Hidden Hammond – Three Missoula women bring business back to downtown building’s arcade

If you stand outside Missoula’s First Interstate Bank downtown and look across Higgins Avenue, you’ll be looking at a one-story brick building known as the Hammond. What you see on the outside are storefronts, running for Nolita to El Cazador.

By ERIN STRICKLAND for the Missoulian

What you don’t see is the interior L-shaped shopping area, or arcade, that is part of the Hammond building.

"When it was built in 1933, that was a new idea," said John Coffee of Lambros Real Estate and part-owner of the Hammond. "Now, of course, we have shopping malls."

And now, 70 years after the Hammond opened, a trio of women-owned businesses is trying to revitalize the shopping arcade: Nolita, Skin Chic and Claws.

"We share and help build each other’s businesses," said Cindy Duncan, owner of Skin Chic, which offers and all-natural line of makeup. "Our success is dependent on each other’s businesses doing well."

The first of the three stores to move into the Hammond was Nolita. Margrit Meriwether began renovating the interior of her rented space two years ago, and since the doors first opened, her high-end dress shop has far exceeded her expectations.

"It’s phenomenal," she said. "It’s gone beyond what we anticipated." In fact, she has plans to open a new location in Portland, Ore.

"It’s neat for me to see the Missoula downtown have viable business," Meriwether said. "Being downtown is huge for us. My store is not something for the mall."

"There are some really neat women bringing back life to the building," she added. "These women have an eye for making things look nice, and have made driving, retail businesses."

Duncan started Skin Chic as a makeup counter in Nolita, but the business quickly outgrew the space.

When a rental spot became vacant in the interior arcade, she leased it immediately and did all the remodeling herself, enlisting the help of her husband and some scaffolding.

"I did it because I love it, and it’s worked out for the best," she said. "If you have a great idea, people will find you."

Finding her is not as easy as you’d think. Skin Chic has no window on Higgins Avenue and is tucked away in the interior part of the arcade.

"When I first started, I was nervous," she said. "For the first six months people would say, ‘I didn’t know you were back here.’ "

But now, as the store marks its one-year anniversary, she has built a clientele base of around 500, and her fears have subsided.

"So many people go to the mall," said Missi Nordberg, manager of Skin Chic. "We need to have a reason for them to come down here."

Nordberg worked for years at large department stores, and she said she and Duncan have taken a decidedly different approach to bringing people to their young business.

The women said it’s about trying to make customers feel pampered.

"You want them to be happy, and you want them to feel comfortable," Nordberg said. "It’s not just the product you’re buying, it’s the service."

The lack of street access and large windows has actually helped in that regard.

"It’s that air of exclusivity," Duncan said. Clients come in the store and feel like it’s their own private space. They can take off their makeup and experiment with new products without feeling as if they’re being watched by the outside world, she said.

The same philosophy is found next door in Claws, a nail lounge owned by Lisa Pilate. Her small studio aims for a warm and inviting feel. A fireplace makes it cozy, and hot tea and pastries are welcoming invitations.

"I wanted to give people a different experience than a salon," the nail technician said. "It has more character. More of a relaxing feeling, more private."

And that’s part of why customers keep coming back, the women said.

"You know they’re happy when they bring in their daughters and mothers," Duncan said.

http://missoulian.com/articles/2003/10/28/business/business01.txt