Maker of wool clothing in Troy holds open house

Sleeping Indian Fine Wool Apparel, a Troy, Montana-based clothing manufacturer many locals knew nothing about, opened Saturday for its first annual open house sale, featuring reduced prices and coffee and muffins.

Though many Troy residents have walked or driven past the business in the old school district’s administration building on Spokane Avenue, most have not been inside or even known what kind of business was operating there. Normally, the company sells its products only online or at gun shows and other outdoor enthusiast events.

“We are not a store, but if someone wants to come in and we’re here we’ll let them come in and try something on,” said Greg Jonsen, who co-owns the business with wife Di. “We’ve been wanting to have an open day for months and now we’re finally doing it.”

The Jonsens brought Sleeping Indian to Troy in May 2016. They moved from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, where they purchased the business in 2013 from friend Benny Deal after looking for a way to make a living from wherever they chose to live.

“It literally landed in our garage in Bonners Ferry where we were living at the time in a pile of machines, shelving, nuts and bolts,” said Di Jonsen with a laugh. The couple sifted through the pile of supplies for weeks, wondering what they were going to do.

After three years of doing business in Idaho, the couple decided to move to Troy with its smaller population, an important consideration for them.

“We saw Bonners Ferry getting bigger, people were just streaming in,” said Di. “I want to live somewhere where I don’t get held up by traffic.”

The business employs five people from Troy who work flexible hours making the woolen outdoor clothing the brand is known for. Jennifer Bonifas has worked for the Jonsens since December 2016. She mostly preps the garments, overlocking and finishing items with snaps and zips. She works around her second job for the school district and says the Jonsen’s are “wonderful to work for.”

Her mother, Diane Dudley, also works full-time, as does DeLayne Landis.

During the open house event, Glenn Herman, a local hunter, experienced an outdated luxury as he tried on camouflage wool pants and waited for Dudley to take his measurements to have them hemmed: clothes made locally, and adjusted to fit.