From Center Stage to Storefront
Singer, entrepreneur, and community cheerleader, Landa Lehman juggles harmonies and Hardin’s hometown heartbeat
On a recent summer evening, hundreds of people swayed and danced under Billings’ Skypoint to the music of Exit 53. Lead vocalist and guitar player, Landa (Uffelman) Lehman’s melodic voice paired perfectly with the band’s contagious energy. From country and oldies to modern tunes, each note seemed to inject a little more excitement into the crowd.
As the band’s manager, Landa books the group’s calendar a year in advance, playing special events or even weddings. This gig, however, isn’t Landa’s only focus. By day, she’s an entrepreneur who owns The Farmer’s Daughter General Store, which sits in the heart of downtown Hardin. It’s a business that has been in her family for more than six decades.
In 1960, Landa’s great-grandparents, Camiel and Alice Pattyn, along with their five daughters, opened a café in downtown Hardin and served burgers, pie and milkshakes. Five years later, they turned the business into a second-hand store. A few years after that, daughter Charlene Warren bought the business and the building and renamed it the Fort Custer General Store. Expanding beyond used merchandise to include gifts, souvenirs and craft items, Charlene filled two levels of the building with treasures. She operated the business for the next 40 years.
“I grew up in the store,” Landa says. “It’s where I learned to walk. We were counting back change before we were old enough to go to school.”
Though she spent much of her youth in the store, buying the business wasn’t Landa’s plan. She graduated from college with a degree in teaching and had already been singing with Exit 53 for several years.
“I always thought my mom or my aunt would take over the store,” she says. “But when Gramma said she was selling, they were both in their 50s and didn’t want to take it on. I asked her to wait until I graduated and I’d buy it.”
That was seven years ago, and since then, the ambitious young woman, who is now in her 30s, has transformed the store into a popular downtown destination, drawing customers from all over Big Horn County and as far away as Billings and Sheridan, Wyoming.
“The transition was hard,” Landa says. “I thought we’d replace the flooring and do some painting, but with old buildings, you keep finding things that need to be fixed.”
After Charlene sold her inventory, the shop was closed for six months while Landa did a complete remodel. She also added a soda fountain, plus living quarters on the second floor.
“The soda fountain has been a great addition,” Landa says. “People love to come in and sit around the counter, drinking sodas and eating ice cream.”
On the sidewalk in front of the store, shade trees and a stock-tank planter bursting with flowers add ambiance as customers sit and visit while they enjoy their refreshments.
Changing the name was a hard decision. She wanted to stay true to her roots. Being from a third-generation farm family, she chose The Farmer’s Daughter General Store.
“I wanted to move beyond what the business had been,” Landa says. “But I also wanted to honor what my grandmother had built.”
Strategically placed wall units, hutches and shelves line the walls of the Farmer’s Daughter, all full of merchandise ranging from home décor to clothing. Creatively using antique and thrift pieces, many left from her grandmother’s store, Landa has managed to tastefully arrange hundreds of items to flow easily through the space.
“I like to say we have a little bit of everything,” Landa says. “We’re constantly changing and adding things. We have items for $1 up to $250. There’s something for everyone.”
Cubicles of jeans, racks of clothing, purses and jewelry offer customers plenty of options to pick out an entire outfit. Just around the corner, toys and baby items are thoughtfully displayed. Tucked into another corner are complete sets of enamel dishes, along with kitchenware, gifts, souvenirs and household items.
Open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Landa often works well into the night to unpack new shipments, update displays and maintain the store.
“Once I start rearranging a display and moving things around, it’s not long before I have the entire store dismantled,” she laughs. “Some nights I work until 3 or 4 in the morning to be ready to open by 9.”
Landa’s an astute businesswoman, wearing many hats as she navigates the varied aspects of running the store while managing and playing in the band. She mostly runs the shop by herself, except for part-time summer help and after-school teens. Her mom is also available periodically, which allows Landa to travel with the band and attend markets.
“There’s something about the owner being in the store that customers appreciate,” Landa says. “People come to expect that.”
In June, Landa married fellow band member, Gary Lehman. With both families from the Hardin area, the wedding was quite the affair.
“We were only open for a half day on my wedding day,” Landa laughs. She might have taken the day off from the store, but not from singing. At their wedding reception, she and Gary couldn’t resist taking a minute to join the band they hired to sing a few songs for their guests.
She’s passionate about helping the Hardin community. It’s why you’ll see her helping with the 4th of July festivities, Big Horn Days and the downtown Christmas Stroll, always lending a hand to keep the community strong and vibrant.
“Some of the businesses in town have been in the same families for generations. We’re a close community and we support each other,” Landa says. “I love to give back to the people that live here.”
