Leather and Fur Traders offer a unique shopping experience

Heidi Ressie opened Lincoln Leather and Fur Traders at 206 Main St. in Lincoln this past October and offers a wide variety of goods.

An avid lifelong hunter and trapper, Ressie started selling furs out of her home a few years ago.

"I grew up all my life around trapping and hunting, and it's just always been in my blood to do," said Ressie, who was raised on a farm. "I grew up with two brothers, so I was kind of a tomboy at the time."

When Ressie first moved to Lincoln, she said she and her boyfriend spent two and a half years working on a ranch in Martinsdale, Mont. They would head home to Lincoln for the weekends, then travel back to the ranch on Sunday nights. They decided they'd like to spend more time in Lincoln and shifted to working in town before she opened her new business.

"I just figured I would take the leap and go into a new journey of my life," said Ressie. "It's been so much fun."

Ressie sells a variety of fur pelts and leather, as well as artwork from local artists, jewelry, and antler art.

"I have every type of fur pelt, and if I don't have it, I am more than happy to get it for you. I have everything that Montana offers for furs," said Ressie, who also works with distributors to get furs from outside of Montana. "Right now, I have several pieces of deerskin leather. Again, if someone is looking for something in particular, I usually can have it in the store by a week. I also have fur vests and fur coats. I have a variety of pelts made into hats, mittens and scarves. We also make custom log beds and have beautiful fur bedspreads to compliment them. It's a very unique little store."

Outside of furs, leathers and local art, Ressie is also starting to find out what types of materials and goods Lincoln resident want.

"I carry a variety of traps in the store along with used saddles and tack. I do have boots in there. I have a lot of locals stop by, and I greatly appreciate their patronage," said Ressie.

The store is open Wednesdays-Sundays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Ressie said she will go in for appointments if anyone calls.