Old Missoula

Garden City News closed permanently in 2006. An article in the Missoulian on January 3^rd, 2006, explained its demise. The article is quoted below:

Going out of print

Garden City News to close its doors permanently on Jan. 31

By Robert Struckman of the Missoulian

Wayne Burnham watched the glass door of Garden City News swing shut behind a customer. Having just purchased a pair of bridal magazines, she walked away up North Higgins Avenue.

Burnham, the 52-year-old owner of Garden City News, reflected on the range of magazines on his store’s shelves.

“Titlewise? I haven’t counted,” he said.

He has hundreds, if not thousands. They cover every subject. He has 17 titles devoted to woodworking and hand tools and 13 on martial arts, fighting and professional wrestling. The store’s inventory covers everything from cars to country music to cooking and underground art.

He has wire racks of comic books and one wooden stand with 51 books of crossword puzzles.

But not for long. Garden City News – downtown Missoula’s only old-fashioned newsstand – will close its doors for the last time on Jan. 31.

“There’s no money in it,” he said.

Burnham, who owns the building, will remodel the space and lease it to a retailer. He won’t say to whom. The lease isn’t finalized, he said.

The worst financial pressures on the newsstand can be summed up with one anecdote. The wholesale price for USA Today is 72 cents. It retails for 75 cents. When Burnham balked, a USA Today rack appeared outside his store.

“There’s just a point where it’s not worth it,” he said.

Freight costs have hit hard, too. The Sunday New York Times, formerly available for $6, has gone up to $7.50. That’s all due to increases in freight rates.

The box stores don’t help either. Burnham sees books retailing for less than he can buy them wholesale. He sees well-thumbed copies of magazines on box store magazine racks. The readers who thumbed those copies might have bought from him in former days.

But he stops himself when he starts complaining.

“I don’t want to sound bitter,” he said.

Burnham bought Garden City News in 1979. One customer, hearing of the imminent closure, said he’d been buying magazines there for 57 years.

In Burnham’s early days, Missoula’s downtown was full of empty storefronts. He weathered the ups and downs of interest rates and the ebb and flow of area businesses.

He was in his mid-20s. He had a master’s in business administration from the University of Montana and wide tastes as a reader. What wasn’t to like about the newsstand business?

In those days, a newsstand was the only place to find a wide range of magazines and newspapers. The Internet and superstores such as Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Borders Books and Music have revolutionized the media industry, and newsstands across the region have changed or closed.

Burnham doesn’t pretend to know the breadth of the newsstand business, but he knows his corner better than anyone. As the profit margins in newspapers, books and magazines tightened, most newsstands in Montana began to sell expresso or ice cream.

Burnham has always sold cigars as a side business, but expresso? Lattes aren’t for him.

Garden City News remained an old-fashioned newsstand. That was Burnham’s luxury. As tough as the newsstand business had become, Burnham had freedom. He owned his own building.

“That’s the only reason I’ve been able to stay in business as along as I have,” he said.

For more than two decades, Garden City News and Garden City Printing operated side by side in the same building.

Even as the bottom lines of the business narrowed, the three operators enjoyed themselves, lunching together and talking football, Burnham said.

About two years ago, one of them died. About 18 months ago, Jim Dredger decided to close the print shop.

By then, North Higgins was nothing like it had been years ago. The old characters have disappeared from downtown, Burnham said.

“Some of it I will miss. Used to be a bunch of people from Butte would get the Butte paper every day. Some people you see every day, some every week,” he said.

But this is a strange tough time. Businesses downtown are flourishing. The world has simply passed Garden City News by, Burnham said.

That’s a hard thing not to take personally, for a guy who has made a life out of a newsstand. But there’s a flipside.

After Garden City Printing left, the space stood vacant for a time. Then Burnham remodeled it, adding new hardwood floors and lighting. A few months ago, a high-end women’s clothing store called Coco Atelier opened there.

“Judging from the Mercedes and the Lexus pulling up here, it’s been doing pretty well,” Burnham said.

A similar remodel is in store for the Garden City News space.

“It’s my retirement,” Burnham said.

Burnham doesn’t plan to sit still. He has some other projects to concentrate on, he said.

“If I don’t work, I’ll go crazy,” he said.

As for the looming vacuum in the newsstand business downtown, it has some people pondering.

Every summer, Jolie Anderson, owner of Bird’s Nest Books, directs two or three magazine-seekers a week to Garden City News. Could her used bookstore sell magazines?

“I’m thinking about it,” Anderson said.

1972 – 1979

Yates Buys Rudy’s News

Rudy’s News, 329 N. Higgins Ave., owned and managed for 16 years by Art and Mary Evans, has been sold to Claude Yates, owner of Larry’s Magazines and Sporting Goods, 525 N. Higgins.

The transaction became effective June 1.

Yates said he plans to leave his present store, expand Rudy’s into the space formerly occupied by Mau-Jones Sporting Goods, and change the name of the store to Garden City News.

Yates, who has owned Larry’s for the past 5 ½ years, also plans to sell smoking supplies and a limited line of sporting goods.

Under the Evanses, Rudy’s gained a reputation for catering to high school and university students, stocking a wide selection of books dealing with both the arts and sciences.

The Evanses bought the magazine and book store in 1956 from Rudy Rissman [Rissmann]. The purchase, although the culmination of a long-time ambition for the Evanses, also was something of a flier, the general feeling at the time being that television, then in its infancy as a popular medium was going to reduce the reading public substantially.

The so-called paperback revolution arrived, however, and the Evanses found themselves expanding Rudy’s with additional room at the rear.

The couple, in addition to their array of paperback and hardback books, also carried a wide range of national newspapers and intellectual digests. Rudy’s, under the Evanses, became a well-known establishment for the serious reader.

Yates said he hopes to maintain the store’s broad selection of reading matter.

It’s been interesting, Evans said of his years as co-proprietor of Rudy’s. It’s kind of a shock to have it come to an end. I’ve been on the corner for 25 years and I want to see what else there is. Evans worked at the nearby Oxford for several years prior to buying Rudy’s.

Evans, who said one of the best aspects of owning Rudy’s had been the people we met, said he and his wife have lots of things planned for their retirement. One of them, he said, will be to read a few books.

The above article appeared in The Missoulian on June 11, 1972.

Claude Arthur Yates – Obituary – Missoulian, February 21, 1984:

Stevensville – Claude Arthur Yates, 73, died Sunday of natural causes at his home in Hillsboro, Ore.

He was born Jan. 19, 1911, in Stevensville. He received his early education in Victor and graduated from Dillon Normal College. He worked in the railway mail service until his retirement in 1965, and owned the Garden City Bookstore in Missoula until 1978. He also farmed in the Three Mile area from 1953 to 1961. He moved to Hillsboro in 1980.

He married Mavis Sneditgar in 1936 in Lolo, and is now survived by her at the family home in Hillsboro.

He is survived by five sons, Charles W. Yates, Havre, Alan R. Yates, Helena, Philip A. Yates, Missoula, Stephen V. Yates and James A Yates, Hillsboro; two daughters, Judith Webb, Seattle, and Carol Yates, Yakima, Wash; two brothers, Stanley Yates, Spokane, and Leland Yates, Missoula; a sister, Amy Larson, Victor; 17 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

1956 – 1972

Rudy’s

Authur C., and Mary Dugal Evans, bought Rudy’s News in 1956, without any fanfare, or even a notice in the local paper. Keeping the business name, Art sometimes inherited the former owner’s name when references were made to the business. If he was unhappy about it, he didn’t seem to let it be known. One of his customers wrote an article about him in 1974, shortly after he died.

The article, quoted below, appeared in The Missoulian on November 7, 1974:

In Memory of Evans by C. W. Dolson

I remember the pride we took in being able to tell others, people who knew him less well than we did, that his name was Art instead of Rudy.

There is in this town as I suspect there is in all others a book-loving circle of people, a group that is held together by their mutual love of books. They do not always know each other, these book-loving people, but they do always have a central place and central person.

Here in Missoula the central place was Rudy’s News, and the central person was Art Evans. I don’t know how it was before him or how it will be now that he is gone. I only know that it was that way for almost 20 years.

I remember that Art was the person we went to see when we wanted a book that had been out of print for many years as well as written by an obscure author. He would cock his ear slightly toward you as you told him of your needs and your hope that this unknown book could be found and then, when you had finished, he would smile his very gentle smile and usually say, “Yes, I believe I might have that book here someplace,” and he would disappear into the lower depths of his store and finally reappear with a dusty volume in one hand. He would brush it off and put it in a paper bag for you. As he slid it across the counter you could see by his face that he was thinking about the book. Finally he would say, “I remember some of that book. It isn’t bad.”

Sometimes Art suggested certain titles and authors to me that he thought I might enjoy. I was always pleased by how well he knew my tastes. He once loaned me a book that I took three years to return. When I brought it in after all that time I rather expected him to chide me about taking so long to return it. But he didn’t. He didn’t even seem surprised to see it. It was, as if I had only had it a week. He asked me if I’d liked it. I admitted that I hadn’t very much. He looked slightly disappointed. I felt like a traitor. We both laughed. And he put the book back under his shelf.

He told me a story once about a customer he had known who came in every week and bought a Wild West paperback. After this had been going on for some time the fellow found a week in which he was unable to locate a Wild West that he really wanted to buy. Art had been watching him and had noticed the man’s indecision, so, seeing his opportunity, he asked the man if he might select a book for him. The man agreed. Art picked for him one of William Faulkner’s works.

And he waited with great curiosity until the next week when the man might come in and he could ask him if he had enjoyed the book. Art told me that he had looked up from where he was figuring behind his counter that week and saw the man standing before the rows of Wild West paperbacks. He walked over and greeted the man and asked him how he had liked the book. The man said that it had been pretty good, but it reminded him of eating spaghetti in a restaurant because one had to eat so much spaghetti in order to get one meatball. Art laughed then and told me that the man bought his Wild West and left the store.

Art is gone now and I suspect a new center will be found if it isn’t already. All it takes is a bookstore with a lot of books and a person to run it who knows and loves books and the people who buy them. Without this combination there is nothing, and with it we have something like Rudy’s News and Art Evans.

Arthur C. Evans – Obituary – Missoulian November 3, 1974

Arthur C. Evans, 70, died Friday in a local hospital. He was born June 2, 1904, in Roseville, Calif., and attended elementary school in Folsom, Calif. He graduated from Sacramento High School in 1922.

In 1933 he came to Montana, and married Mary Dugal in Spokane in 1938. He worked for the Army Engineers and J. W. Terteling & Sons during World War II. Mr. Evans returned to Missoula in 1946, where he worked at the Oxford Café. In 1956 he bought Rudy’s News, 329 N. Higgins Ave., which he operated with his wife until his retirement in 1971. Mr. Evans was known as ‘Rudy’ by many of his customers throughout the years.

Surviving are his wife Mary and several nieces and nephews.

Mary D. Evans – Obituary – Missoulian – October 11, 1990

Missoula – Mary D. Evans, 79, of Missoula, died of natural causes Tuesday, Oct. 9, at Royal Manor Care Center.

She was born May 24, 1911, in Missoula to John and Charlotte Dugal. Raised in Missoula, she graduated from Sacred Heart Academy in 1930. She attended St. Theresa’s College in Winona, Minn., and Dillon Normal School, and received degrees in education and library science from the University of Montana. She then taught school at Broadus and Whitetail.

On June 15, 1938, she married Arthur Evans in Spokane.

Mrs. Evans was an assistant librarian at Gonzaga University in Spokane, and worked for a construction company in Oregon and Wyoming before moving to Missoula in 1946. She and her husband purchased Rudy’s News in 1955 and operated the business until the early 1970’s.

She was a charter member of Daughters of Isabella and a member of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and St. Anne’s Society.

Survivors include two brothers, Joseph Dugal, Missoula and Peter Dugal, Walnut Creek, Calif., and a sister, Julia Whirry, Denver.

Her husband, three brothers and two sisters preceded her in death.

St. Anne’s Society will recite a rosary 2 p.m. Friday at Livingston-Malletta & Geraghty Funeral Home, followed by a rosary recited by the Daughters of Isabella.

Parish vigil service will be 7 p.m. Friday at the funeral home, Memorial Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. Saturday at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, with burial at St. Mary’s Annex.

1951 – 1956

Rudy’s

A Grand Opening ad for Rudy’s News, at 329 N. Higgins, appeared in The Missoulian on April 28, 1951. It stated Rudy’s News, formerly Dunstan’s Printing, was now owned by Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Rissmann. Advertised as the largest news stand in Missoula, it listed magazines, stationery, cigars, candy, and cigarettes.

Rudy Rissmann was a longtime Darby resident where his father was an early druggist. His wife, Madge Waldo Rissmann was a daughter of George Waldo, son of one of Darby’s first settlers. As a young girl she worked for a short time editing a local newspaper.

Rudy Rissmann’s obituary below appeared in The Missoulian on May 23, 1983:

Rudolph A. Rissmann

Hamilton – Rudolph A. Rissmann, 79, of Hamilton, died Saturday afternoon at the Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital in Hamilton.

He was born June 28, 1903, at Cleveland to Alexander and Elizabeth Rissmann. As a young boy, he moved with his family to Darby, where he was raised and graduated from Darby High School. He graduated from the University of Montana School of Pharmacy.

He married Madge M. Waldo in Missoula on June 16, 1925.

For a few years, they lived in Darby, where they operated a drugstore. They worked in the Seattle area during World War II. They operated a newsstand in Missoula from 1945 to 1956, when they moved to California. They operated several different businesses in the Long Beach and Los Angeles area. In 1962, they returned to Hamilton where they have since lived.

He was preceded in death by his wife on Aug. 1, 1979, and a grandson, Rudy Rissmann, on Oct. 4, 1980.

Survivors include one son, Gaylord, Hamilton, one daughter, Mary Womack, Hamilton; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Madge Rissmann’s obituary below appeared in The Missoulian on August 3, 1979:

Hamilton – Madge M. Rissmann, 75, a resident of Hamilton, died Wednesday evening at the Hamilton Hospital.

She was born July 23, 1904, in Darby, and she grew up and attended schools there.

She married Rudolph A. Rissmann June 16, 1925, in Missoula. They moved to Long Beach, Calif., where they operated an ice cream shop for a few years. They returned to Hamilton in the late 1930s.

During World War II, the Rissmanns moved to Seattle, where they lived until 1945. Returning to Montana, they operated a newsstand in Missoula until 1956, when they moved to Los Angeles and operated a liquor store. They returned to Hamilton in 1962. Mrs. Rissmann worked at Tom’s Newsstand.

Survivors include her husband, Rudolph, Hamilton; a daughter, Mary Womack, Hamilton; a son, Gaylord, Victor; two brothers, Bob Waldo, Hamilton, and Tom Waldo, Corvallis, Ore.; three sisters, Maude Rouse, Hamilton; Gertrude Cain, Anaconda; and Bernice Jones, Darby; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

She was preceded in death by two brothers and two sisters.

1902 – 1951

Dunstan’s

“Successors to Emsley’s” – 322 N. Higgins / Books/ Shaving Sets/ Toys/ Smoking Sets/ Calendars & Cards

The founder of Dunstan’s book store, Thomas Dunstan, age 66, died in Missoula in 1932. His obituary stated he had lived in Missoula for 32 years. His wife, Laura, died eight days after him. Thomas Dunstan was born in England and lived in Montana for 53 years. While living in Missoula he ran a commercial printing business and a bookstore / variety store. Dunstan’s advertised Ping Pong, “the fashionable game,” in the Missoulian in 1902, as the successor to Emsley’s. Dunstan’s Printing moved to 329 N. Higgins in 1943.

The Dunstan’s lived in the “double” house at 304 S. 2^nd Street. Upon their deaths in 1932, they left a considerable estate which included the book store and printing establishment, a 10-room house, a second house, and other property. They also left shares of “building and loan” stock, and thousands in cash. Children named were C. E. Dunstan of Oakland, Ca., Thomas H. Dunstan Jr., Edwin Dunstan and Mrs. Hilda Keith. Mrs. S. A. Dittmer, of Salinas, Ca. was also listed as a daughter. Thomas Dunstan Jr., who had been a pressman at the Missoulian newspaper, ran the bookstore with his wife, Helen, until 1951.

Others – 1894 – 1906

Below is a snapshot of several businesses located nearby, beginning in the 1890’s. After a change of ownership, some of these businesses changed their name and moved next door, or close by.

The information below is found in the Missoulian newspaper, unless otherwise noted:

Emsley’s – 1894 – 317 /325 N Higgins – Ice Cream Soda / Candy / Dolls / Toys / Taxidermist

Hoehne [Boehme] University Store – 1898 – 333 N Higgins – Tobacco / Cigars / Stationary / Toys

W. H. Raymer – 1900 – 333 N Higgins – Confectionary / Fruit business

M. H. Keith’s Store – 1901 – Raymer’s purchased by Melvin H. Keith

Gorski’s – 1904 – 1906 – 327 / 329 N Higgins – Candy, Coffee, Chocolate, Baked Goods

 Lombard Block

A short description of 329 N. Higgins was presented in the Missoula Historical Resource Survey. Interestingly, Rudy’s News is never mentioned in this study. See below:

329,331, 333 North Higgins

Owners: Bob Ward and Sons, Inc. (1975)

History: The first name associated with the title to the property was Dr. Charles W. Lombard, who lived at 405 West 3rd South (1890). Lombard was Missoula’s first resident dentist. Other names associated with the title are Agnes Lombard (1929). Maud Thornton (1936), E. G. Mulroney and Bertha Paddock (1949), and Mabel Jacobs (1942). The Sanborn maps date the structure between 1888 and 1891. Businesses located at 329 North Higgins were a storage warehouse (c.a. 1888 – 1891), a tailor shop (c. a. 1891 – 1902, a B&S shop (c. a. 1902 – 1912), the S&K Shoe Shop (1929), John Lissman’s shoe repair (1932 – 1940), Northwest Distributor, and a radio repair shop (1940). Businesses located at 333 North Higgins were a sales shop (c. a. 1891 – 1902), Cigar and Tobacco Shop (c. a. 1902 – 1912), Hogan and Boehme Company, trout fly manufacturers (1922), Boehme – Cumming Company, trout fly manufacturers (1929), Ogg Shoe Company (1932), and Singer Sewing Machine Company (1940). Currently, Garden City News is located at both addresses. The 2^nd floor of the structure is 331 North Higgins. James Kahremanes, a restaurant worker, was the first recorded occupant (1929). During the 1930’s the 2^nd floor became Wirth Apartments. Currently it is known as the Sanborn Apartments.

The structure at 337 North Higgins was currently listed as the Oxford Bar and Restaurant. Businesses located there included a piano and organ store (c. a. 1888 – 1891). A stationery and photo shop (c. a. 1891 – 1902), a drug and photo store (c. a. 1912 – 1931), Peeks Pharmacy (1948).