Unique Shopping at Big Sky Grocery

I was traveling back to Great Falls yesterday from Harlowton and decided to make a quick (or so I thought) stop at Big Sky Grocery.

The grocery store sits in a field about a half mile or so west of Eddie’s Corner (junction of US 191 and 200/MT 3).

There are a couple of wooden gazebo structures outside in the gravel parking lot and a large sign giving hours of operation for the grocery store. I can’t remember the hours exactly but I think it’s 9 – 6 Monday through Friday, 9-5 Saturday and closed on Sundays. Next time I’ll make a note to get these down exactly so I don’t miss stopping at the store.

I’ve been at the grocery store before – I hesitate to call it a grocery store because it is so much more!

First of all, you’ll see different products, a fair amount of bulk foods and unique package labels.

The store is owned and operated by two local Amish families. The Amish logo (horse-drawn buggy) appears on the packaging.

And, if you are driving west, coming from Lewistown, you’ll see a highway sign with the horse-drawn buggy logo on it. Car and truck traffic moves quickly along this route and it’s a good eye-opener that there could be some slower paced modes of transportation here.

Back to my shopping – I love the variety of pastas found at Big Sky Grocery. I chose a couple while my friend was looking at cheese curds in the dairy case. These weren’t just plain cheese curds – they are flavored with seasonings like ranch, garlic, herb etc. She found three different kinds of cheese curds to buy. I looked at some jams and jellies but decided to not get any. Then I walked past some pumpkin butter and I had to have that.

When we checked out I visited with the young girl at the cash register. She said they had been very busy yesterday and it looked that way.

There were farmers and ranchers shopping the the store, a couple of construction workers and several travelers – quite a mix.

In addition to packaged foods you can also get made-to-order sandwiches, coffee and ice cream.

Let’s talk about that ice cream. I ordered a medium sized cup of ice cream which is incredibly reasonable at $2.25. Note to self – the small size is really plenty, the medium is definitely too much and I wouldn’t want to see anyone attempt to eat a large size! It was yummy though.

When you plan your next Central Montana road trip allow some time to stop at Big Sky Grocery.