New Ownership

From its original location along Highway 89 to its current space facing out toward Heritage Square in downtown Flagstaff, the Flagstaff General Store has always been adapting and evolving.

Envisioned with the spirit of small-town general stores her mother grew up with, Heidi Kruger initially opened the doors of the Flagstaff General Store in 2014, making available a mix of new and used items, furniture and offerings created by local artists. A move to downtown Flagstaff in the summer of 2017 prompted a slightly different approach, one that continued when the shop shifted again around the corner to its current location along Aspen Avenue.

“There was no way I could have stayed the same as I was on 89,” Kruger said. “I felt it was a very big local spot. Destination shopping and people had to come to me -- which was a harder way to start -- but it was small enough that I could start that way. As I moved downtown, I pivoted a little bit toward more tourists but was still keeping the whole idea of having local stuff or handmade stuff.”

Through all the twists and turns of the journey, which included a battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, Kruger expressed the business exceeded anything she could have expected a decade ago.

Now, one more change will come to the Flagstaff General Store as Kruger herself moves on as well, with her friend Christie Kinkade taking over as the owner of the business.

With her youngest child set to graduate from high school and an itch to travel once again coming about, Kruger began to look for someone who might want to take over the business. Having taken time away from the store during COVID -- and seeing it suffer slightly in her absence -- she did not want to see a similar result if she took time away again.

“I just kind of put it out to the universe,” Kruger said of a possible sale. “The best part is my youngest son and (Kinkade’s) youngest son are best friends. It was like the stars aligned.”

Kruger and Kinkade said the conversation originated this fall, back on registration day for their sons’ senior year. The idea blossomed from there, as Kinkade determined she was truly interested in the opportunity to run a business that would be both fun and creative while carrying on what has become a staple in the community over the past 10 years.

“I'm just so grateful for what she brought to the town,” Kinkade said. “Actually, I first met Heidi at her store on Highway 89. I'm excited to be in this community with all these other women that she's been a part of. She's built a great thing.”

Expressing her appreciation for being welcomed into downtown Flagstaff’s business scene years ago, Kruger said other business owners in the area helped along the way as she adjusted her approach to the store’s offerings or how to best support her staff.
Similarly, those positive experiences and friendships are something Kinkade is looking forward to herself.

“There's a lot of great women in this community, especially downtown, running businesses,” Kinkade said, citing Liz Bianco from Shoes and Such, Lisa Lamberson of Mountain Sports Flagstaff, Miranda Sweet of Rainbow's End and ​Kelly Tulloss of Sutcliffe Floral as a few examples of the supportive business community.

For Kruger, whether or not she expected the support when she first arrived downtown, she said it made her experience since 2017 immensely enjoyable.

Kinkade said she plans to listen to local artists, customers and others in terms of what they would like to see the store offer moving into the future, mirroring how Kruger has adapted the store’s inventory over the years.

Kruger’s base of a few dozen vendors will continue to add a personal touch to the store’s selection of items, as their creativity is precisely what Kinkade says she’s looking forward to with the business as opposed to her previous ventures.

Offering a wide range of items such as home decor, clothing, jewelry, candles, soaps, books, Flagstaff keepsakes and for-the-season holiday decorations, Flagstaff General Store’s vast array of options is a welcome change from Kinkade’s previous businesses.

“I just got excited about it. I've owned my own other businesses and they were hard. And this is going to be hard; I won't say that it's going to be easy,” Kinkade said. “But what I'm going to say is that it's going to be fun. It's going to be more me.”

- Jake Bacon - AZ Daily Sun