The day Rochelle Miller lost her husband, her world felt empty.  

“A guy from 25 years is like the center of your life, right? Suddenly, that's gone. You've lost your center,” she said, her wedding ring still shining on her finger. “I'm just sort of spinning around, not really knowing what I was doing.” 

She met Herbert Miller at one of her modeling shoots in Southern California, where he worked as a freelance photographer. 

“He'd always asked me for lunch, and I'd always say no,” Miller recalled. 

She didn’t like to mix her personal life with her professional one. But one day, after a particularly long shoot, she found herself starving in the late afternoon. 

“He caught me in a weak spot,” Miller said. “And I said, ‘OK, fine.’” 

He was very attractive, very suave and very dangerous, she recalled. He was also the best marriage of her life.  

“It turned out to be a real love affair,” Miller said.  

When Herbert died in January 2023, she found herself thinking “Well, now what? What do I do now?”  

She visited Kalispell last October on the invitation of a friend who lives in Montana. When she observed the lack of affordable housing in the area, Miller knew she wanted to make a difference.  

That’s how she came to start Montana Mini & Modular Homes, LLC, in July.  

Her office-turned living space is located off 1012 U.S. 2 East, with a miniature home in the parking lot waiting to be sold. The home is 14 feet by 28 feet, equipped with a kitchen/living area, one bedroom and one full bathroom.  

Inside the front of the home is a small loft, which can be used as a sleeping area or storage. The price tag on the mini house is $69,999. 

“I thought, ‘OK, I can do that,’” Miller said. “I’ll be doing good things. I’ll be providing housing for people who need it.” 

Montana was named one of the top five least affordable states in 2024 by the National Association of Realtors, based on home listings compared to local incomes. Experts contribute the Treasure State’s affordability issue to a housing shortage and population influx from 2020.  

Net migration in Montana reached a record high between 2020 and 2022, when more than 40,000 people moved into the state, according to a 2023 Montana Situation Housing report by the state’s Department of Commerce.  

Flathead County’s population grew by 8.4%, or roughly 8,800 people, between 2020 and 2023. 

The average income of families who moved to Flathead County in 2020 exceeded $110,000, driving up the prices of homes, according to a 2023 analysis by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana. This income was more than double of those moving into the county from other parts of the state.  

Within a decade, Flathead County’s median house price grew by 231%, to $655,400 in 2022, according to the analysis. Between 2021 and 2023 alone, the median housing price jumped by 59%.  

With her new business, Miller hopes to tackle the county’s housing crisis with an affordable alternative – a tiny home on a plot of land. In her 20s and 30s, Miller gained years of experience in building and remodeling homes, a passion she fell into during her first and second marriages.  

Clients can flip through a catalog and select the type of flooring, design and features for the house, with home sizes ranging from 350 square feet to 3,000 square feet.  

Her office is cozy, with lounge chairs and couches set up around a glass table. A wood fireplace is in one corner, and a coffee maker in another. Miller wants her clients to feel at home as soon as they step through the door. 

But business has been off to a rocky start. 

Miller, who is in her 70s, didn’t grow up in the age of technology and social media. She hired a general manager to build a website and create a social media presence through Facebook.  

But two months and $10,000 later, her general manager disappeared without a trace. 

“She left her stuff. I haven't seen her in weeks,” Miller said. “Her phone's not working. She kind of just went ghost on me.” 

She heavily considered quitting the business after her employee left. Miller has yet to sell her first tiny home. 

Upon further reflection, however, she realized it would put her back in the same place she was a year ago – nowhere.  

Miller isn’t religious, but she has a deep sense of spirituality. Throughout her adult life, she prayed constantly, asking how she could pay back the wonderful life she’s led.  

“When I came up here, I saw a lot of commerce. I saw a lot of prosperity, a lot of money,” Miller said. “And I also saw people that are struggling to just get by, even though they've got good jobs.” 

Miller knew she was capable of seeing this through. Should her business turn out to be a success, Miller wants to fund college scholarships, support local schools and find other ways to support the community.  

“One of the reasons I came up here was, I wanted to leave a legacy,” Miller said. “What can I do that really leaves something that'll continue to do good after I'm gone?” 

To learn more about Miller’s business, visit mminm.net. She can also be reached at 314-9864 or [email protected].  

Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected].

    Rochelle Miller, owner of Montana Mini & Modular Homes, stands in the main area of her business office. (Hannah Shields/Daily Inter Lake)