Old School Montana
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Hamilton · Shop

Ford's Department Store

Still Old School

Hamilton department store on Main Street since 1947, selling western wear, workwear, boots and housewares under one roof.

At a glance

Department store in Hamilton, Montana, established 1947. Open.

Status
Open
Address
136 W. Main St., Hamilton, MT, 59840
Established
1947
Locally owned
Yes
Why it's still old school
Three generations of Fords, a shoe department where the owner fit customers into his 90s, and still closed on Sunday.
Page updated

Ford’s has been selling clothes in Hamilton since 1947, according to the store. It sits at 136 West Main and carries the mix a valley department store always carried: western wear, workwear, cowboy boots, work boots, dress shoes, sneakers, and a home department with linens, towels, pillows and rugs.

The family history on the store’s site starts in 1929, when J.C. Penney opened a Hamilton store and picked John Ford to manage it. After 18 years he went out on his own. He and his wife Alene ran the new store together, and their son Tom took it over in 1960. Tom was known for shoes and, the store says, was still helping customers in the shoe department into his 90s. His children Julie and Alan became the third generation to run it, Julie managing the women’s department around 1980 and Alan taking over by the mid-’80s.

Hours are 9 to 6 on weekdays, 9 to 5:30 on Saturday, closed Sunday.

If you’re nearby, stop in and keep them busy.

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