FORT LARAMIE – Jim Hageman grew up in Fort Laramie, moved away, built a business and had a family. But he and his wife, Kyra, have returned home. They bought some property just past the old fort in 2012 and started building their home, which they just recently moved into, splitting time between their new home and Casper, where he owns Hageman Real Estate Management and Investment.
The paint had barely dried on their new home when he had another idea, one that had waited for eight years for someone to act on, the renovation of the Ft. Laramie Mart.
“Living out by the old fort, we drive by (the Ft. Laramie Mart) every day,” Hageman explained. “It is one of the first city corners you come to in Goshen County.
“I thought with 30,000 visitors a year, we should at least have a place they can stop and get and ice tea or something.”
Originally built in 1969, the business closed in 2009 and sat unused and unoccupied on what Hageman saw as one of the best business opportunities in the county.

“It is an easy spot for people to meet,” he said. “I’ve watched while people stop and change custody with their kids there. It has very easy access, and people seem to be drawn to it.”
One issue that always surrounded the Ft. Laramie Mart was whether or not the underground gas tanks were safe or usable. But Hageman resolved those speculations by getting rid
of them.
“The EPA wanted the tanks pulled out because they weren’t catholically protected. So we took them out. I just got a letter from the EPA that said everything was clean and the soil was ok, so we don’t have to do any
remedial action.”
Whether or not new underground, or above ground, tanks are installed will be up to the new owner. Hageman is not looking to run the enterprise himself. Though he gutted and remodeled the existing building, added 825 square feet of new retail space and attached a small apartment, he said he is not looking at operating the business himself.
“My history is as a developer, so we would rather find an end user, whether they buy it or lease it. We just decided to go that way last week, but we have had a couple of inquiries about it and I’ll start advertising it in a couple of weeks.
“We’re really surprised how many people stop and ask about it since we started working on it. I can’t believe the traffic that goes by the spot, especially on sale day.” A reference to the auction three times a week at Torrington Livestock Market.
Hageman is very optimistic about the business potential for the corner that has mostly sat ignored for the last eight years.
“If you make it nice enough and have the right product you can be successful anywhere,” he said. “The (Fort Laramie) mayor is progressive and has been extremely helpful, so we’re pretty excited about the location and the property. We’re pretty excited about the area, right on the highway and just a few miles from the fort. I know  there will be a lot of people stopping in.”