By Bay Stephens EBS LOCAL EDITOR
BIG SKY – From a produce stand on the
side of the road 25 years ago, to a grocery to at the corner of Skywood Road
and Lone Mountain Trail, to the location in the heart of Big Sky Town Center, The
Hungry Moose Market and Deli is moving up in the world once more as it expands
its building and offerings.
“As Big Sky’s grown, we need a hungrier
moose,” co-owner Frank Kern said.
The renovation, which will connect the space
to the adjacent building, will yield 65 percent more square footage, Kern said,
and allow for twice the seating, a better setup for the delivery portion of the
business, expanded wine offerings and space to sell flowers.
“We’ve always been known for our
selection and doing it all,” said Andrew Robin, son of the founders and head of
marketing and social media for the business. “This is a huge opportunity to
help us do it even better because we’ll have more space to finetune our
selection … more room to walk around.”
The finished Moose will have a cooler on
the west side for produce and dairy, another for beer and sodas, two coolers
for flowers and a freezer as well.
Kern and his wife, Kristin, who is Big
Sky visionary Chet Huntley’s niece, bought the Hungry Moose in February from
Jackie Robin, who started the company with her late husband, Mark. The Kerns
designed the expansion with Jackie before buying the space next door when Dino
Daycare shuttered its doors in May.
Blue Ribbon Builders broke ground on the
project Aug. 19 and are tactfully building so that the market and deli can stay
open throughout the process.
“We are trying not to shut at all,” Kern
said. “Hopefully we don’t have to close at all. If we do, it’s going to be for
a day.”
The construction crew worked overnight to
build a temporary wall behind the wine section that will allow daily operations
to carry on as usual while the construction continues. Then, once the addition
is complete, they’ll knock out the interior wall to connect the existing space
to the new space.
Hungry Moose staff has been handing out
free goodies, such as apples or scones, every morning at 9 a.m. to remind Big
Sky that they’re open during construction.
Despite the changes, plenty is staying
the same. The patio, for one, isn’t going away, the Kerns assured. Glass doors
adjacent to the expanded patio will open in the summer to connect indoor and
outdoor seating.
The Kerns also hired the same architect,
Bayliss Ward, that designed both buildings being connected.
“We brought Bayliss back because we want
the look and feel to be like it was original, not something that was stuck in,”
Kern said.
The exterior will undergo a general
facelift with fencing around the perimeter to make for a clean look from the
outside. New signs will contribute the final touch, though they will be
identical to the original design.
Throughout the process the Kerns and Andrew
Robin pledge that the Hungry Moose will remain the helpful hub of Big Sky that
Kristin Kern remembers experiencing long before she was an owner.
“It was like the main information center
in Big Sky,” Kristen said. “… Everything I ever needed to know, I just went to
the Hungry Moose.”
