Fillers celebrate 50 years of doing business in Libby

Fifty years ago, when Ardell Filler rolled into Libby with his wife and  three daughters, it was because he was pursuing a new adventure as a dairy  distributor.  

Filler had no idea at the time his entrepreneurial spirit would one day take him to own one of the premier sports shops in Northwest Montana.

“I came into town with my wife and three daughters,” Filler recalled Friday standing behind the counter of Libby Sports Center. “We moved here from Coeur d’Alene. That was 50 years ago, and, well, here we are.”

Along the way, Ardell and Sheryl Filler owned and operated a dairy business, published the local newspaper (The Eagle), ran a printing business, published a travel guide, operated logging trucks and ran both a rental business and a laundry mat. However, the gem of those businesses was started in 1967 when he opened Libby Sports Center, which now occupies most of his time.

It’s not often the owner of a business the size of Libby Sports Center can be found behind the counter on a daily basis, but that’s where customers can most often find Filler. He’s always been a hands-on kind of guy.

“At one point, we had eight businesses going at once. We started (the sports store) in 1967 and moved to this location in 1996,” said Ardell, 77, looking at his wife of 54 years.

For the Fillers, Libby Sports Center has been a labor of love, one of which he was happy to involve his family. Today, son Bob works at the store, as does his daughter and son-in-law, Sheri and Gary Halvorson, who Ardell plans to hand the reins to when the day comes when he wants to walk away.

“We have a great family,” Ardell said. “We have four daughters, Becky, Sheri, Lynette and Marcy and two sons, Bill and Bob.”

The staff at Libby Sports Center involves more than just family, but the Fillers treat their employees just like members of their extended family, which now includes four generations.

Judy Lundstrom, the store’s bookkeeper, has been with the Fillers the longest, for more than 30 years, a loyalty Filler certainly appreciates.

“Judy’s been fantastic,” Filler said. “She’s been great to work with. All of our employees are great, as are our loyal customers.  We’ve gotten this far with the Lord’s help and the loyalty of our customers.”

Along the way, Ardell has given back to the Libby community, as well.

“I’ve been a member of the Chamber of Commerce all those years and a member of the Libby Assembly of God, serving as secretary and treasurer for many of those years,” he said.

Filler doesn’t know how much longer he will work, but gladly takes his duty on the sales floor, helping customers when any one of the seven other full-time employees is busy.”

“I know we’ve been blessed. Libby really is the best place to live. I mean that,” Filler said.