As we start to look ahead to this holiday season, we want to shine a spotlight on some local businesses. This week, please enjoy our conversation with Skip King, owner of King's Ace Hardware.

Keep the Cheer Here

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Here are Marya and Jack's answers to this week's Rorschach questions.

1. Why do you hang your hat in Billings?

Marya: I was born and raised here in Billings and my family lives here. I can’t imagine living anywhere else – I love Montana.

Jack: I fell in love with Billings when I moved here to go to college at Rocky. There is a great mix of opportunity here, and you really can afford a lot higher quality of life here than you can elsewhere. I also think Billings is headed in the right direction in terms of growth and amenities.

2. What is the best thing that has happened to you recently?

Marya: My daughter, son-in-law and 14 month old grandson have been visiting for a month and I have loved having them close.

Jack: The best day of my life so far was a little over a year ago when I got married.

3. What is your favorite power tool brand? 

Marya: My husband would kill me if I didn’t say Milwaukee. Only red tools are allowed at our house.

Jack: I used to have a job selling Milwaukee, Rigid and Ryobi tools (I worked for the parent company). Milwaukee has the best product on the market, but I have a soft spot for Ryobi; they're super affordable, they make products no one else would make, and I think they have empowered a lot of people to do things they otherwise wouldn't do.

4. What is your must-have thanksgiving food and what could you do without?

Marya: My must have is pumpkin pie. I could do without the rest actually. Can we just have pie for dinner?

Jack: To me, it is not Thanksgiving without Stovetop stuffing; normally I'm all about making things from scratch, but that just really scratches a nostalgic itch for me. I could do without the green beans or honestly even the potatoes.