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Frizelle Enos Still Going – and Growing - Strong at 75 Printed with permission from our affiliates at Sonoma County Farm Bureau.


Sebastopol, CA. ~ Frizelle- Enos Feeds,


the tinuously operated business commu-


oldest con- in


Sebastopol, has evolved with the small town it has called home since 1938, becoming a favorite meeting place for the interesting mix of people who live in west- ern Sonoma County. Over the last 75 years, Frizelle


Enos, located at 265 Petaluma Avenue near the old railroad tracks that once ran the train through town, has continually reinvented itself to reflect the community it serves. The busi- ness has been transformed from a feed mill making and selling just livestock and chicken feed to a country emporium offering new age pet food, organic chicken scratch for backyard egg farmers, wood stoves, unique gifts and country clothing like Carhartt jackets and Wrangler jeans. Like the post office, everyone in the community eventually finds their way to Frizelle Enos for one thing or another. Liberals and conservatives, urban and rural, new wave and old-timers, plus 4-H and FFA members, come together over pet food and alfalfa at Frizelle Enos, which is open seven days a week to meet the needs of its customers. Co-owner Glenn Bach said Frizelle Enos prides itself on offering full ser- vice and its institutional knowl- edge along with the cat food and hog mash. Frizelle Enos employ- ees are country people who grew up on farms and ranches or have pets and farm animals them- selves, sharing their know-how on everything from feeding hors- es and goats to the best remedy for a dog suffering from seasonal allergies.


“If our customers have questions we give them answers or we get the answers for them. That’s part of what we offer as a small, hometown store,” said Bach, the general manager of the Frizelle Enos in Sebastopol. In addition, the store holds evening seminars on topics ranging from backyard poultry to sheep and goat feeding for its customers who are getting started with small farm projects. The store holds pet vaccination clinics every two weeks and works with the Humane Society of Sonoma County in cat adop- tion.


The community chalk board along the loading dock at Frizelle Enos tells the story of the rural


nity the store serves. The “For Sale”


list-


ings on the chalk board include pipe panels for horse corrals, duck eggs ($6 a dozen), Bantam


roosters, a nanny goat, pony and much more.


The community bulletin board lists events happening in and around Sebastopol. Each month the boards are wiped clean, allowing a new slate of postings for that free llama or Grange Pancake breakfast. Bach, who ran the feed mill for Petaluma Poultry for more than 20 years, and two partners, Don Benson, owner of Rivertown Feeds in Petaluma, and Darrel Freitas, a former co-owner of Petaluma Poultry, bought Frizelle Enos in 2010 from Tenny and Linda Tucker. The Tuckers had owned Frizelle Enos since 1998 when they purchased the busi- ness from Jack Kuhwarth, who had owned it since 1984. Bach, Freitas and Benson have established a second Frizelle Enos store in Penngrove. Freitas manages the Penngrove Store. Between the two stores there are 27 employees. It’s a family oper- ation that includes Bach’s son, Jason Bach, and Benson’s son, Keith Benson, who both work at the Frizelle Enos in Penngrove. Frizelle Enos is deeply


involved in the community. It is a member and generous supporter of Sonoma County Farm Bureau, donating to Farm Bureau’s auc- tion at the Great Sonoma Crab and Wine Fest. It’s a buyer of market animals at the Sonoma County Fair. At this year’s fair, Frizelle Enos bought the supreme champion pen of meat chickens for a record $1,700. In December, Frizelle Enos


hosted a mixer for the Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce. Bach said


Frizelle Enos is a big


supporter of the Sebastopol Community Center because it’s a way to give back to a large and varied part of the community, the very people who patronize the store. Additionally, Frizelle


Enos works with 4-H and FFA members who are raising live- stock and poultry for the Sonoma County Fair and other summer fairs.


names of


Frizelle Enos is the last the two proprietors


who owned the store from 1947 until 1966, establishing the busi- ness as a mainstay in Sebastopol. The name has survived a number of owners, who kept the unusu- al name because of its positive image in the small community. Bach said he and his partners didn’t even consider changing the name and, in fact, do their best to stay behind the scenes, putting the focus on the long- time employees who are


Weird Facts & Trivia -7 The history of Valentine's Day is obscure, and further clouded by various fanciful legends. The holiday's roots are in the ancient Roman fes- tival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration commemorated annually on February 15. Pope Gelasius I recast this pagan festival as a Christian feast day circa 496, declaring February 14 to be St. Valen- tine's Day.


the


face of the store. Those long- time employees include store supervisor Tony Renati and his wife Stacey Renati, who have both been at Frizelle Enos for 14 years. Stacey Renati, who over- sees the gift department, is the daughter of former Frizelle Enos owners, Tenny and Linda Tucker. Sales clerk Julie Seth has been ringing up sales of rabbit pellets, flea powder and other merchan- dise for 18 years, a familiar and continuing presence in the store.


...Continued on page 19


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UPBEAT TIMES • February 2013 • 17 JOKES & Humor # 7


On the first day of college, the Dean addressed the students, pointing out some of the rules: "The female dormitory will be out- of-bounds for all male students, and the male dormitory to the female students. Anybody caught breaking this rule will be fined $20 the first time." He continued, "Anybody caught breaking this rule the second time will be fined $60. Being caught a third time will cost you a fine of $180. Are there any questions?" At this point, a male student in the crowd inquired, "How much for a season pass?"


He dares to be a fool, and that is the first step in the direction of


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