The old Golden Corral restaurant building on Highway 12 East in front of Staples has a new owner.

The building, which hasn't been a restaurant for about a year, was recently bought by Trico Community Federal Credit Union.

"We're moving the whole operation there" from the current home on Aspen Street, said Lyle Eggum, chairman of the credit union's board. "The impetus that got this started is that we need more exposure. Being on the corner with Wal-Mart and Staples, I don't know how much more exposure we could get."

Credit union president and CEO Kim Carter said the credit union has outgrown its home on Aspen, and that she anticipates the new location will raise the credit union's profile around town.

"We just have no visibility" at the current building a block off of Cedar Street, she said. "Everyone I talk to says they've heard of Trico, but nobody knows where we are."

Eggum said the credit union will likely use about 5,000 of the building's 8,000 square feet, and is looking for a tenant to lease the remaining space. He added that D&D RV Sales, which is currently using the parking lot as a showroom, will stay through the summer before work on the building begins in the fall.

Carter said she's working with an architect on interior plans, and hopes to complete the move by January.

Trico, more than 50 years old, was originally for education workers, but became a community credit union in 1978. It merged with Tri Valley Credit Union of East Helena in 2006.

Capital Change: There's a change at the top of the letterhead of Capital Sports & Western, where co-owner Artie Keeler has sold his stake in the 38-year-old business to partner Ed Beal.

Beal in turn plans to sell part of the business to a handful of employees, while Keeler will take over another partnership between the two men, Headwater Rafts, a raft importing concern.

"We really wanted to solidify our key employees, and the best way to do that was for one of us to sell our half," Keeler said this week after a farewell luncheon in the back of the store.

The business was founded by Keeler's father, Art Sr., in 1970. Artie, 48, has worked there in one fashion or another since he was 13, when he started stringing tennis rackets and engraving trophies.

Keeler and Beal became business partners in 1994, and bought out Art Sr. in 1997.

Keeler, who said he'll still do custom ski-boot fitting at Capital Sports in the winter, said he'll miss the people, both his co-workers and the store's customers.

"I came in here one night to empty out my office, and I didn't think it would be that big a deal, but I'm fighting back some emotions here," he said. "There's just a ton of local expertise in this store."

E-mail your Open for Business ideas to john.harrington@helenair.com.