Is Something Paranormal Happening at Missoula’s Import Market?

I recently stumbled upon The Import Market’s (located in downtown Missoula) surveillance video showing unexplained events happening inside the store. The video shows objects falling off shelves and doors opening/closing on their own. It has many people thinking about the possibility of a long-time resident living in one of Missoula’s oldest downtown buildings.

As someone who actually spent a night in this very same building, I had my own experience too.

From the Paxton Hotel to the Import Market

Built in 1908, the building located at 201 W. Main St. was initially a hotel named the Paxton Hotel. In Today’s time, it houses The Import Market, which has been a staple of Missoula’s downtown community since Gene & Nancy Senne along with their family opened the store. Originally, the store was a small import business that expanded over the years to become one of downtown Missoula’s most recognized shops. However, things get quite spooky if you shop around long enough.

The basement housed a mortuary which included several rooms designed specifically for body preparation and an older loading dock area where hearse vehicles could pull up and drop off deceased individuals.

I've personally been down there, and I can tell you that it doesn't take much imagination to picture what that space might have looked like decades ago.

My Night Investigating the Import Market

In addition to watching the surveillance videos provided by The Import Market, I have also participated in several paranormal investigations within the building. Approximately 5 years ago, 96.3 the Blaze paired up with Tortured Souls Investigations to conduct our annual ghost hunt at The Import Market.

A man with a blindfold covering his eyes

One method we used was called the Estes Method. I listened to a spirit box cycling through different radio frequencies via noise-canceling headphones and a blind fold while repeating the words or sounds that I believed I heard without knowledge of the question(s) being asked by the remaining investigators. During one session, I repeatedly heard what appeared to be a young girl's voice, approximately age 10-12 years old. The voice mentioned fires and the Vietnam War. On another occasion, they asked her opinion regarding the foreign merchandise being sold in the store, including items originating from Vietnam.

The word I kept hearing was "enemy."

B. Marshall, Getty Images

While I am not stating that we made contact with a Vietnam War-era child's spirit; a spirit box can pick up random radio transmissions and/or your brain can create connections based solely on your thoughts and not necessarily what is truly occurring. Nevertheless, sitting in total darkness wearing a blindfold and hearing those exact words was extremely unnerving.

Tortured Souls Investigations took multiple EVP recordings throughout the investigation, including in the basement and in the former mortuary area. Although that space felt significantly unsettling, we captured no evidence of paranormal activity that I would classify as conclusive.

Is Something Still Hanging Around Downtown Missoula?

Regardless of whether or not you are a believer in ghosts, it is intriguing to think about a structure that has stood for more than a century. How many people have walked through those doors since 1908? And what stories do these walls hold?

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With recent surveillance footage posted online from The Import Market depicting strange occurrences within the store, it makes me wonder if any employees or consumers have encountered anything unusual. As someone who has investigated many allegedly haunted locations, I am aware that not every strange noise or dropped item can be attributed to spirits.

However, as someone who has spent countless hours researching alleged hauntings, I can also say that if I’m searching for a new coffee mug and it suddenly flies off the shelf, I’ll be quick to pay and leave.