Clearwater Helps Missoula Makers Collective Expand

Where Creativity Meets Community

What started as an idea to bring local makers together has grown into a thriving downtown storefront supporting Missoula artists, entrepreneurs, and small businesses.

Missoula Makers Collective founders Bailey Durnell and Rachel Evans first met while bartending, each running businesses of their own. They quickly realized that sharing their knowledge helped both of their businesses grow, and they wondered what could happen if they created that same sense of community for other local makers.

Their idea began with small maker markets before evolving into a permanent storefront. From the beginning, their goal was bigger than simply selling products. They wanted to make building a business more accessible by creating a space where makers could connect, share resources, and grow alongside one another.

Like many new entrepreneurs, Bailey and Rachel were figuring things out as they went, from building displays themselves to navigating credit and the financial side of running a growing business.

When they began reaching out to financial institutions, Clearwater stood out for being approachable. What began with a conversation about a credit card developed into an ongoing relationship built on trust and familiarity.

“It became clear to us that it wasn't going to be a talk to a stranger one day, talk to a stranger another day. It was a relationship,” they shared.

That relationship became even more important as Missoula Makers Collective grew and eventually had the opportunity to expand into the neighboring space downtown. Clearwater helped provide the financing and support they needed to take that next step.

Missoula Makers Collective operates differently from a traditional retail store. Each month, the business distributes payments to the many individual makers whose products fill its shelves.

Clearwater worked with Bailey and Rachel to support that unique system, helping ensure payments could be made accurately and on time while remaining available whenever questions or challenges arose.

For Bailey and Rachel, that responsiveness provided reassurance while navigating unfamiliar, and sometimes intimidating, parts of entrepreneurship.

As young business owners, they recalled initially feeling nervous about working with financial institutions. At Clearwater, they instead found a welcoming environment where they felt comfortable asking questions and learning along the way.

Investing in the Missoula Community

For Missoula Makers Collective, working with a local financial partner also means working with people who understand the community they're building.

Clearwater team members aren't just familiar with their business, they've visited the store, purchased products from local makers, and seen firsthand what the Collective is working to create.

That personal connection has remained constant throughout Missoula Makers Collective's journey, from its early days to its downtown expansion.

As Bailey and Rachel put it: “Clearwater gave us reassurance when we were doing really scary things.”

By meeting local businesses where they are and building relationships that grow alongside them, Clearwater is proud to help entrepreneurs like Bailey and Rachel turn big ideas into opportunities that strengthen our entire community.