The Women Behind The Women

If you’ve discovered FMC Books at a pop-up, a taproom event, or nestled into a corner of one of Missoula’s incredible shops, you’ve felt the ripple effects of something powerful: the women of Missoula showing up for each other.

Everything FMC Books is becoming-every curated stack of steamy paperbacks, every reader we’ve met, every bookcase staged in an unused hallway-is thanks to the women who have welcomed us in before we have a home of our own. This entire adventure started as a twinkle of an idea: tiny, fragile, full of potential. And it would have stayed that way if it weren’t for the generous, fierce, and downright magical women of Missoula’s retail community.

I won’t name them individually-because they haven’t consented to that kind of spotlight-but you know who they are. You’ve seen them at community panels, behind cash registers and espresso machines, at trade shows, in group texts, and under tents at street markets. They’re the ones building the Missoula we all love. The ones who are not just running shops, but cultivating culture. The ones who make this city feel like a place where anything (especially a little romance bookstore) can take root.

They saw our vision and didn’t just cheer from the sidelines, they made room for it. They carved out space in their already bustling shops, cleared tables, designed flyers, and said, yes, bring your books here. Over countless americanos at multi hour coffee dates, they offered advice, encouragement, and the kind of behind-the-scenes insight you only get when people truly want you to succeed.

And truly, even the men who are along for the ride are here because the women in their lives-wives, sisters, daughters, and friends-told them, this matters.

There’s something deeply special about women who don’t gatekeep. These retail leaders have opened up about the real work of running a business. They’ve taught us what it means to build something that’s not just beautiful, but bold-something rooted in community, in creativity, and in love.

We are standing on the shoulders of the women who’ve built Missoula’s vibrant shopping and creative scene. And we’ll never take that lightly.

FMC Books exists today because of them. And we will never stop being grateful.

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