Downtowners Spotlight: Forrest & Fawn Bookstore

“Once upon a time there was a librarian…” The story of Forrest & Fawn Bookstore starts with a book-lover owner who had a vision, drive, passion to open a place that is fun and welcoming to the people and community she loves. And as you walk past the displays and through the doors of 309 East Main Street, you walk into a world and atmosphere that reflects that story:
A place to have fun.

Owner and founder Kirbie Dispain had previously worked at Meadowlark Books, and when they decided to close, she moved into a space in another bookstore. But the space was small, and she outgrew it pretty fast, so she was motivated to find a new place…and found it.

“It all just fell in my lap to where we were able to move in here,” she said. “My mom helped a ton; my sister has been amazing, my husband and kids…I’ve had really amazing friends that have helped. We weren’t going to move until June, but then we had to move earlier, so everyone was amazing to come together and help me. It’s been wonderful, and honestly like a blessing that we had to move faster, because I don’t think it would have turned out exactly how I wanted it if I didn’t have that extra time to make it even more special.”

More than just books…

Kirbie has always loved books, and knew exactly what she wanted. “I was a librarian for seven years; it’s something I just absolutely love,” she said. “My mom was a librarian, I was a librarian. It was just the next thing, and I wanted to be able to have a space…not just with books, but to do community things. We have more than just books because you know, not everyone reads. So I wanted a place for local makers to do their stuff, too. We have a lot of local people and we have their merchandise here, so it just grows into something even more.”

A visionary with her community in mind, Kirbie created a place where people could "come in and just be,” she said. “You don’t have to come and buy a book. You can come and just sit; you can come and have lunch. I have people who will come in with their kids and they play in the back…I have kids, so I wanted it to be a place where you could bring them. Please, bring your kids! Let them play while you do your stuff.”

The back of the store for kids is called “The Tree House”, with three little rooms, one with a play kitchen, and others with books, toys and puzzles. There’s a small tent set up where kids can retreat, “so parents can come in and, instead of worrying about ‘don’t touch anything!’...the kids can just go and play.” Storytimes are on Saturdays at 9:30 a.m., before the store opens at 10:00 a.m.

The ‘Make-Your-Own' events that Forrest & Fawn hosts have been popular. They’ve hosted make-your-own bookmarks, flower pots, bookshelves, and will have a “Make Your Own Doormat” event coming up September 19. Kirbie had even hosted her own “Bling Your Own Book” birthday party at the store.

“I have people that make candles; I have people that make shirts, cups and hats. I have someone that just started her 3D printing and makes little books…we’re having a Midnight Release Party for a book that’s coming out at the end of the month that comes with an exclusive print…there are so many local creators in town, so I’ve always wanted that here.”

The shelves and displays in her store continue that storyline of supporting local makers and creators. Bookmarks, stickers, earrings, wristlets, mini-bookshelves, “Blind Date With A Book” for adults, “Surprise Stories” for kids…plus, that very spirit of giving back to the community is the reason for "The Giving Table". All of the books on the table are .25, and every month they pick a different group or organization to support.

“All the money from this table goes directly to the organization; I don’t keep anything,” Kirbie said. “People like to donate books, and sometimes they don’t take everything, so if they want to leave them for this table, they can.” So far, Forrest & Fawn has supported Boys and Girls Club, Wyoming Senior Citizens, and Americorps.

Magic on Main Street

With the holidays approaching, Kirbie said that Christmas is one of her favorites, “but I also love Halloween,” she said. “I love dressing up, so we’re definitely going to do a lot of fun things. For Christmas, I’m really excited for the displays in front. We’ll be doing a Christmas children’s sale, different holiday crafts, we’ll have Christmas-themed books in, kits and gift sets with a book and and something in it…we’ll have gift-wrapping available. Last minute? I got you. We’ll even wrap it for you. I think it will be really fun.”

When asked about having her business on Main Street, Kirbie said that it’s been really fun. She said that she loves the Fall Harvest Festival, where folks are all downtown and get to see all of the many makers and crafters. She remembered when Halloween was a big thing on Main Street, where kids and their parents could go into the local shops to trick-or-treat. “I miss that, because I just remember as a parent it was fun,” she said. “So I’m hoping that now that we’re seeing more businesses come in, we could do more of that.”

“I know that, in past years, downtown has really tried to re-thrive because we’ve had lots of different businesses here,” Kirbie continued. “So I was really excited to be downtown, and especially excited for this building because I love the windows…they’re really fun to do. It’s great to be downtown because people will walk by, or even stop and be like, “I saw your bookstore sign and I had to flip around and stop.” That’s been really fun to see, people just traveling through town and stopping. Fun to see and meet all the different people that just walk downtown, stopping at all the little shops. So I really like where I’m at…I hope I get to stay here for a long time.”

Forrest & Fawn Bookstore, located at 309 East Main Street. Open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Visit their Facebook page for updates, events and activities…you can join the fun, or come in and “just be” for a while!

Downtowners Spotlight: Riverton Chamber & Visitors Center

Cindy Olsen-Roden wears many hats when it comes to being the Executive Director of the Riverton Chamber and Visitor Center. Located at 524 East Main Street, the Chamber provides benefits not only through its memberships, but offers diverse support and value for the economic development of Riverton.

“Our Chamber members are the biggest value to our community,” Cindy said. “We have a ton of resources, and we try to get information out via our weekly newsletter, e-mail blasts, our Facebook page…if our businesses are running a special, have announcements, events, open houses…we help provide that promotional outlet.”

Not just present for ribbon-cuttings and business-related events, the Chamber dives deeper into the information and resources it can provide. One of the offerings include their After Hours Networking events where a few businesses are highlighted, and a time where business owners and managers can meet with others to network.

“I think networking is underestimated,” Cindy said. “In a small town, it’s super important. A lot of times it’s about the connections you can make and maybe see what one can do to help the other or learn some techniques, share ideas. So we encourage that.”

The Lunch and Learn is also an event held once a month, where the Chamber will provide lunch and bring in a presentation. “We usually try to center it around some kind of educational information piece to businesses,” she said. “We also throw in some community-type presentations as well.”

As a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Wyoming State Chamber, the Riverton Chamber does advocacy for local businesses. Cindy said that those two entities–especially the U.S. Chamber of Commerce–are heavily involved in legislation on the national and state level when it comes to legislation bills that affect small businesses.

“I get one or two emails from the U.S. Chamber and Wyoming Chamber during the week,” she said. “But during the legislative sessions, we get on a weekly call through the whole legislative time…our state Chamber is watching bills and we get on there and we talk: ‘Watch this bill, this is what this bill would do…” Sometimes they’ll say we need a call to action, such as, ‘This is going to affect small businesses in Wyoming, reach out to your membership and have them write their legislators and tell them how this is going to affect them.’ So advocacy is important, and you don’t see a lot of it because things do kind of work out. But it’s there.”

The Chamber knows the importance of Riverton’s economic development. Cindy also said that they have to be careful when it comes to other things like the proposed three-quarters cent sales tax. “As a Chamber, we cannot take a stance,” she said. “But I’m a big believer in getting informed and educated about the issues, and so that’s what we’re doing with the Lunch and Learns. We’ve had Tim Nichols of WRTA come in and talk about that portion of the sales tax and why Fremont County needs this, the costs…you know, what is the big picture. Then you can ask your questions.”

Aside from advocacy, education, and the meetings/events the Chamber sponsors, there are also the benefits of membership for business owners. Though it’s not her job to know all there is to know about the businesses in Fremont County, Cindy said it is her job to know the resources. The Chamber works with local and state organizations such as the Wyoming SBDC, local job and workforce services, and CWC, to name a few.

“The Wyoming SBDC is a wealth of information for businesses, I’ve sent several people to our representative,” she said. “Knowing where to send members when they need help. What problems are you facing, what’s keeping you up at night? What’s holding you back from expanding?”

Another important hat that the Chamber wears is the one that serves tourism. The Chamber as a visitor’s center on Main Street has kiosks with brochures, pamphlets, and cards from the Wind River Visitors Council and other tourism-related businesses and organizations. The Chamber was also the instrumental lead organization in the planning of the 250th Anniversary parade and event in City Park.

“Tourism in Riverton is hard,” Cindy said. “We’re not really a destination, we’re a ‘drive-through’. We do have a visitors center–we have our Visitor’s Guide that we just put out, and it’s a starting point. We really want to center on Riverton and our big events…this is what I want to get into the hands of our visitors. Stay here. Go to Lander, go to Dubois for a day. Go do Boysen, the Wind River Canyon. You can stay here for a few hours, a day, or four or five nights, and do a lot of things.”

“Of course, we're in tourism because it helps our businesses,” she continued. “We get TAD funding, and there’s the lodging tax. We have our retail businesses and restaurants. We have relationships with the Wind River Casino, CWC, our museum. So yes, every dollar spent by visitors who come here is very important. It goes all the way through our community.”

When asked what she thought of her role when she came in as the director of the Chamber, and what success looks like in a town the size of Riverton, Cindy said it’s all about strengthening through collaboration. “People have gone off and have done their own thing for whatever reason, but I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, we should be working together!’ Refer business to each other, be a resource for each other, serve each other.”

As far as Riverton’s Main Street, Cindy said that our downtown businesses are vital and unique, and her approach is “always one of how the Chamber can help,” she said. “What I consider downtown business are retailers, so most of the businesses on Main are focused on the shopping part of it. We have a few nice restaurants, a couple of great bookstores, thrift and boutique stores–and so when we have tourists and visitors in town, we encourage them to take a stroll up and down Main Street and take a look around.”

The Riverton Chamber & Visitors Center is located at 524 Main Street and N. 6th Street. You can follow them on Facebook or visit their website at wyriverton.com.

Downtowners Spotlight: Shelle Anderson Photography

Shelle Anderson Photography: Capturing Moments and Memories

Capturing life through the lens. That’s what professional photographer Shelle Anderson does, both in-studio and in the great outdoors as Fremont County’s premier boutique photography studio. And her focus? Telling your story.

Shelle has been a photographer for 18 years, lived in Riverton for ten years, and has had her studio on 612 East Main Street for the past seven years. With her eye for details in setting and stage and a creative soul, she specializes in high school senior photos, families, weddings, special occasions and events, kids, newborns, and a lot more.

Shelle offers special studio and holiday theme-based sessions throughout the year, including ‘Christmas Minis’ and her annual ‘Santa Experience' sessions. In-studio sessions are lighthearted and fun. She has costumes, props, ‘floofy skirts, and loves to dress up her clientele.

“If you send me your child, I can dress them up,” Shelle said. “If you send me your grandmother, I’ll dress her up, too! School seniors…like if you’re a football player or a soccer player, and you show up in a suit with your cleats and a football or soccer ball, I will totally eat that job!”

Her creativity isn’t limited to her studio; she shoots both in-studio and on location. “If people want me to come to their home or if they’re having an event at their ranch, I’m happy to do that as well.”

Shelle was recently a co-host for a photography shootout in the Jackson Hole-Tetons area, where nine photographers and five models came from across the country to do five days of intensive, thematic sessions throughout the area. Major sponsors of the seminar included Millers Lab, Bay Photo, and Evoto.

“There is the cutest bar where they allowed photographers to come in before they opened,” she said of a ‘Coyote Ugly’-themed session. “There’s also a black and white high fashion, editorial-type look at a run-down vintage motel, a fairytale theme in the mountains, flying dresses (with smaller) airplanes on a runway. There are photographers that come to this from Mexico City, Massachusetts…models come from Las Vegas and California.”

Shelle attends seminars like these once a year as a creative outlet and to learn new things from other photographers, and has recently started hosting seminars of her own.  “I think staying on top of your craft is a really important thing to do.”

“For me when I look at a photo, it’s ‘Oh, I remember when…!”  You can hear the music, you can smell the smells; you remember the anniversary, wedding, the party, the cake…so it’s the feeling you want to capture, the emotion. You want the moments; you want to create the whole picture, the story.”

Through the lens, Shelle feels as if she’s blessed to be a part of the whole experience.

“People don’t print images as much anymore, not nearly enough,“ she said. “So I don’t know what they’re going to do when their loved ones pass away. Are they just going to set their cell phones on a stand? They’re not really capturing the memories and the moments as much. And I get it, life is busy. It’s been a minute since we’ve had family photos done. But a shot with grandmas with their grandkids? I watch my own daughter with her grandma and it melts my heart. At weddings during the father-daughter dance, I cry every time.”

Shelle has a real connection with her community, and on the side, has offered some wreath-making classes at her studio that are seasonal and holiday-themed. 

“It’s mostly women that come to the classes so far,” she said. “Just a couple hours or so to yourself to do something fun. I feel like there are a lot of missed connections, and just having some quiet time can be nice. I can teach people if they’ve never made a wreath; it’s fun to see how they create.”

Younger kids can come and create a wreath, too. “My mom taught me how to knit and crochet, and I feel like a lot of that stuff is going by the wayside. People aren’t learning how to do those things, so I’m glad I can share a little bit of that.”

As far as having her studio on Main Street, Shelle said that when she was younger, and “even when we were living in Phoenix, I never realized how much Main Street meant to me,” she said. “Main Street is the life blood of every community, and I feel like if your Main Street dies, then your community kind of loses a piece of itself. Being on Main Street is iconic. It’s very special.”

Shelle Anderson Photography is located at 612 East Main Street. Call (480) 510-5351 to book your session. You can follow her on Facebook at ShelleAndersonPhotography or visit her website at shelleandersonphotos.com. 

Downtowners Spotlight: Liberty Trade

Our Downtowners Business Spotlight features Liberty Trade, located at 413 East Main Street. They’ve been open for over ten years, and recently celebrated their anniversary on March 18. But both the building and business has a history that spans seven decades, with current owner Traci Cooper apprenticing under long-time business owner Will Guthrie of Guthrie’s Jewelry.

“I had worked for Will Guthrie for about two years, and he and I worked on teaching me the repair work and the things behind the scenes,” Traci said. “I had a pawn shop, and then Guthrie’s Jewelry went out of business about seven years ago, and that's when I moved in.”

Guthrie’s Jewelry had been in business for 70 years. Will Guthrie took over the building and retired, and Traci had opened under “Jenny’s Jewelry”. Then Will came back and put the Guthrie name back up on the building.

“A lot of people get confused because they still think it’s a jewelry store, and we have our big ‘Jade’ sign out in front,” she said. “We do still have some of his jewelry here, and of course, the jade. But it is all now under the name of Liberty Trade.”

‘Some jewelry’ is an understatement, as you walk through the store and see all the displays...

“We were a pawn shop, but we no longer pawn,” Traci said. “We are buyers, and we do consignment. We’ll look at it and assess it, and see if it is something we can sell here in the store. I have my dealers...Silver Elegance, Black Hills gold comes from Landstroms, I order turquoise from a gentleman in Arizona, all of our bead work is local, from both tribes...those things I know I can get or order.”

Of course, you really can’t have a trade store without guns, ammo and scopes. For visitors and tourists that want to buy something that really says “Wyoming”, their collection of bead work they have from both the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes and their turquoise are best sellers. There are a few vintage items throughout the store. But what also makes Liberty Trade unique is their gold and silver. Traci runs the store with her husband, Reagan, who had a coin collection as a child.

“It has always been a hobby of his,” she said, “and then we realized that it was something the people needed because of the prices, so he started making that into a business. So now we do gold and silver, which is actually our biggest seller right now because the prices are really crazy. We also get people coming into the store and saying ‘so-and-so said you had turquoise’. And the jade."

Wedding rings and sets are something they’ve historically had since the Guthrie and Jenny’s Jewelry days “Some of our rings are pawned, but we keep those and the new rings separate so it’s not confusing when they come in. I can also order, too.”

The service side of Liberty Trade has been offered for many years. “I started cleaning and repair services under Will, and then started doing it when it was Jenny’s Jewelry,” Traci said. “Watches, jewelry, rings…I can do modern watches (I don’t mess with pocket watches, there’s just too many itty-bitty pieces and they take a long time to repair). We do stone setting, ring sizing, cleaning, all ring repairs except for prongs and tips, those are pretty intensive.

As far as having a business on Main Street, Traci said that they’ve been through some good and bad times, some hills and valleys, but “it’s been a lot of good,” she said. “Every city has a Main Street, and they’ve been here since the beginning of time, right? So it’s really easy to remember…you know, ‘I’m on Main Street’ kind of thing. Federal is too busy, so for my business, it’s great. We’re still here, retailing, and we have that mom-and-pop charm.”

If you have a business on Riverton's downtown Main Street,

and would like to be spotlighted,

Email: rivertondowntowners@gmail.com

RivertonDowntowners.org

Jerry's Flowers & Things: Jerry & Lorie Kintzler, the "End of an Era"

Business owners, family, friends and loved ones gathered on  Saturday, February 28 to say a final farewell to what Mayor Tim Hancock called the "end of an era". Jerry's Flowers & Things, owned by Jerry and  Lorie Kintzler,  was in business for 55 years, and finally closed its doors. Mayor Hancock presented them with a Key to the City of Riverton.

Thank you, Jerry and Lorie, for all you did for Riverton and for Downtown Main Street!

Cowboy State Daily: Meet Jerry Kintzler: 55 Years Of Designing Flower Arrangements — And Saving Lives

Riverton Ranger: 50 Years of Flowers

County 10: Downtowners thank the City of Riverton for flowers on Main Street

County 10: Sweetwater Garden opens floral shop in Riverton

Riverton Downtowners ~ April 2025

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Who we are

The Downtowners were established in 1995 with the purpose of beautifying Riverton’s Main Street. We planted flowers and trees, purchased Christmas decorations, embedded the river design into the sidewalks. During the holidays, we had Christmas shopping, stay-late nights, and a Hot Chocolate Day. In 2020, we partnered with the Riverton Chamber Ambassadors and did the first free-of-charge vendor show, Riverton Happy Days, to help vendors who had inventory for the many shows which got canceled due to COVID. It was a huge success.

In 2021, we started hosting guest speakers from the Wyoming SBDC and Wyoming Main Street to help us in establishing and solidifying our ideas and goals with our business owners, and to continue with beautification in keeping the medians and sidewalk pots clean, planted, and beautiful.  We now work off the Main Street 4-point Approach: Economic Vitality, Design, Organization, and Promotion.

What we do

We are building relationships and networking with other organizations like the Riverton Rotary, Riverton Garden Club, Oilfield Ironmen Bikers, Riverton Chamber of Commerce, PAWS for Life Animal League, Veterans Hall of Honor, Eagle’s Hope and more. We have developed a Business Watch (similar to a neighborhood watch), connecting business owners who aid each other in watching each other’s businesses during and after/off hours. We are actively engaged with the City of Riverton in the renovation process of the public parking lot behind Kusel's. Many of our businesses are highlighted on GoRiverton, and our events are posted on the Downtowner's Facebook page.

The Downtowners' role is to listen to the community’s vision for our Main Street corridor, and to facilitate, organize, and connect others with all that’s happening downtown, as well as support our businesses, residents, and stakeholders. We want to help each other in any way we can...from building restoration projects to focusing on the unique needs and assets of our downtown community. We want a downtown that Riverton will be proud of, and will want to come to shop. 

Come join The Downtowners!

All business owners are invited to join us at our monthly meetings held on the 2nd Wednesdays of each month at 6:00 PM at the Riverton Elks. We welcome your input, ideas and guidance as we build this program and begin our journey in making Riverton’s Main Street an environment where folks will support their hometown, shop local, and build community wealth for years to come.

 

Traci Cooper, President

Riverton Downtowners Main Street Alliance

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For information on Downtowner's events, projects, and activities, 

Visit our website at:

RivertonDowntowners.org

Our Facebook page:

@The Riverton Downtowners

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THIS SATURDAY! WEDDING & EVENT EXPO!

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NEXT DOWNTOWNERS MEETING IS NEXT WEDNESDAY!

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RIVERTON'S FIRST ROCK FESTIVAL!

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It's APRIL!

Are you having any in-store specials, discounts or promotions during the months of April or May?

Any events or featured brands that you're showcasing?

Spring or Easter sales? Prom, Graduation?

Send your ad graphics or flyers to this e-mail address, and we'll get them shared on our Facebook page and website, FREE!

E-mail: rivertondowntowners@gmail.com

Riverton Downtowners - March 2025 Agenda

Agenda 3.12.2025

Call To Order

Introductions (if needed)

Speakers - Traci, Carol and Tina to discuss the board training they attended. 

Movement of Minutes

Treasurers Report

Committee Reports

Chamber updates

Open Forum