BOZEMAN, MT — Joe’s Parkway Market, the long-running neighborhood store across from Montana State University’s campus, is closing after 57 years under family ownership. Tara Wantulok said the market’s projected final day is at the beginning of October, ending a business that became a familiar stop for students, nearby residents and generations of customers in Bozeman.

The store began as Parkway Market and later took on the Joe’s name after Joe Wantulok took it over in 1969. The property has remained in the family through several transitions, with Tara Wantulok and Tyler, Joe’s grandson, listed as the final owners. Tara said the decision follows the sale of the building and land to a new owner.

Family Chapter Ends

Tara Wantulok said the change closes a long chapter for her family and the business. She described her own connection to the market as personal and long-standing, saying she started working there in 1998 while still in college and later built much of her career around the store.

She said the market’s identity changed over time, moving from a convenience stop for students into a shop known for specialty foods and hard-to-find products. Tara said the family used trips to trade shows in New York City and San Francisco to pick out items customers could not find elsewhere in town, helping the small business stand out in Bozeman.

What The Market Became

For years, Joe’s Parkway Market was more than a place to grab quick necessities. Tara Wantulok said the store developed a reputation for carrying products that were unusual for a local market, and she credited that focus with helping the business build loyalty in a changing part of the city. She also said the shop once served nearby college students more directly as a convenience store.

The family’s memories include a colorful piece of local lore: Tara said the market reportedly sold the most beer per capita west of the Mississippi River in the 1980s. Whether remembered for that era or for its later specialty offerings, the store became tied to a particular stretch of College Street and to the daily life of people who lived, studied or worked nearby.

What Comes Next

Tara Wantulok said she hopes the new owner will bring fresh energy to the building and property and help draw more traffic to other businesses along College Street. She said the structure, which she described as about 70 years old, needs investment and maintenance, including what she called a little TLC. The family has not said what the new owner plans to do with the site.

For now, the market is still open, and Tara encouraged customers to stop in before the closing date and share their stories. She said the response from the community has been strongly supportive, but also sad, as people react to the end of a business that many came to know by name. Customers looking for final updates can watch the market’s in-person announcements as the beginning of October approaches.

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