Montana town hit by recent flurry of business closures

It’s an election year, which means you’ll hear a lot of posturing from politicians of all persuasions about small business being the backbone of America, and how government should do a better job of helping them thrive. It’ll be too late for several small businesses in Polson, which have failed to survive the recession. There’s absolutely no evidence small-town businesses in Polson have been harder hit than anyplace else. But boy, is it noticeable here. Half a dozen located within a few steps of each other have locked their doors in the past several months, and the epicenter is what you’d think would be one of the best locations in town – the junction of Main Street and U.S. Highway 93. One by one they’ve turned out the lights: Touch of Montana, Mountain Home Lighting and Décor, DeVoe Electronics, Crazy Mike’s Video, and Custom Leather Works were all on or within a few feet of the intersection. Around the corner on First Street East, Lakeview True Value Hardware removed the last of the inventory left from its going-out-of-business sale Thursday. Suddenly, the heart of downtown has a lot of vacant storefronts...more