By Anna Husted EBS Contributor
BIG SKY – Former Wrap Shack owners Don Mattusch and Karen “K-Mac” Macklin have sold the business to their longtime employee, Kimi Hueftle. Heuftle, who has worked at the Wrap Shack for 11 years, longer than Mattusch and Macklin have owned it, plans to keep it a place for locals and families.
“The Wrap Shack has been a huge part of my life,” Hueftle said. “All the people I have worked with at the Wrap Shack-K-Mac, Don, and the original owners Josie [Bolane], Lindsie [Hurlbut] and Jason [Luchini]-have had such a huge impact on the person I have become. I look up to all of them.”
Mattusch and Macklin have owned the Wrap Shack for seven years and are excited for Hueftle to take over ownership, as well as sad to part ways with the business and people they love.
“We are going to miss being a part of the community,” Macklin said. “More than 50 percent of our business is return local customers and we’re going to miss them. Don and I are changing gears to have more time for family and more flexibility in our schedules. We want to enjoy Big Sky for why we moved here-more outside time.”
Hueftle plans to bring the breakfast menu back. She also wants to stay open through the off-season for the nine-to-five Big Sky worker, as they are a large part of her customer base. She plans to keep the Wrap Shack the same place that everybody knows.
“Kimi has been at the Wrap Shack longer than we have,” said Macklin, who has full faith in their successor. “She is fully in tune with what people need. She already knows our regulars’ names and their orders before they say it. She is more qualified than anyone else I could think of.”
“I am very excited,” said Hueftle. “I didn’t even think buying the Wrap Shack would be possible a few months ago, but once the ball got rolling, it got a little less scary with every day.”
The Wrap Shack is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Anna Husted loves the “peanut gallery” wrap at the Wrap Shack. In Big Sky she can be found behind the bar at Lone Peak Cinema or slinging hot dogs at Yeti Dogs.
