ABSAROKEE — A hidden treasure in Absarokee opened on Saturday amidst the annual Montana BBQ Cook-Off, that's giving music lovers a blast from the past.
Treasure House Records 406 is a locally owned shop that sells vinyl record albums along with other vintage music mediums, such as cassettes and A-tracks, for those looking for oldies, but goodies.
See the different music options available at Treasure House Records 406 in the video below:
A record store might be an unexpected find in a town with a population around a thousand.
However, store owner and operator, Debbie Skiles, is looking forward to bringing in tourists, as well as customers looking for a taste of nostalgia, such as Generation X or Baby Boomers.
"It's a lot of fun to be able to see it make a comeback, and to actually see that some of these are thing that I listened to when I was a kid, and my parents listened to, and my grandparents listened to (are coming back)," Skiles said to MTN on Friday.
Skiles said the store's inventory comes from an online estate sale. A man in Billings, who's now deceased, was a large collector of vinyl record albums along with other vintage items like typewriters, bowling shirts, and tools.
"We were looking online and we saw this collection of records and other items. And so we thought, 'Well let's check it out,' and we checked it out, and we ended up buying his collection. And everything you see in this store came from his estate and collection," said Skiles.
Skiles is a retired educator who's a big hobbyist. The store sits along North Woodard Avenue, which also houses Skiles' motor shop, where she and her husband fix up cars and motorcycles.
Skiles said opening the shop was a labor of love between her and her family.
"The name came from our grandchildren, because once we bought the estate they were saying, 'Wow this is a treasure!' she said.
Skiles' grandchildren even created the shelves in the store from vinyl records and they crafted all of the genre labels.
While the hours are still to be determined, Skiles estimates the store to be open on Fridays and Saturdays during the summer months from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Skiles said the next plan for the shop is to open an online storefront.
"I hope we get a lot of foot traffic coming, and that it's going to be a great day," Skiles said the day before the grand opening.
MTN stopped customers going in and out of the store on Saturday.
Tammy Piatte, a Billings resident, who is an avid record collector, said she is excited to visit the store on her annual trips to Asbarokee during the Montana BBQ Cook-Off.
"I'm so excited... You know, it's perfect, because when I was younger I had all the albums, and then everything kind of went digital. So, I got rid of all my albums, and now I'm rebuilding," she said.
MTN also asked Absarokee residents, Jack and Christy Best, their thoughts on the new record store in their home town.
"It's different... We just went to a garage store and bought some (records) yesterday," said Christy Best.
"I like vintage because, you know, that's what I listen to. But, I don't even know if they make the new music on vinyl or not. But yeah this is fantastic," Jack Best told MTN.
