The Breaks General Store
“A Little Bit of Everything”
Winnett
Written by Cyd Hoefle
Photography by Stu Hoefle
About 100 miles due north of Billings and 40 miles east of Lewistown lies the tiny town of Winnett. It’s the only town in, and the county seat of, Petroleum County and at the last census, had a population of just under 200.
We try really hard to keep our inventory full, especially during these crazy times. We’ve been able to do just fine, with the exception of the beginning of the pandemic when people from everywhere were buying toilet paper!
- Kardy Eickhoff
When winter hits there’s a good chance that someone will be snowed in for a while. Most residents of the county live a fair distance from town and are accustomed to stocking up under normal circumstances, but when winter sets in, the locals make sure to have their pantries full.
Kardy and Leonard Eickhoff own the only grocery store in town. In fact, it’s the only store in the county and it’s their commitment to make sure they have what the people of Petroleum County need.
“It can get bad out here,” Kardy Eickhoff said. “You don’t want to be stranded without food and necessities.”
Kardy and Leonard have owned The Breaks General Store on main street in Winnett for five years. Kardy worked there for 13 prior to owning it.
“I thought I’d be in a good position to own it having worked here so long,” she laughed. “But owning a business is completely different from just working there. I’m still learning things.”
A surprisingly large building for the size of the community, the exceptionally clean and well-organized store displays shelf after shelf of canned food, boxed goods, paper products, toiletries and more. A brightly lit wall of coolers has every fresh produce available, along with meats and dairy. The freezer is full of fruits, vegetables and an impressive selection of beef, chicken, pork and even turkeys.
“We try really hard to keep our inventory full, especially during these crazy times,” Kardy said. “We’ve been able to do just fine, with the exception of the beginning of the pandemic when people from everywhere were buying toilet paper!”
The store is stocked to the ceiling, up and down every aisle. From the colorful entrance that beckons customers with Montana-made jams and jellies, locally made art and crafts, the Eickhoffs have done an incredible job of merchandising the tens of thousands of items. A hand-painted mural on one wall, done by a local teenager, is just one example of how deeply the Eickhoffs feel about their community.
“We want to support our youth,” Kardy said. “That’s why I had him paint it. The space was perfect for a mural, and I wanted to give him a chance.”
The Eickhoffs support locals because the locals support them, but they point out that sportsmen also account for a lot of their sales.
“Hunting season and summer are both huge for us,” Kardy continued. “People from Billings and Lewistown stop for last-minute purchases—ice, beer, chips and meat. We have it all. Recreation is huge around here from fishing and boating at Petrolia Lake and Fort Peck to fall hunting and then on into ice-fishing. We stay very busy during those months.”
True entrepreneurs, they even bag their own ice and mix their own paint.
A brightly lit corner of the hardware store sports a paint gallery that would rival any hardware store in a bigger town. Paint samples in hundreds of colors sit ready to be selected for a customer with any size paint project.
“If we can save someone the time to drive somewhere to purchase elsewhere, it helps both of us,” Kardy said.
In addition to groceries, The Breaks General Store is truly a general store with an impressive hardware section filled with rows of electrical, plumbing, tools, nuts and bolts and ranch supplies.
Another corner, dubbed “The Breaks Zone,” is a trove of treasures that changes with the seasons. Hunting, fishing and camping gear take turns depending on the season, and during the holidays it’s filled with gift ideas, toys and decorations.
“We try to have just about everything you can possibly need, even socks and underwear,” Kardy laughed. “There’s been a lot of very happy people glad to know we have them.”
Much like yesteryear when customers could run an account and pay up at the end of the month, the Eickhoffs offer the same feature, only in reverse. Customers can open a pre-paid account and charge until it’s empty—an ingenious way to do business.
“Almost all of the ranches have an account with us,” Leonard explained. “It really helped us with capital in the beginning and it’s a convenience for them because they can stop anytime and pick things up or have someone else do it for them.”
The Eickhoffs are more than just business owners. In a town as small as Winnett, they jump in wherever they can to help others out.
“Leonard has the biggest heart,” Kardy said. “He’ll help stranded travelers fix their vehicle and he’s helped bicyclists pedaling the Lewis and Clark Trail fix their tires. He’s always helping our elderly customers. He goes above and beyond. It’s just what you do in a community like Winnett.”
With the store open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Eickhoffs say the days can be very long. Twice a week they receive supply trucks, usually before 6 a.m., and working with a staff of just three, the two take little time for themselves as they faithfully serve the community they love so much.
“We love it here,” Leonard said, “I’m not sure what we’d do if we weren’t running the store.”