Remember When?

THE HOT CORNER BUSINESS

IN DOWNTOWN THOMPSON FALLS

Compiled by Patrick J. Sullivan

A corner lot on Railroad Avenue, now known as Main Street or Highway 200, across from the railroad depot is possibly the most continuously occupied business space in Thompson Falls.

The corner first hosted the two-story Harrison Hotel, a wooden building, during the prospector boom days of 1884 known as the "Coeur d'Alene excitement." Dr. E. Peek arrived in Trout Creek in 1901 and by 1905 had also opened a drug store here in the former hotel at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Mill Street. By 1915, a "handsome brick building," with basement, was opened as the Hoyt & Peterson Block. R.R. "Dolph" Hoyt and Anton Peterson had it built. It was described in a 1915 issue of The Sanders County Ledger thusly: "The cement basement, reinforced foundation, solid brick walls, cement sidewalk (most sidewalks were made of boards in those days), plate glass fronts, hardwood floors, interior finish, plumbing, heating plant, cold storage plant and the fixtures for all five store rooms, taken as a whole, is not surpassed by anything in the way of business blocks in the state of Montana. It is a credit to the town."

The Union Cafe and Union Meat Market opened by November 1916, and was operated by Bert Macho and Alex Mitchell. The jewelry store of W.A. Darling and drug store of Dr. H.A. Miller, faced Railroad Avenue. At some point there was also a bank in the front section, Thompson State Bank, which was short-lived.

Bert Macho moved to Thompson Falls in 1913 as chief cook for the construction crews here for the hydroelectric dam, and also developed a ranch where Dry Creek meets Prospect Creek. In 1914 he married Verona Dugal of Missoula and she seemed to oversee the Union Cafe with its motto: "Eat Here Once, Eat Here Always."

The Sanders County Ledger, Thursday, September 1, 1916 - Announcement - This week we have opened the Union Meat Market in the new Hoyt & Peterson block and are in position to furnish you everything usually carried in stock by up-to-date markets. Fresh and salt meats of all kinds and when in season, game, fish, fruit and vegetables.

Our market is clean and sanitary, being equipped with a modern ice machine and first class cold storage. We stand behind every purchase by guaranteeing that it will be pure and fresh. We solicit your patronage - Macho & Mitchell, Proprietors.

The Sanders County Ledger, Thursday, January 12, 191? - Bert Macho of the Union Meat Market and Cafe is a busy man these days. In addition to passing out the steaks in the meat market, he is doing the baking for the bakery and cooking for the cafe evenings. Bert is some cook, too. You never tasted better bread in your life than he is turning out on that range in the basement.

In 1922, they bought out Mitchell and added the groceries to the store. During the depression Bert and Verona lost nearly everything. At that time they decided that Verona had the better mind for handling the grocery and meat market and Bert was best not divided and concentrated on the land holding (timber and cattle).

In April of 1935, the building's front area was converted by Dave Snider - a rancher from Thompson River - into a beer parlor with a short-order and lunch kitchen. The Union Cafe moved to the side street in back of the Union Market, and seems to have closed by the 1940s.

By 1947 the business was known as Macho's Modern Store (groceries, dry goods, hardware), with a loading dock type door along the side street, and a freight elevator through the sidewalk.

In 1959, Bert and Verona Macho and Mr. and Mrs. Tom Macho, after 43 years, sold the store to Victor Stobie and his sons, Herbert and Chris, who renamed it Stobie Shopping Center. In 1964, the Stobies IGA moved their business into the former Veterans Hall (across from the Courthouse) and the corner brick building became the new home to Gambles, which came to Thompson Falls in 1946, a department and hardware store. The basement became well known as a toy department.

The building escaped two large commercial district fires which burned adjacent buildings in 1924 and 1973.

In the 1990s the business transitioned to Doug's True Value Hardware, which it remains as a family-owned, independent store in 2024.