TOWNSEND — Main Street is where you will have a nostalgic atmosphere of 19th-century buildings in rural Montana -- each with their own stories.
But you will also find an array of mom and pop shops that heavily rely on locals as customers as well as tourists passing through.
The same can be said in Townsend where during any given day, a passerby will see William Garwood, who owns the Common Sense book store sitting on a bench, giving the drive-by wave.
If the name Common Sense rings a bell, it should if you are from the area and picked up the newspaper every now and then.
"I was writing an article, for years in the newspaper in town, just called, "Common Sense," just kind of pointing out things around the town. Saying, this is kind of silly, or this we like," said Garwood.
When the local newspaper went into a different direction, Garwood opened a bookstore under the same name in hopes of sharing his love of reading to fellow Montanans.
Like, many small businesses, he closed his doors during the peak of the Montana COVID-19 restrictions.
He told MTN News that he used the time to make sure the store was clean and safe when it reopened, as well as providing extra safety guards for customers.
"My wife made masks that I kept out here in the foyer could have one to put on. I've got the hand sanitizer on the desk," Garwood said. "It hasn't hit here as hard as other places, but we were prepared."
The book store owner is just focused on putting feel-good books in the hands of readers, "I love stocking the bookstore because I think to myself, what's something I would like to find?"
Garwood also adds, its that personal connection of walking into a brick and mortar store that shopping online can not offer.
Also, what he says is humorous bookshelves; for example, in the language section, customers can find the Klingon dictionary -- a language from the Star Trek television series.
There are no cents; in the tag price, all books are rounded to a dollar amount, which he says is common sense.
Also, including a local touch to the bookshelves, "The things people want to see are on Montana history, and we have a lot of local authors, which surprise me, but there are."
However, of all the additions, there is one thing you will not find, "Kindles and anything electronics, it's all just feel good, in your hands, books.," he said.
