by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Stepping inside the old warehouse and store on Kings Road, one could find a wealth of knowledge on an industry almost as old as the land itself. More than just the knowledge, though, you can find the tools, seeds, fertilizers, salts, feeds and just about everything else needed for agricultural success — and all offered cheaper than the franchise big boys.
Standard Feed Co. has been serving Jacksonville amateur, novice and expert farmers, green thumbs and everyday patrons since 1946 and recently celebrated its 62nd anniversary on April 1.
Owner Rob Davis purchased the store from its original owners, brothers Bill and J. Gordon Moore, in 1990 and has been helping customers with their queries ever since.
He sells an array of household and agriculture products, but he said the most popular item would have to be the one they excel at offering by the bevy.
“Probably the thing that we’ve done the best the longest is vegetable seeds,” he said. “I think we might be the only one in town that still does it.”
Davis said his store is a melting pot of customers — you can often see the businessman in the $1,000 suit talking squash with the construction worker in dungarees.
“It crosses the boundaries,” he said, “because at some point in time everybody is taking the seed and getting on their hands and knees and sticking it in the dirt. The social thing is still here.”
Standard Feed is open six days a week, and on any given day Davis said more than 600 people come through the store. With all those customers come the customers’ questions.
Regardless of the inquiry, odds are Davis or any of the 16 staff can answer it quickly, and if they can’t, they’ll find out. Davis admits to being stumped at times, but he has his employees to fall back on and, depending on the inquiry, contacts at places like the University of Florida and Purina.
“It’s not always about how much you know, it’s if you know how to get the answer,” he said.
Establishing relationships with customers and catering to their needs is also key in bringing back repeat customers.
One of those repeat customers has continued to frequent the store for more than 40 years and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
“Things are not like they used to be,” said longtime customer Dan Arnold. “You don’t find places like this much anymore.”
Arnold used to work at the Florida Feed Mill, selling feed to Standard Feed’s former owners before it closed down. Now, he stops in every couple weeks to buy wild bird seed and the occasional potted plant.
“Every time someone comes in, they (Standard Feed employees) are always there to say good morning and answer any questions,” he said, holding two small basil and lavender plants. “That’s why I have been coming back.”
Arnold isn’t the only one.
Michael Smith, a Standard Feed employee, has come full circle. He now works at the store he used to love frequenting as a child with his grandfather. Smith said he used to love playing with the chicks, ducks and rabbits while his grandfather shopped, and he loves working for the store now because it “still has that neighborhood feel.”
Under Davis’ tenure, the name and hospitality of the store have remained the same, but some economic factors have altered Standard Feed’s inventory.
In the early 90s, the livestock auction in the Marietta section of Jacksonville closed, meaning people looking to sell their cows had to take them to Lake City. In conjunction, the North American Free Trade Agreement dropped the price of beef, said Davis, meaning that it wasn’t economically feasible for many of the dairies to maintain, and they ended up closing.
Now, instead of catering to the majority of livestock needs, Davis’ inventory is geared toward domesticated animals like dogs, cats, and birds, but you can still find the chickens and ducks as well as all the supplies needed for livestock.
And though Standard Feed has the old-time feel and caters to individual shoppers, it has some major business partners like The Jacksonville Zoo and White Oak Plantation conservation center in Yulee.
Regardless of how the industry has changed, the business partnerships are still about the one-on-one relationships with people that make it work, said Davis.
Davis doesn’t foresee Standard Feed or himself going anywhere anytime soon, meaning the store will be open for amateur and expert growers alike.
“I figure I’ll be here a few more years,” he said. “We’ll be here.”
Standard Feed is located at 1282 Kings Rd. and is open Monday–Friday from 8 a.m.– 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m.– 3 p.m. For more information, call 355-5575.