Thrift Store Owner Embarks on Effort to Preserve Historic Kalispell Church

Sarah Harding says she “got a wild hair” when she decided to purchase Community Thrift, a secondhand store located in the old Scandinavian church on Fifth Avenue West in Kalispell.

A longtime Flathead Valley resident, thrift store enthusiast and historic building lover, Harding had been a frequent customer at Community Thrift since her first days in the Flathead Valley in the early 2000s. When the store’s former owner, Connie Valentine, put the building on the market in 2023 after more than three decades of ownership, Harding felt moved to make the purchase. Valentine received plenty of offers from developers who hoped to knock down the church and build on the land. Harding wanted to keep the community institution — and its history — in tact. 

“It kind of felt like the right thing to do,” she said. “I love old buildings, and I really didn’t want to see another one get torn down.”

Now, sitting at the helm of the thrift store, Harding is raising funds to repair and restore the old church. The goal is, as she says, “sealing the envelope against time.” 

The cornerstone of the Methodist church at 203 Fifth Ave. W. was laid in December of 1895, after the formation of a congregation of Norwegian-Danish Methodists earlier that year, according to a National Register of Historic Places application submitted by historian Kathy McKay in 1993. The Kalispell Townsite Company, which was formed by Charles Conrad and developed much of the city, contributed funds for the church’s construction. The lead carpenter and architect of the church was Robert Nordtome, who lived on a farm outside of town. Lars Johnson, a carpenter who had been the contractor for the Central School, also worked on the building. 

The church was used as a place of worship by Kalispell’s Scandinavian Methodist congregation from 1896 until 1957. It was one of only four churches built in Montana by the Norwegian-Danish Conference of the church, and it remained a Norwegian-speaking “language church” until 1939. The church was purportedly “distinguished for its evangelistic spirit.” Before the building was even finished in the late 1890s, the congregation held regular services and Sunday school classes there. 

When the Western Norwegian-Danish Conference merged with the Montana Conference in 1939, the church changed its name to the Westside Methodist Church and began holding services in English. 

The Salvation Army purchased the building in 1957. At the time of purchase, the organization planned to use the building for church services, a headquarters for its welfare program and living quarters for two local officers, according to a 1957 article in the Daily Inter Lake.

In 1989, the church became the site of Community Thrift, which was run for more than three decades by Valentine. 

“Most people feel a connection to Community Thrift because Connie did such an amazing job for over 30 years, just her kindness and her generosity,” Harding said.

The church’s many iterations have touched lives across Kalispell, Harding said. She has regular patrons who have shopped at Community Thrift for decades. Others remember attending the Scandinavian church as children. When she placed an ad for the store with a local radio station, she learned that the DJ’s great-great grandfather had been one of the architects. 

To keep the church’s history alive, Harding applied for a $50,000 grant from the Montana Historic Preservation Grant (MHPG) Program, a state-funded program created in 2019 to support the preservation of historical sites through grant funding. The bill authorizing this year’s grants is currently moving through the Legislature. 

If approved, Harding will put the funds toward repairing the leaking roof, sealing the siding, fixing the gutters and building exterior storm windows. The heart of the church — its original arched windows, wood floors and antique fixtures — will stay intact.  

Harding is required to provide a 20% match, or $10,000, which she plans to raise through her own contributions, community donations via GoFundMe and a tea party and silent auction hosted at Community Thrift in May. 

The tea party will take place on May 18. Tea attire is recommended, and tea sandwiches, cakes and cookies will be served. Tickets are $35 per person and can be purchased at Community Thrift. Harding is also selling Community Thrift branded T-shirts to raise funds. 

With the right repairs, Harding sees a vibrant future for the old church, one that carries on the legacy of Community Thrift and serves as a gathering place for Kalispell residents. 

“There’s a long history of people that love this building,” she said. “I don’t think every city has that.”

[email protected]