'Neighbors support neighbors': Gallatin General Store reimagines the classic mercantile

BELGRADE — With Gallatin General Store set to open May 19, Belgrade resident Jennifer Pearson is bringing the classic mercantile concept into the modern era.

“I feel like it’s gives like that little bit of nostalgic small town community feel,” Pearson said of her store, tucked off the intersection of Jackrabbit Lane and Valley Center Road south of Belgrade. “You can kind of find a little bit of everything here.”

Local art and jewelry sit on the shelves next to local food and household staples. This blend of artisan treasures and daily necessities creates a space where people can shop for gifts or snacks while picking up their routine essentials.

“Then the upstairs is a secondhand shop, just to recycle and keep good things in circulation,” Pearson said. “I really just want this to be a place where neighbors can support neighbors.”

The idea for the store was originally a retirement dream. Having spent her career in nonprofits, Pearson pictured herself eventually channeling her value of community into working part-time in a shop that served as a year-round marketplace for local makers.

Realizing that such a space was missing from the community, she decided not to wait for retirement, opting to bring that vision to life now.

“I love Bozeman and its community, and I feel like we do a really great job with our nonprofits and community events,” Pearson said. “But I didn’t feel like this space existed.”

Though the store carries a Bozeman address, Pearson said its location along the Jackrabbit corridor places it closer to the rapidly growing Belgrade community, an area that remains underserved by the kinds of locally focused retail shops more common in Bozeman’s downtown core.

“I don’t feel like Jackrabbit has a whole lot of shopping. I think a lot of people just look at it as a commuter route,” Pearson said. “That’s starting to change, and I hope to be part of that as well.”

In addition to being a fast growing community, her shop also sits conveniently on the way to the airport. She hopes that the many tourists who cycle through the area while visiting Yellowstone National Park while have a unique appreciation for her local focus.

“Hopefully it’ll be a place where people visiting can also get a piece of Montana,” Pearson said.

But Pearson knows supporting local artists often comes with higher prices on handmade and one-of-a-kind goods, making it difficult to compete with the low prices and convenience of online retailers.

With inflation and rising gas prices straining household budgets, she said opening a brick-and-mortar store in the current economy can feel intimidating.

“When I’m nervous about any of that, I lean into my community,” Pearson said. “I hope that this is a place where we can celebrate each other and support each other when we can.”

To enhance that sense of community, Pearson added a small seating area and a community bookshelf to the back of the shop. In the future, she hopes to use the space for crafting nights and other events.

“That’s another way to bring people together,” Pearson said. “Learning cool things with new people or friends.”