Former Shopko site in Helena may add sporting goods store

A sporting goods store may be the next tenant at Helena’s long-empty former Shopko building at 3101 N. Montana Ave., a sign the 116,992-square-foot property is moving closer to a new commercial life after years of vacancy.

Shopko left the building in 2019 when the company closed all of its locations. Citivest Commercial Investments, a California-based developer, bought the site in 2021 and has spent the last few years trying to position the big-box space for a new mix of retailers inside one of Helena’s busiest shopping areas.

The property sits in a retail center anchored by Albertsons, Target, JoAnn, Ross Dress for Less and other stores, giving it a built-in customer base that already draws steady traffic along North Montana Avenue. Citivest leasing director Michele Babcock said the space could be leased to one occupant or split among as many as six tenants, with sporting goods, optical, shoes and health-and-beauty retailers among the targets. The building has also been marketed as a divisible retail property, with listings calling it a rare in-town big-box opportunity that could be broken into smaller spaces.

Before tenants can move in, though, the building needs work. Babcock said the property requires a new roof, a new HVAC system and new storefronts. Even with those upgrades still ahead, there had been interest in the space as of May 2024, although no leases had been signed.

The redevelopment has also moved through Helena’s formal planning process. City records from 2022 show the Shopko Minor Subdivision created four new lots from 10.86 acres. A later city agenda item proposed extending that preliminary plat from March 2025 to March 2028, showing the project has remained active in city review rather than sitting idle.

For Helena, the stakes are practical. A filled Shopko site could bring new retail jobs, more customer traffic and a stronger tax base to a major commercial corridor that has carried one of the city’s most visible vacancies for years. If the leasing plan comes together, the old Shopko could shift from a reminder of retail turnover into a functioning part of the North Montana Avenue shopping landscape again.