Whatever you make is special to me.”
Elise Vanderwoude
8-year-old second grader
How long have you lived in Missoula?
9 months.
What former Missoula institution do you miss the most?
HuHot Mongolian Grill. It was an amazing place, the best restaurant in the world. You got a bowl and there was a big line of food, vegetables, meats, and sauces. You picked what you wanted, they stir-fried it together, and then you could pick toppings like sesame seeds, and then you took it to your table to eat. It looked like an alien spaceship for cooking. I always went back more than once so that I could try different flavors.
What current place would you miss the most if it were gone?
The ZACC (Zootown Arts Community Center). I go with my mom and I’ve taken my grandma and grandpa. I paint pottery and I love doing art. I went to a costume-making camp and made a costume of a phoenix. My brother said it looked like a chicken on fire and I was half-annoyed, half-proud, and it was maybe a bit funny.
