GREAT FALLS — New businesses are bringing economic growth and tax relief to Great Falls, with both national chains and local startups contributing to the city's expanding commercial landscape.
Justin Robicheau reports - watch:
The Great Falls Development Alliance is seeing a mix of familiar brands and homegrown businesses establishing themselves in the Electric City. Major chains like Panera and Texas Roadhouse are moving into town, while local entrepreneurs are opening new ventures downtown.
Jolene Schalper, executive vice president of the Great Falls Development Alliance, said the city is experiencing a diverse business boom that includes both national and local establishments.
- SCROLL DOWN TO SEE A LIST OF NEW BUSINESSES
Business advisors are working to create an environment that attracts new companies while supporting growth of existing businesses. The strategy includes addressing fundamental community needs that make Great Falls attractive to businesses.
"Our team is also working on increasing the wage base and increasing housing and increasing childcare opportunities, so that we continue to lay an excellent foundation for businesses that either want to start here, or expand here," Schalper said.
The influx of new businesses is also providing tax relief for residents. Commercial properties generate higher tax revenue than residential properties, which helps distribute the tax burden more evenly across the community.
"Every for profit business that opens increases our tax base and frankly, the commercial tax base is a little bit higher than what you get for your residential, and so it takes burden off, " Schalper said.
WHAT: Construction of Panera Bread
WHERE: 1322 10th Avenue South
OPENING: Not yet announced
FORMERLY: JB's Restaurant
Panera Bread is a counter-serve bakery/cafe chain serving sandwiches, salads, and more.
WHAT: Construction of Texas Roadhouse
WHERE: 1216 10th Avenue South
OPENING: Not yet announced
FORMERLY: Fiesta En Jalisco; Applemill Grill
Texas Roadhouse is a 664-unit steakhouse chain; there are locations in Billings, Bozeman, and Missoula.
WHAT: Pizza Ranch
WHERE: 2515 10th Avenue South
FORMERLY: Joann Fabrics
OPENING: Likely within several weeks
The Old West-themed buffet restaurant will have an "arcade zone" of more than 5,000 square feet. They have been hosting interviews for employees in recent days; click here to follow progress on their Facebook page.
WHAT: Spirit Halloween
WHERE: Holiday Village Mall
OPENING: Currently open
FORMERLY: Bed Bath & Beyond
The seasonal Halloween store was formerly located in the old Shopko building on the Northwest Bypass.
WHAT: Homegrown Dental
WHERE: Ninth Street South
OPENING: Not yet announced
WHAT: Car wash
WHERE: 833 Smelter Avenue NE
OPENING: Not yet announced
FORMERLY: Ryan's Cash & Carry
WHAT: WinCo Foods
WHERE: 301 Northwest Bypass
OPENING: Not yet announced
WinCo Foods is now registered as the owner of the building that formerly was Shopko, but no details of development have been released at this point. WinCo operates grocery stores in several Montana communities, including Helena, Bozeman, and Billings.
WHAT: Coffee Republic
WHERE: 1000 Central Avenue West
OPENING: To be announced
Coffee Republic is doing a remodel on the building for their third location. Coffee Republic opened its first store in Great Falls in 2022 at 3615 10th Avenue South, and then opened a location in the Fox Farm Neighborhood.
WHAT: Sweet Junes Freeze Dried Candy & More
WHERE: Times Square Building (525 Central Avenue)
WHEN: September 2025
Click here to visit the Facebook page.
WHAT: Clearwater Credit Union
WHERE: First Avenue North/Park Drive
OPENING: Not yet announced
FORMERLY: Hardee's restaurant
WHAT: Halle Properties
WHERE: 2400 10th Avenue South
OPENING: Not yet announced
FORMERLY: Loading Zone/Playground
The site was formerly occupied by the Loading Zone bar, which closed in 2022. The site is now owned by Halle Properties, which manages real estate for the retailer Discount Tire.
OTHER RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
BEST WOK: After being closed for several months, Best Wok re-opened on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 1800 10th Avenue South in Great Falls.
CHICK-FIL_A: The City of Great Falls confirmed that Chick-fil-A has submitted a preliminary traffic impact study to the city, which is an assessment of potential impacts a proposed development project might have on surrounding roads. The location is 711 10th Avenue South. The study will be reviewed by the City and the Montana Department of Transportation for a potential restaurant location at 711 10th Avenue South. The city provided the following statement on the situation: "Chick-fil-A hasn’t yet filed any paperwork with the City for demolition of the former paint building remaining on that block, nor has it filed any paperwork for the construction of a new restaurant. The traffic study submittal is a good sign the project is moving forward, however." The popular fast-food restaurant specializes in chicken sandwiches and waffle fries, and has more than 3,000 locations across the country, including several in Montana.
ASIAN MIX: Located in Holiday Village Mall, Asian Mix opened in April 2025. The menu features Chinese, Thai, and Myanmar food, along with sushi, and notes that all items are available on a "spicy level" of 1 to 5.
HOWARD'S PIZZA: The iconic Howard's Pizza delivery trucks in Great Falls will soon be a thing of the past. The popular pizzeria announced this week that effective August 18, all delivery orders must be made online and will be delivered via DoorDash. The company said: "Recently, we made the hard decision to shift our delivery operations to DoorDash, a move driven by several economic factors that have made this transition necessary." Howard's Pizza cited rising delivery costs and cost-efficiency as factors in the change. We contacted Howard's Pizza to get more information; they declined to be interviewed. Click here to read more. Howard's Pizza has four locations in Great Falls.
THE COLLECTIVE - VINTAGE EMPORIUM: Opened this month at 522 Central Avenue, selling antiques, collectibles, and vintage items. Open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Click here to visit the Facebook page.
WINDY CITY LIQUIDATIONS: Opened in June at 624 Central Avenue. They say they specialize in liquidation buyouts and operate as a bin store, and will offer a variety of items, including home goods, electronics, gardening, and more. Click here to visit the Facebook page.
SODA STATION: Opened in April in the Holiday Village Mall parking lot in the space formerly occupied by Starbucks. The Montana-based company has six locations in Billings and one in Laurel. The shop offers soda customizations, with endless flavors, cream, boba, fruit puree, and energy drinks. They are drive-through only, and also serve hot drinks.
SWING & MEAT: Opened in late May at 1210 Ninth Street South (former Goodwill building). The new businesses plans to bring a new level of entertainment to the community, including golf simulators, cornhole simulators, and VR games and experiences. The owners noted: “Heads up: The ‘meat” part is still in the works — a food and snack experience is coming soon, and trust us, it’s going to be worth the wait!” Click here to visit the website.
ELEVATION 3330: The business in downtown Great Falls closed on Thursday, May 29, 2025. The second-story business opened at 410 Central Avenue in April 2019, and featured an open-air balcony that overlooked the street below.
