Dear Bozeman Magazine readership

Have you ever been to Bob’s Place in Virginia City?

It is one of a kind. It is recent history. It holds memories… not only for the people who have worked there and felt the joy of that job, but for the families who have fallen in love with it over nearly three decades. For 28 years, Bob’s Place has been more than a restaurant. It has been a gathering place. A tradition. A landmark.

People drive 30 miles or more for one of those pizzas or curried chicken on focaccia. Locals count the days until opening each summer. Kids hope it will be their first job. Parents feel good about their teenagers working there. Visitors return year after year because it feels like part of home.

My kids are two of those kids.

Now that place is in a tighter spot than ever.

Increasing lease rates from 5% to 12%, with the potential of 15%, is not a small adjustment. For seasonal businesses operating only a few months each year, it is unsustainable. It does not reflect partnership.

We understand that there were serious failures by past leadership within the Montana Heritage Commission. Those actions were inexcusable, and accountability is important. But why are local business owners (and the families who depend on them) the ones being asked to take on the consequences? Why are community institutions being put at risk in the name of correcting past mistakes, not created by the community or businesses?

From where we stand, it feels like small businesses are being asked to shoulder a burden they did not create.

Some business owners are spending more and more money just to stay in the fight. Friends, regular and excited customers, are left uncertain. Communities lose gathering places. And we are left asking: how is this the solution?

Moves like this make people feel unheard.

Bob’s Place is not just a lease agreement. It is a treasure. It is summer. It is first paychecks. It is 28 years of someone pouring their heart into something that became part of all of ours.

These small businesses are run by local people whose livelihoods are being stripped away. They are not corporations. They are neighbors.

Our memories are real. Our summer jobs were real. Our feeling of home is real.

Truly,
Erin Leonard, Virginia City Resident

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In 1997, Kirk Belding, a Bozeman native, took a big risk: he moved to Virginia City (VC), leased an old hardware store from the State of Montana, and converted it into a pizza place (Bob’s Place).  Over the next 30 years, not only did Kirk’s hard work and tens of thousands of his own dollars in improvements turn Bob’s Place into an iconic Virginia City restaurant, but along the way, he raised his family here, volunteered for a variety of organizations and projects, employed many locals and became an integral part of the social fabric of our community. Kirk’s son, Lucas, was poised to takeover Bob’s Place this season and, ideally, the cycle was set to repeat itself.

So, it came as a shock when the Montana Department of Commerce (DOC) decided to rip-up Kirk’s long-term lease as well as scores of others held by long-time year-round VC residents. The DOC reasoned these terminations were necessary in order to improve their bottom-line after a budget shortfall caused by the nearly $400,000 embezzled by a former Montana Heritage Commission Executive Director.  Furthermore, the DOC stated, they wanted all their contracts to be consistent and fair.  As for the former, punishing VC business owners for the actions of their former employee is about as logical as screaming for quiet. And the latter, consistency isn’t the DOC offering a similar size restaurant space in Reeder’s Alley in Helena for a fraction of the 15% gross model offered to VC restaurants, including Kirk. As for (un)fair, privately owned properties in VC and the surrounding area rent for far, far less than what the State is seeking.

The DOC’s mission statement is “to create sustainable business and economic growth, enhance community vitality, and benefit the citizens of Montana.” In 1997, when the State of Montana acquired the properties and artifacts in Virginia City that were part of the Bovey Estate, they did so for The People of Montana. The recent actions of the DOC are expressly against the grain of what they’ve advertised. And the silence from the Governor is deafening. Unfortunately, suggesting a departure from the basic principle that has guided VC to unimagined success for the last three decades. We are left wondering, what is next?

Elections matter, history matters, and keeping Montana as “The Last Best Place” matters.

Stacy Erdall-Gatewood, Virginia City Resident