King Feed’s History and Community Involvement
King Feed In The 1950’s
King Feed In The 1970’s
The King Feed retail store was originally on land owned by the Cowan family. In the fifties, the Cowans had a cedar yard and sawmill on the property, which they later expanded to include a small storefront where they sold nuts, bolts, feed, and ranch supplies. The Spornhauer family bought the store in the late sixties. They added onto the store again to expand the feed and add plumbing and electrical supplies.
In 1973, the Spornhauers hired Chris Nichols to help run the store so one of the family members could return to his job as a journeyman carpenter. Ross King bought the store later that year and asked Chris to stay on and help with the hardware sales. Ross remodeled the store, expanding once more to provide the hardware business the space it needed. As the community and business grew, Ross added on again in 1977.
When Ross decided to sell the store in 1984, Chris Nichols bought the business from him. In the late 1980s, Chris decided to focus on expansion into lawn and garden supplies. He met Tim Thompson at the Johnson soccer fields, where their small children played on teams together. Chris hired Tim, who already had over 20 years of experience in horticulture, to help begin a nursery and gradually build it into the showplace garden center that it is today.
Old Newspaper Ads…Check Out Those Prices
Store Expansion Of The 2000’s
In 2004 Chris approached Ross to do another addition. The Texas Highway Department was then widening the highway, which eliminated most of the store’s parking. Due to this, the store had to build more space. In 2008 Chris got the approval to construct an additional 10,000 feet of retail space. This expansion would include pet aisles, a feed barn, and more hardware aisles. The latest phase of remodeling has a fenced extension of the garden center and an indoor greenhouse. Our newer entrance provides expanded parking and accessibility for our customers and leads directly into the heart of the store. As a bonus, it also leads straight through the main entryway into the nursery.
King Feed’s New Owners
The big news event at King Feed happened on January 4, 2019, when our long-time employees Laurie Ward and Bryan Toifl took over ownership of the store from Chris Nichols. They are well-qualified and passionate about keeping the traditions of King Feed alive and well while incorporating some streamlined practices intended to make your shopping experience at King Feed even better!
Laurie Ward started working at King Feed in 2006. Since she was a little girl, Laurie has wanted to work with animals and plants, which makes owning King Feed a dream come true. She went to (Southwest Texas) Texas State and graduated with a degree in Agriculture and a major in Horticulture. In 2021, Laurie opened up a brand new King Feed location in Canyon Lake, Texas! She runs the store in Canyon Lake, and her husband Bill works at both stores.
Bryan Toifl grew up in Wimberley and went to high school here too. He played football, baseball, and participated in FFA. With all of that history, Bryan loves to support the Wimberley school system or Wimberley FFA chapter any way he can. Bryan’s wife Ashley also runs the Pet Grooming at the store.
Community Involvement
King Feed is a proud sponsor and of listener supported community radio right here in Wimberley
King Feed is a proud to be in the Wimberley Valley Chamber of Commerce.
King Feed donates feeders, feed, water bottles, and other supplies for our local FFA group.
King Feed supports the great work that WAG does for our community. In addition to donating food we host WAG Adoption days right here at our store.
King Feed is a regular contributor to this important organization. Crisis is able to feed more needy families in the Wimberley community when we offer financial donations.
We have seen first-hand how amazing the KAPS program can be for Wimberley’s youth, so he’s passionate about sponsoring the fundraisers that KAPS puts on each year.
King Feed has had the honor of being a supporter of the Emily Ann Theater since its inception on a parcel of land leased in perpetuity from our local school district. It is a jewel in our little town and a source of pride and delight to all who visit. We always love participating in the annual Wimberley Trail of Lights. This amazing event is held at Emily Ann Theatre every year in December.
King Feed donates feeders, feed, water bottles, and other supplies for our local 4-H group. We are so pleased that the 4-H also participates in the King Feed Fall Thanksgiving Festival as well as Chick Days in the spring!
King Feed is a proud sponsor of St. Stephen’s Annual Extravaganza and Auction, supporting the further development of lifelong learners in Wimberley!
King Feed is a proud sponsor of listener supported community radio right here in Wimberley
