At Owenhouse Ace, we are all about supporting local Bozeman businesses! When you shop locally you are supporting the local economy, our community members, and their families. For every $100 spent at a local business, at least $48 stays in the local economy. Upwards of three-quarters of the amount spent tends to stay in the local community because locally-owned businesses often purchase from other locally-owned businesses, farms, and service providers. We decided to help our customers shop locally by compiling a list of 5 local Bozeman brands we love and carry at our stores!
As a locally owned business ourself, we appreciate the support of this community and we carry many products made by other locally owned businesses in Bozeman. We wanted to share the love for some other local businesses in our community. We decided to highlight these local Bozeman brands that we love and tell you why we love them! The local businesses we are featuring have a wide variety of products we carry in our stores: West Paw dog products, Special K Ranch greenhouse-grown plants, Permafrost Coolers, TitanStraps, and Béquet caramel candies! Not only are you supporting the local economy when you buy these products, but as you will discover below, they are unique creations that have a special history behind them!
West Paw
West Paw has been a Bozeman family owned and operated business designing, manufacturing, and shipping products for dogs since 1996. Pets are a huge part of our family here at Owenhouse Ace and West Paw is without question our dog’s best friend! We also love that they are an environmentally conscious company as their products use recycled materials.
Throughout the years, West Paw has diverted over 15 million water bottles from landfills to be used in dog beds, indestructible dog toys, collars, and leashes. In fact, the West Paw Zogoflex dog toys are a zero waste product – each one contains recycled West Paw dog toys! Customers are invited to send back their used dog toys for a type of “dog toy recycling program” where West Paw will clean, grind & turn them back into new toys!
The West Paw Qwizi is an interactive dog toy that was designed to give your dog mental exercise with a puzzle toy and it also extends the life of bully sticks, dental chews, and West Paw treats. Another thing we are in total support of: the dog treats West Paw manufactures only use proteins that are raised humanely and sustainably. This small business has created jobs in our community as West Paw has over 65 employees right here in Bozeman, and we are so happy to support them by carrying their unique products in our stores!
Special K Ranch
At Owenhouse Ace, we are committed to working with only the highest quality, local, family-owned, and charitable growers in Montana. Special K Ranch is one of our main suppliers of our annual and perennial flowers, hanging baskets, herbs, and vegetables in our Garden Center. We love the quality of their products and their mission, which is to provide homes, on a working ranch, for adults with developmental disabilities.
They are in their 34th year of operation and the greenhouse program, the largest and most productive program, is one of six vocational programs for their residents. We are very lucky to have Special K Ranch in Montana for the charitable organization that they are, and their 230-acre farm produces some of the highest quality greenhouse raised bedding plants and garden plants in the Bozeman area.
When you buy flowers or plants for your home garden from us, you are supporting Special K Ranch and their residents, each of whom has a different ability and gift that can be used in their diversified programs.
Permafrost Coolers
Permafrost Coolers was founded by two local guys in Bozeman who enjoy the great outdoors and saw a gap in the ice cooler industry that needed to be fixed! We love that their high-end coolers are color-themed and incorporate essential cutting-edge performance features. Some of these features include superior thermal properties, IGBC bear-proof certifications, padded-grip handles, an oversized drain plug attached via a chain, a push-button air-release for easy draining, a cutting board that also serves as a divider, and more! One model is even a cooler with wheels that was engineered to rest on all four legs for stability and then when you drag it, the Permafrost cooler rocks onto the back two wheels and has 5 inches of lift.
These colorful coolers are also durable long-lasting coolers that come with a limited lifetime warranty so your investment is protected. They also manufacture Permafrost tumblers to keep your hot drinks hot and your cold drinks cold as well as stemless wine glasses.
Permafrost cooler reviews speak for themselves about the quality of these locally made products for everyday use at home and for your great outdoor Montana adventures. Permafrost coolers love the local Bozeman community and want to hear from you for their future development! They are always looking to evolve to meet the needs of active outdoor enthusiasts and we are proud to carry their products at Owenhouse Ace!
TitanStraps
The concept behind TitanStraps was born over a decade ago, when Cameron Lawson and a friend traveled a 200-mile coastline route from Yakutat to Gustavus (Alaska) using only their bikes and Alpacka rafts. In preparing for the trip, Cameron had designed a tie-down strap prototype and it worked exceptionally well securing their gear for their adventure. When he returned to Bozeman after this trip, the first TitanStrap was created: a 25” long industrial strength strap.
Since then the company has expanded to create additional size straps and the customer favorites tend to be the original industrial strap and also the 14” utility strap. We love that this company is designed to support the outdoor enthusiast in all of us and they also are environmentally conscious. In 2020 they became a proud member of 1% for the planet, where they donate 1% of their gross revenue to organizations that support the preservation and restoration of our natural environment.
Béquet Confections, LLC
Robin Béquet started making caramel candy for her friends and family as a hobby she enjoyed. When the telecom crash of 2001 ended her 25-year career in technology, she realized her hobby may be a second career in the making! She conducted multiple blind taste testings against other artisan caramels and found that 17 out of 18 adults preferred Béquet Caramels!
Armed with an exquisite gourmet candy, she launched Béquet Confections, LLC. Since 2001 the company has continued to grow and has won 9 National Awards. Béquet always has the customer in mind so they have different options at different price points. Their caramels can be purchased in individual pieces, different sized gift bags, or in large gift baskets.
We love the story behind the creation of Béquet caramels and it couldn’t be more timely for all of us with Coronavirus giving us uncertainty but showing that often when one door closes, an even greater one opens. Treat yourself or your loved ones to the local Montana gift of salted caramel that melts in your mouth! We can’t resist and we know you will absolutely love the 13 flavor varieties Béquet has for the sweet tooth in all of us!
Conclusion
These one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the character of our Bozeman community. If you find yourself asking why you should shop local, consider this: these local businesses are owned by your neighbors, employ other members of our community, stimulate our local economy, and have created unique products that we are proud were dreamed up in Bozeman.
We love the history behind each of these top 5 local brands we love at Owenhouse Ace. We too are a locally owned and operated business and we are committed to supporting other local businesses in Bozeman. When you buy local from these top 5 brands, you are doing your part to support the Bozeman community. We proudly carry products from these top 5 brands at Owenhouse Ace.
