Cherished Missoula Business of More Than 40 Years Has Major News

Holy smokes! When the long-time Missoula business owners at A-1 Vacuum and Janitorial Supply share an update, they really go for it! They announced their retirement, the sale of their building, and a $10 vacuum sale all in one post.

The owners are retiring.

According to their Facebook post, Tom and Tenia Lambdin are retiring and moving to Texas. You may recall seeing the heartbreaking news stories of their daughter who went missing in March of 2020 during a trip to a Thompson Falls grocery store. Kim was 32 at the time of her disappearance and remains on a long list of missing Indigenous women in the U.S.

Following her disappearance, A-1 owners Tom and Tenia took custody of Kim's two daughters and they are moving to Texas so they can be closer to family.

The building is for sale.

The A-1 building at 1900 South Russell is officially for sale. The building has housed A-1's vacuums and sewing machines my entire life, so it's going to be weird to drive by and not see the big, red 'A-1 Vacuum' sprawled across the front.

A-1 will live on!

The Lambdin's son John, who has worked with them for many years, will take over the new location in Missoula. Their Facebook post says they will have more details on that exciting project coming soon.

$10 vacuum sale.

John says he's got 42 years of stuff to sell as they clean out the old building. He says he's got hundreds of vacuums for $10 each with some that work, some that don't, and some that could be great for parts. Pop into the store to check out the sale and keep an eye on their Facebook page for more exciting updates!

If you grew up in Missoula you likely remember the full-size mechanical clown that would stand outside and greet A-1 customers. When you drive by you can still kind of see him peeking out from storage. You can bet I'm going over to see if John is selling the clown! We wish the Lambdins the best of luck on retirement, their move, and on John's new venture! They're a great local family and they deserve all the best.