Our visit to Livingston began at around noon in The Sacajawea Park. It was a dreary, overcast day and the temperature was in the low forties. Other than three or four children at a far away playground, we were the parks only visitors. We picnicked around a run down picnic table next to some decently well-kept tennis courts. We noticed that a lot of the playground equipment was outdated and fairly spread apart, like some pieces had been damaged and never replaced.
After a quick lunch, we hopped in our car and parked on a side street off the edge of the town, and began walking towards S. Main St. During a quick stroll around town, we noticed that bars, bakeries & restaurants and art galleries make up a good amount of businesses. This suggests that the town is a place of recreation and leisure for the people who enjoy it. We then walked into a clothing boutique called “High Trash”. The boutique was trendy and had a mid-century modern feel. There were clothes, shoes and accessories scattered throughout the store. We talked to the owner, her name was Bethany and she and her husband just opened the store on May 13th. They have two kids, a daughter who’s 3 and an infant son who was about 18 months. They were originally from Bozeman but moved to Livingston because the houses were bigger and cheaper. She liked that the town of Livingston is getting younger and they have a lot of art galleries, coffee shops, and clothing stores. We asked her why the name “White Trash” because we thought it was kind of bizarre, and she said “it is the clothing style that my friends and I would wear while out partying in college” so they brought the high class and white trash theme to the young girls in Livingston. In the back, the work of a local artist was featured, her name is Tori Olsen. They are hoping to have art shows and walks in the back of the shop during the summer.
After leaving “High Trash” we went to a thrift store called “Curated Closet”. The shop owner greeted us warmly, he appeared to be in his twenties and wore round plastic frames and a plaid shirt. The store contained an variety of clothes and accessories from various decades. After leaving both stores, we noted that there were only one or two customers in each. We then went to Livingston Center for Arts and Culture and we were greeted by a lady in the front of the and her dog, a sweet-tempered border collie she had rescued. After leaving the gallery, we met the rest of our group at a trendy bakery. Some of our group enjoyed coffee and pastries while we watched locals dart in and out.