Cheyenne Commerce Center, the “Mini-Mall”

Native owned businesses in Lame Deer, MT (Photo by Clara Caufield)

Years ago, as a child, Donna Fisher, tribal member and former Tribal President used to wonder why there were no Cheyenne-owned businesses on Cheyenne Avenue, the main street in Lame Deer. Due to a strange glitch which occurred when the Reservation was established a small area in the heart of town was in fee patent status and the businesses located there were all owned by non-Indians. Vicki Spang Cady was a tribal pioneer in that area, opening and running The Flower Grinder, a flower, coffee and gift shop for many years followed by Donna Hurff also a tribal member who now owns and operates the IGA ‘the Big Store’.

Now thanks to the Native American Development Corporation (NCDC) an arm of the Tribe which supervises tribal for-profit businesses, there are several new businesses on Cheyenne Avenue both Tribally owned and those owned by individyal tribal members. They are housed in the Cheyenne Commerce Center, which is overseen by NCDC.  Except for the Charging Horse Casino, NCDC manages tribally-owned businesses and is overseen by a Cheyenne member Board of Directors which pays annual profit dividends to the Tribe.  They also support the Lame Deer Rodeo and other youth events.

 As NCDC CEO, Fisher has been involved in the Mini-Mall from the beginning and shared that history with A Cheyenne Review.

The businesses located in the new Commerce Center include:

Northern Cheyenne Office Supplies (tribal) managed by Bo Vocu, Sioux tribal member; The Warrior Trail a gift store, specializing in Native crafts and gifts, established some years ago by Deedee Harris, recently purchased by tribal member Richard Hamilton and manage by his  daughter Shanae; The Fork and Spoon Café,  offering a healthy selection of homemade soups, sandwiches, home-baked goods and other sweets is owned and managed by Charelle Martin, tribal member; The Bargain Barn, western apparel store owned by Sharon Small and managed by her son Cody; “Mr. B’ll’z” computer/electronic shop owned and managed by Brandon Limberhand, tribal member; The Tribal Sanitation Program, managed by Brenda Limpy, tribal member; Morning Star Elite, a barbershop owned by Bobbi Jo Limberhand and managed by Lucas Morrison, tribal member; Walking Buffalo, owned by Oly McMakin, tribal member and his wife Teresa, a t-shirt and apparel store, featuring embroidery and tribal related logos, created by the t-shirt guy, Oly and his sons. Technically, that is not a new business because for many years, Oly operated from the basement of his HUD house; Elliot Ranch LLC, a meat store offering grass/range fed beef products and serving monster burgers, fries and drinks, owned and managed by tribal member Randy Elliot.  One spot is vacant. These businesses employ about eight people, mostly tribal members, taking that many off the unemployment  rolls.

In 2010 or thereabouts, Fisher got wind of a USDA grant made to the Northern Cheyenne Housing Authority. (MCHA).  At the same time, some state taxes were just-about due on critical fee patent land purchased along Cheyenne Avenue.   

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