Sisters Feed store expands

Fred McCaulou, Christine Cole and dogs Bob and Shandie.

Competing with chain-store retailers is never an easy task for a local operator, but Sisters Feed and Supply is doing it well. This was confirmed by the recent move into larger premises just a few doors down Main Avenue.

Sisters pet owners have long had access to a local feed store. When Fred and Jeanee McCaulou bought the business in 1997 it was an existing pet store. Prior to that there had been a feed and garden store on the old site.

From day one, it was a squeeze to fit all the product on the shelves.

"We want to be able to try new lines and increase product variety," McCaulou said. "The new store gives us plenty of room for that, plus we have plans to make storage for hay and straw out the back."

Personal, friendly, customer service is a priority. The combination of skills that McCaulou and long-time employee Christine Cole bring is formidable. With a strong background in retail sales, McCaulou knows how to care for his customers.

Christine, he says, "is a student of animal needs and health. If she doesn't know how to help a customer right off, she will search out the answer. Horses and dogs are her specialties, but she is knowledgeable about animals from llamas to wild birds."

The staff at Sisters Feed are careful to encourage folks new to Central Oregon to establish a relationship with a veterinarian as their first priority of animal ownership.

"Many people come in here asking for advice that should be coming from a vet," McCaulou said. "We suggest that a good vet will make recommendations for feed and supplies which we can then meet."

Helping pet owners select the right feed is an important aspect of the service. The store has a large selection for the size of the community.

Once food is taken care of, owners can then choose from any number of goodies to make their animal's life more fun. The store carries a wide variety. Toys, snacks, collars, leashes and halters are just part of the inventory. Grooming supplies and reference books are also plentiful.

Interest in wild birds has grown tremendously in recent years and McCaulou wants to make sure the store keeps up with the demand. Customers can expect an increase in selection of bird feeders and houses.

Being the sort of store it is, one would expect Sisters Feed and Supply to be pet friendly. It is, with a welcoming committee of Wafer and Shandie.

The former is a good natured and playful cat, the latter a Pomeranian who is especially fond of children.

Bob, a Great Pyrynees, is an occasional visitor who is sure to soothe anyone's nerves with his calm demeanor.