BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Sales representative Dale Bentien assists S and W Feed Supply owner Stan Kolbus with a saddle at his new location in Carson City on Wednesday.
The owners of a Carson City livestock and pet store do a lot of their research at home.
"We got a dog, cats, horses," said Stan Kolbus, co-owner of S and W Feed and Supply. "We got goats. We got, well, we had a chicken as of about three nights ago. I think the coyotes finally got him."
The store, which sells livestock, pet and farm supplies, has just reopened in a 4,800 square-foot building on South Carson Street.
The local store outgrew its original space across the street on Curry Street. Kolbus said it took a while for them to get started, but they've grown more than they ever thought they would when they opened in 1995 in a South Carson building behind Bodine's.
"Eight hundred square feet, a couple of storage sheds and we're on about an eighth of an acre," he said.
Bob Fredlund, the real estate agent who helped them move into the new building, said he was happy to see the store grow. It's also good to see a new business in the site, he said, which had a few businesses on it since 1960s, including the casino Artichoke Joe's.
Kolbus said he and his wife, Wendy, decided to start the business because she knew a lot about horses from 4-H, and he used to own a team of draft horses. Also, he was tired of doing repair work.
Belinda Chalk, who works at the store, said people like the S and W because it has good service. Employees are able to help people with what to buy and can tell them what to avoid when they get it. If sand gets in a horse's feed, for instance, it can give the animals stomach aches, she said.
They're often dealing with customers who raise livestock for sale or work, Chalk said. For example, some people in the area use their goats for milk.
They'll order anything for customers, too, Kolbus said. According to their Web site, they've even ordered monkey and elephant food.
Kolbus said people like the store because it has good prices and employees listen to what people want. He said there's an understanding among pet owners.
"Everybody who's got animals is pretty down to earth," he said, "at least 90 percent of them are."
They have pets at their store, too. A dog named Chondelle and cats named Boo, Guido and Bandit. They also have rabbits, guinea pigs and in the spring, chicks.
Kolbus said he's likes almost all the animals he's had at the store and home - except for snakes.
• Contact reporter Dave Frank at dfrank@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.
S and W Feed and Supply
2292 S. Carson St.
882-1225
On the Net
www.sandwfeeds.com