Montana

Kalispell thrift store focuses on quality in goods it sells

Published

2 years ago

April 28, 2024

Kalispell thrift store focuses on quality in goods it sells

As thrift stores have become increasingly popular over the last few years, many retailers have upped their prices to keep up with the demand. But these preloved goods sometimes have an even higher price tag than what one might find at a box store.

Justine Van De Riet opened Resurrected Thrift with her parents, James and Danielle Coombs, and her sister, Jaylynn Coombs, in hopes of making thrifted items accessible again using consumer conscientious methods.

“I hear a lot of people saying that the bigger thrift stores are a lot more expensive now than they used to be. We try to find the right price point for people while still being able to keep the lights on,” Van De Riet said.

To get started, the family bought inventory from a thrift store that was closing in Conrad, and they continued to buy secondhand products until they officially opened their Kalispell store in April last year.

Over the years the ambitious family has owned a construction company, an ice cream shop, and a landscaping company and Coombs’ father, James, is currently running for House District 18 in Conrad.

Coombs said that many of her customers refer to the store as being more like a boutique than a thrift store due to the fact that donated items are thoroughly inspected. Afterward, Coombs washes every piece of clothing that comes through the store and places them carefully on a velvet hanger to prevent marks or tearing.

“I have not heard of any other thrift store that washes their clothes and if I have the time, I also try to clean the shoes too before putting them out to try and keep things on the nicer side,” Coombs said.

Before becoming a part owner at Resurrected Thrift, Coombs worked at her father’s construction company. Coombs said she prefers working at the store because of the opportunities she has to talk to people.

“I was recently saved and believing in God has helped me be able to talk with other people,” she said. “I’m opening my horizons in that aspect.”

“Our name comes from the resurrection of Jesus and then the resurrecting of clothes. We’re trying to give them a new life for somebody else.”

While Resurrected Thrift is not a nonprofit, much of the proceeds go to supporting veterans and missionaries.

“Both my parents are veterans and they were both in the air force and that’s how they met. My dad got to see more of the world and went to Italy, Spain, and South Korea, and my mom was stationed here in the U.S. Our country means a lot to us and we just want to try to give to veterans as much as we possibly can because many of them have risked their lives and their health for the country,” said Coombs.

The other portion of proceeds go to Coombs’ church, Faith Baptist Church, to provide for around 50 missionaries’ living expenses in countries including the Congo, Philippines, and Scotland. They also support an organization called Bearing Precious Seed which prints Bibles in 50 different languages and distributes them in over 115 countries.

Coombs loves seeing high quality products get donated and says she frequently sees upscale and brand new clothing come through the store.

“We get a lot of really cool brands in here,” she said. “If we get stuff with the tags still on, I’ll leave them because then people can truly see how good of a deal they’re getting. It’s also important for people to realize that sometimes I can’t go any lower with the prices to still be able to support the things that we want to support.”

Resurrected Thrift is located at 230 E Idaho St, Suite B in Kalispell. To find out more, visit their Facebook page Resurrected Thrift Kalispell or call 406-260-4410.

Reporter Summer Zalesky may be reached at szalesky@dailyinterlake.com.

James Coombs, Jaylynn Coombs, Justine Van De Riet and Danielle Coombs are the owners of Resurrected Thrift in Kalispell. (Courtesy photo)

Resurrected Thrift opened last year in Kalispell. (Summer Zalesky/Daily Inter Lake)

Resurrected Thrift has a variety of items for sale. (Summer Zalesky/Daily Inter Lake)

Resurrected Thrift’s offerings include jewelry. (Summer Zalesky/Daily Inter Lake)

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Montana

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

Published

10 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

ROUNDUP, Mont. —
The Rehder Creek Fire is burning 16 miles southeast of Roundup has grown to about 5,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders for residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision.

The fire started Feb. 26, the cause is unknown and containment was at 0%.

Evacuation orders are in effect for all residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision. The Musselshell County Sheriff’s Office is coordinating the evacuation orders, and 911 reverse calls have been sent out to advise people in the area.

A shelter is opening at the Roundup Community Center. Residents were told to contact Musselshell County DES for further information.

Firefighter and public safety remain the top priority. The public is asked to avoid the Fattig Creek and Rehder Road area so emergency personnel can safely and effectively perform their work.

Fire resources assigned to the incident include 40 total personnel, 11 engines, one Type 2 helicopter, three tenders and two dozers.

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Montana

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

Published

22 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

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Montana

Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) – joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal, the Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and 22 other Members of Congress – sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons calling for the immediate closure of Camp East Montana in El Paso. They cite urgent humanitarian concerns following multiple deaths in custody, documented unsafe conditions, and serious deficiencies in medical care.

This marks the fourth letter Congresswoman Escobar has sent to DHS and ICE leadership. The previous three letters have gone unanswered.

The letter can be found in its entirety below and here.

“Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:

We are urgently calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or the Department) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas.

Camp East Montana has been operational for six months, and at least three people have died at the site since December 2025: Francisco Gaspar-Andres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, and Victor Manuel Diaz. The El Paso County Medical Examiner has officially ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, citing “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.”

Camp East Montana was constructed in a matter of weeks and opened before construction was complete and it does not have enough federal staff on-site to provide adequate oversight. Over the last several months, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, in whose district this facility is located, has sent multiple letters to DHS and ICE regarding concerns about the conditions at Camp East Montana, and has received no responses.

According to detainees, there have been constant and consistent problems at the facility since it opened, beginning with the facility’s poor construction and poor ambient temperature control. Upon opening, the drinking water at Camp East Montana tasted foul and made some detainees sick. Detainees continue to be served inadequate meals, including food that is rotten or frozen; last fall, the facility was also consistently failing to make dietary accommodations for detainees. Detainees have shared that they have sporadic access to outside spaces and recreational areas, and that their dormitory pods are cleaned only once every eight days, despite pods housing up to 72 people at a time. Laundry services are not consistent, and people are washing their clothes in the facility showers. Additionally, the facility experiences flooding and sewage backups when it rains, leading to stagnant water.

One of the biggest concerns with the Camp East Montana facility is the inadequate medical care being provided to detainees. Our offices have heard that only the most ill detainees are referred to the medical unit and that there are inconsistencies as to how soon after arriving detainees are able to undergo initial medical screenings. Detainees with chronic health issues who rely on regimented medications for their health have had difficulty accessing necessary medications, including blood pressure medication and insulin.

At least one of the deaths that occurred in ICE custody, the death of Francisco Gaspar-Andres, appears to partially be the result of poor medical care by staff at the facility. According to ICE’s own account, Gaspar-Andres sought medical attention from facility staff for increasingly serious symptoms, but was only transferred to an area hospital once his condition had severely deteriorated.

In addition to our concerns about poor medical care, we are also aware that detainees have experienced irregular access to their legal counsel, including instances of detainees having only two minutes allotted per phone call every 8 days, which is contrary to ICE’s Detention Standards on access to counsel, and that the belatedly created law library lacks adequate resources for the amount of people currently held at the facility. In January 2026, ICE announced the on-site death of Geraldo Lunas Campos “after experiencing medical distress.” ICE opened an investigation into the death, but did not provide a cause of death. However, The Washington Post later reported that another man detained at Camp East Montana had witnessed guards choking Lunas Campos when he refused to enter a segregated housing unit. Weeks later, the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled that Lunas Campos had experienced “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression” and ruled his death a homicide.

Lunas Campos is the first detainee to die at Camp East Montana as a result of a use-of-force incident, but we are strongly concerned that he will not be the last if ICE is allowed to continue operating Camp East Montana.

ICE was given $45 billion in taxpayer dollars in the reconciliation bill, $1.2 billion of which were awarded to Acquisition Logistics, LLC, a company with no previous experience managing immigration detention facilities, to build and oversee Camp East Montana. However, in the wake of three deaths in custody so far, continued concerns about conditions at the facility, and ICE’s apparent disinterest in responding to oversight letters from Congress, we do not believe Camp East Montana is being run professionally or responsibly.

Camp East Montana must be shut down. For the safety of everyone at the facility, for an end to abuses to detainees, and for fiscal responsibility to the American people, the site cannot continue to operate. We are calling on DHS and ICE to move to immediately close operations at Camp East Montana.

We look forward to hearing from the Department promptly on this matter.

The other co-signers include Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Nanette Barragán, Yvette Clarke, Lloyd Doggett, Maxwell Frost, Jesús “Chuy” García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Henry Johnson, Stephen Lynch, Seth Moulton, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Darren Soto, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, Lauren Underwood, Gabe Vasquez, and Nydia Velázquez.

Issues: Immigration

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