Schnee's to Expand Downtown Location

In the mid-1970s, a Delaware shoe repairman named Steve Schnee and his wife Jean packed all their worldly possessions into a Plymouth Valiant and headed west, in hopes of acquiring a new business somewhere between Ohio and California. They eventually purchased a company in Anaconda, MT, which they relocated to Bozeman. The industrious couple lived in the back of the repair shop as their bootmaking and repair business took flight, and in 1987, they moved their increasingly successful operation to Main Street.

Over the years, Schnee’s built a national reputation for quality, made-in-Montana hunting boots, with thousands of loyal customers in Montana and around the world. In 2005, the couple sold the company to Jon Edwards, who also purchased the Powder Horn two years later. 

Now, the two companies are merging into a single location, combining their operations and creating a flagship store on the northwest corner of Main and Black, the longtime home of the Powder Horn. Extensive remodeling will double the retail space, providing a much bigger selection of outdoor gear and apparel. “We’re really pro-downtown. Schnee’s and Powder Horn coming together will make the downtown area that much better,” says Les Hausauer, Schnee’s manager. The expected grand re-opening is in mid-May.