Lolo grows into its own - Recent development subtly transforms suburban truck stop into town
By MICHAEL MOORE of the Missoulian
LOLO - OK, so this town is still not going to win any beauty contests.
A yawning parking lot is still one of the central features, and most of the development along U.S. Highway 93 isn’t going to win any architectural awards.
So while you wouldn’t exactly call it beautiful, there is a creeping aesthetic that is slowly transforming Lolo from a suburban truck stop to something resembling a town.
The transformation is subtle in places, less so in others. For years, it was a tossup whether the school or the doctor’s office was the nicest non-residential building in town. Neither was threatened when the new oil change place went in a few years ago, though even that was an improvement in some small way.
Debra Kosch proudly displays the Republic of Lolo T-shirts that she sells at The Spot, a new family owned business in Lolo selling everything from skateboards to cheesecake. Photo by MICHAEL GALLACHER/Missoulian
The small business complex - Hey! That’s our dentist! - built on the south end of the Harvest Foods parking lot was also symptomatic of an architectural revival, to the extent that one probably took part in the planning process.
Then along came the Farmers State Bank masquerading as a Georgian-styled mansion. It looked about at home as, well, a Georgian mansion in an overgrown truckstop.
But you’ve got to start somewhere.
So let’s start at the old Discount Video on Glacier Drive, which was previously a prefabricated building that once held a gym. For years it was Baby Blue, then, perhaps in an effort to cover all the baby bases, morphed into Little Girl Pink.
Either way, it was a squat, charmless box sitting behind Heraldo’s Mexican restaurant, which itself sat in a building that most everybody still called the King’s Hat, the greasy spoon precursor to what became a skein of unsuccessful restaurants.
Today, both Heraldo’s and the video store - under new ownership - are esconsced in a new and renovated establishment called the Glacier Building, which sits on the Discount Video site.
OK, so the Glacier Building isn’t as cute as downtown Darby. Still, it’s pretty dang nice, and Heraldo’s, liberated from cramped King’s Hat quarters, has blossomed into a bustling, full-size restaurant.
A couple of doors down from the restaurant is the Movie Spot, which is the reconstituted Discount Video under the new ownership of the Gamboa family. And right next door is another Gamboa offering, simply called The Spot. It’s the most eclectic business in Lolo, hands down.
“Well, we’re sort of trying to be the Rockin Rudy’s of Lolo,” said TeeAna Becerra, a daughter of one of the owners.
Her aunt, Debra Kosch, chimed in.
“It’s true that we have a ways to go, but you’ve got to get started, don’t you?” she said.
The Spot advertises itself as an Internet cafe, a skateboard shop and digital T-shirt printer. And that doesn’t really even begin to describe the possibilities therein, which include Kosch’s fresh egg salad sandwiches, cheesecake, old-time sodas and a chance to play “World of Warcraft,” all in one setting.
You can even go for the curious combo that riffs on the old dinner-and-a-movie night out. To wit: Movie and a cheesecake.
“If you want dessert in Lolo, this is the place,” said Kosch.
The Gamboa family - Kosch is a Gamboa sister - envisioned The Spot as a business that also offered the kids of Lolo a place to hang out.
“There’s really no place for them to go other than the schoolyard, so we wanted to provide an alternative,” Kosch said. “Loitering is illegal, you know, but here it’s encouraged.”
So one of the things served at The Spot is a circular peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich that goes for a quarter.
“And if a kid doesn’t have a quarter, we’ll give it to them for free,” Kosch said.
The Spot has all manner of bizarre kitsch, a seriously whacked-out paint job and anything-goes atmosphere.
“We want to be a hangout for the kids, but we also have stuff for grown-ups, with some of the best sandwiches in town,”?Kosch said. “And then, if you need a T-shirt, we can do that, too.”
Without a doubt, the coolest T-shirt at The Spot is the one sporting the moniker, “People’s Republic of Lolo,” which, even if your first thought isn’t “People’s Republic of Berkeley,” is still pretty funny.
If you continue on down Glacier Drive from The Spot and tour the neighborhood that winds itself around the Lolo lakes, you’ll find a sprouting subdivision that is making a home on the old Pete’s Pitch and Putt golf course.
Pete’s was always a prime piece of property in Lolo, and was probably destined for development given the unlikelihood of a par-3 golf course succeeding.
Perry Ashby, who runs WesMont Construction, had built some houses for Pete Pettersen about seven years ago, then bought 15 acres, including the golf course, when Pettersen decided the course wasn’t financially viable.
Ashby then got approval for a subdivison called Willowbrook Estates, which will eventually have 33 homes nestled into the wetlands and woods of the old golf course.
The houses are more upscale than most of the development around the lakes, but they still blend in quite well. And they certainly bring a new sense of style to the Lolo residential front, which has been steadily improving with other developments in the area east of Highway 93.
“I think the idea of an architectural theme is good for a neighborhood, and I think these homes offer a good value in the current market,” Ashby said.
Some higher-end homes are also being built in Ponderosa Heights, which is going in north of Ridgeway on the west side of the highway.
“I think part of what’s happening in Lolo is that you had a lot of residential development where the idea was to be affordable,” Ashby said. “Now we’re seeing some development that has an aesthetic value as well, and that makes the community more attractive.”
And that’s a fact. Lolo is slowly becoming more attractive.
Of course, progress is a relative thing. Back out on Highway 93, what once had been a diner on the north end of the truck stop is now a McDonald’s. That adds to Lolo’s growing list of national franchises - Subway, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen and Taco Time.
Some might argue that such buildings make all towns look the same. True enough. But sometimes, you have to look at what was there in the first place before deciding that things have taken a turn for the worse.
Take the Subway/Pizza Hut complex. That used to be a Circle K convenience store, which certainly had nothing, architecturally speaking, on the newer businesses.
So sometimes it’s all a matter of perspective. And when your perspective includes the scenic wonder that was once Discount Video, it’s hard not to argue that Lolo is on the upswing in the looks department.
“What we’re hoping is that with our place and other places, we can create reasons for people to stay in Lolo and not run down to Missoula for every little thing,” said Debra Kosch. “I think it’s happening.”
Cheesecake anyone?
Reporter Michael Moore can be reached at 523-5252 or at mmoore@missoulian.com. Moore has lived in Lolo for most of his 28 years in Montana.
