When I was a new “come-here” from the city some 25 years ago, I was happy to trade the sirens and gunshots of uptown nights for the sounds of hoot owls and pine needles gently falling on my tin roof. I’m not positive, but I’ll wager that blood pressures are lower here on the northshore than they are in the big city.

I called my Acadian home “Beau Swamp,” nestled in suburban Houltonville. Soon after, I met and became friends with a sweet, but feisty, little old lady who changed my city ways for the better, including introducing me to feed stores.

Pearl Goldate (“Miss Pearl,” we all called her) lived across from Fairview Riverside State Park. She and her late husband worked for Frank Otis, the mahogany magnate who lived in the Otis House mansion in the park. Over the years, Miss Pearl and her husband cleared the entire park, making it the picturesque place it is to this day. When Otis donated the property to the state, he granted the Goldates several acres to live on across from the park. After her husband passed away, Miss Pearl fended for herself, managing her property and all her many critters.

Miss Pearl raised birds–lots and lots of birds. Peacocks, pheasants, quail, ducks, geese and chickens of every variety. She had Cochins, Rhode Island Reds, Aracaunas, Silkies, Orphingtons, Polish, Guineas, Houdans, Leghorns, Frizzies and Bantams–and she called all of them her “babies.” Some had topknots, some had feathers on their feet, and they were all colorful and always hungry. They laid white eggs and brown eggs; my favorite breed, the Aracaunas, laid green and blue eggs. Inside, the egg’s like any other, but the shell is a pastel color–usually green. (Maybe Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs ’n Ham” wasn’t fiction after all.)

My interest in poultry might also have had something to do with the fact that I was national creative director at Popeyes, and felt partially responsible for the demise of the millions of chickens who died and were fried as a result of our persuasive commercials. What if I died and met my Maker, only to find out he was a chicken fancier? Better give something back, I figured, so I set out to build some chicken condominiums in my back yard and ordered my chickens from Miss Pearl’s catalogue.

It would take awhile, I was told by the Missouri poultry farm, so I waited patiently. Meanwhile, it came time for our family vacation to the Florida beaches, so we went on our way to the surf and sun, putting the baby chick order on the back burner. When we returned, I had numerous messages on my answering machine from a worker at the post office. The first message said my box of baby chicks had arrived, and I could pick them up any time. I could hear the cute chirping of the chicks in the background. The next message had a louder background chorus and a bit more frantic postal worker reminding me to come pick up my birds. The third and final message was absolutely frantic. The cacophony of baby chicks in a chirping frenzy nearly drowned out his pleas to come get the damn birds! I went immediately and there was joy at the post office as I relieved them of the noisy package. All the chicks were fine, and I watered and fed them in the special brooder I made for their arrival.

Which brings me around to northshore feed ’n seed stores. (Bet you thought I’d never get to the point, huh?)

If you’re a newcomer from the city, you’ve probably never had call to shop in a rural or small-town feed ’n seed store. The sights and smells are unique, to say the least, and I always find the stores fascinating places to browse through merchandise, critters, plants and all manner of items for the home and farm. It’s like going into a time warp inside these rustic palaces, where the folks seem friendlier and smiles come easier.

There are quite a few notable feed ’n seed stores on our side of the lake. I spoke to the owners of three of them.

MARSOLAN FEED & SEED

Harvey Marsolan is a second-generation feed ’n seed man. The Marsolan family has a rich, hard-working mercantile heritage. His grandfather Frank was a three-term Covington mayor and purveyor of general dry goods at a store he founded in 1922. Norman Marsolan, Harvey’s father, began the feed ’n seed business in 1939 in the heart of Covington. I remember his dad fondly, as I used to make it a point to strike up a conversation with the remarkable gent whenever I had the chance; he was always ready with a friendly smile and handshake. Until his passing this past year at the age of 91, Norman Marsolan worked five or six days a week at the store. He’d sit, hunched over the record books and accounting paperwork that he tended to dutifully each day. Or he’d have his wire clippers in hand, putting together cages to add to his merchandise. Mr. Norman and his work ethic are legendary in the business.

Harvey continues in that tradition, always as polite as can be. “When most people come over here, they’ve usually already stopped in to familiarize themselves with the area. One of the first things they’ll say is, ‘Can I ask you a dumb question?’” He always assures them that their question isn’t dumb. “It’s usually something like a question about the longevity of an animal they’re interested in buying and raising.”

What’s the typical newcomers’ reaction when they come in and see live animals for sale? “They love it,” Harvey says, “and if they aren’t with their children or their grandchildren, they always come back with them in tow.” He laughs. “The grownups get a kick out of it, and they know their kids will enjoy the hands-on experience, too.”

Harvey explains that some feed ’n seed stores have stackable brooders for baby chicks, which is fine for farmers wanting large quantities of, say, Rhode Island Reds. But the stacked brooder is high up, making it hard for the kids to see. “I prefer to show our chicks in a tank on the floor, so everybody can see. Oftentimes a youngster will lean over the edge to pet the chicks, teeter-totter and sometimes actually fall in with the birds!”

They have fun over at Marsolan’s.

The most popular breeds of chickens are the Rhode Island Reds (good egg producers), Barred Rocks and the Aracaunas that lay the green eggs. Harvey said that the latter are especially popular with young people moving here from the city, particularly since their eggs are purported to be lower in cholesterol than others. I told him I had heard the same thing, and that I even asked a state agricultural official about it at a restaurant convention last year. The official laughed and told me it was a myth, pointing out that Aracauna chickens lay medium-size eggs, which, he pointed out, “would naturally be lower in cholesterol. Heck,” he chuckled, “compared to a large or extra-large egg, those green eggs are lower in everything!” Another yuppie myth bites the dust.

What items surprise the new customers from the city? “We’ve got some nice bird feeders that are upscale from what you might find in the big-box stores, and some more decorative items for the home. We carry a wide variety of birdseed, feed for pets of all kinds, and some really unique items. We’ve got a 10-foot windmill you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.” Always popular are old-fashioned work implements like hand scythes (that’s the tool for cutting weeds and grass like the Grim Reaper uses, young fella’) and custom, locally made items like breads, honey, gourds turned into bird feeders, and the like.

Speaking of big-box stores, I asked Harvey if they’ve impacted his business. “Absolutely,” Harvey said without hesitation. “Anytime one of those opens up, they cut the retail dollar pie up into smaller slices. Wal-Mart’s the biggest retailer in the world, so to compete with them price-wise for the same items is tough. But we let you park at the front door. We offer personal service and know our stuff–and our specialty merchandise sets us apart.” They also sell things year ’round for the farmer, hunter and others who know they can depend on the people at Marsolan’s to know them and their needs.

“We want our customers to enjoy our country store and our small-town way of life. We serve them in such a way that enables them to better enjoy what they have here.”

Harvey Marsolan’s obviously thinking outside the big box.

SPENCER’S FEED & SEED

Curtis Spencer is quite the feed ’n seed entrepreneur here on the northshore, with two major stores under his direction. He started working at Marsolan’s and seized the opportunity to strike out on his own when Talley’s Feed & Seed went up for sale. The store had been in business since the ’40s, a few years after Norman Marsolan started, and was a full-service operation.

“I’ve really been in the feed and seed business all my life,” says Curtis. In the late ’70s and early ’80s, I managed Mr. Marsolan’s store. He was quite a fine gentleman. In 1988, I was able to buy Talley’s, and I believe it was three years later we moved up to Folsom, opened the satellite store, and it took off very well. Then, five years later, we bought and moved to another place in Covington, bigger and better, and it’s doing just great now.”

What’s typical when a newcomer comes into the store? What does he tend to buy? “Well, here we’re fortunate that most people coming in are transients from New Orleans. So, there they have stables to keep their horses in. When they move out here, now they have their own place,” Curtis explains. “So, we get to help them kinda’ build their place–we help them supply their stalls with the equipment and animal health supplies for their horses, and we offer ideas on the best ways to grow grass, and things of that nature.”

What unique items do they carry? Lawn statuary, wind chimes, homemade jellies and syrup, pickled quail eggs, and Chalmatian slippers. Chalmatian slippers? “Yeah, you know, the white shrimp boots like they wear in Chalmette!” says Curtis.

The effect of the big-box stores? “Well, certainly, it affects us a great deal, but I’m still from the old school. I say there will always be people that want and demand personal service, and that’s where we think we have our little niche in the market. Our customers can walk up to the counter, get waited on, walk right out the door and their stuff is loaded for ’em and they’re on their way. We know ’em by name, we know their animals, we know their children, the vehicle they drive–we just think personal service is a major asset in business.”

Customer appreciation goes along with Curtis’ attention to customer service. “One of the things we do every year that our customers have become very accustomed to and look forward to is what we call our customer appreciation event. We cook for ’em. We may do a fish fry one year, roast turkeys, roast hogs or cook breakfast–whatever we decide to do for that year. We’ve been doing that for probably every year except the first year we were in business.”

Spencer’s carries live animals on a seasonal basis. They sell baby chicks, chickens, guineas, geese, ducks and turkeys in the springtime and rabbits around Easter. And plants? “Plants–that’s gotten to be a big deal with us. We carry everything you need for the season–vegetable plants, bedding plants, strawberry, fruit trees, citrus trees, roses, and this year, for the first time, we even tried Christmas trees.”

When asked about the seed part of business, Curtis explained: “The seed part is still kinda’ part of an old tradition. In the old days, you’d go in a feed store, they’d weigh it out on an old scale–a quarter’s worth of this, fifty cents’ of that–that’s just something I’d like to hold on to because it is something of the past and it’s nice to just keep around.”
Ever wondered about the quality of the product as opposed to the bagged seeds that you get in the grocery stores? “Germination on the garden seeds that you buy bulk from us is gonna’ be a high germination level, so from a planting standpoint you’re gonna’ get a better yield for your product than if you buy maybe the dried seeds in the stores.”

In looking at the big picture, Curtis waxes philosophical. “You know what, Webb, we’re in a unique business–it doesn’t matter if it’s a depression or a recession. In inflation times people are prob’ly gonna’ spend money tidying up their yards and planting a citrus grove or fruit tree grove, and if we get into a recession, then a lot of them will back off and they’ll plant ’em a garden so they got somethin’ to eat, or they’re gonna’ fatten up a pig. And in today’s times ‘pets,’ (as we know ’em now–not as ‘animals’) they’re family now, so people take better care of ’em, and we can help. My wife and I have been here all of our lives and we’re very grateful. The business has been good to us and it’s been good to my employees. We’ve come a long way from where we started in l988 with three employees; we’re now up to probably thirteen or fourteen and it’s been very enjoyable.”

PONCHATOULA FEED & SEED

Martha Ebrecht owns and operates the sprawling, newly remodeled Ponchatoula Feed & Seed, founded by her father, Joe, in 1941.

“We have a diverse clientele, from the large farmers, dairy farmers, and horse breeders, to the home gardeners and folks visiting the area who find our place interesting, unusual and a different kind of place to shop.”

Like Harvey Marsolan and Curtis Spencer, Martha maintains that it’s the personal service and unique offerings that set her apart from what the major retail chains have in stock. “Timing is very important,” she points out. “Our climate is such that our customers need products during specific times of the year that the big-box boys don’t cater to.”
She also says that the varieties of plants and seeds that she and her husband sell in Ponchatoula are specific to the region. “The nurseries and growers we deal with supply us with varieties of bedding plants, bushes, shrubs, and trees that do best in our climate, unlike those you might find at a Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, or Home Depot.”

Martha says that newcomers are typically surprised when they walk into her store. “We have a more comfortable, old-fashioned feel and folks enjoy the personal service and our variety of goods.” She even tells her employees not to sell customers something if they think it won’t perfectly suit their needs, an unheard of concept in big-box retail circles. “We want the customer to have a good experience here. We’re great believers in building relationships and not just quick sales.”

“If you’re a city slicker wantin’ to get into raisin’ chickens, we’re here to help with feeders, waterers, chicken wire, crushed oyster shells, and of course, feed for chicks, laying hens, etc.” She even has humane trap cages for raccoons or foxes.

Ponchatoula is noted for its antique stores, and Martha, like many other feed ’n seed entrepreneurs, carries agricultural implements designed the same as in the past: hand sickles, scythes, plus old-time meat grinders and such. “We sell a lot of brand-new items like what folks buy in the antique stores; the look and feel is the same as it was a hundred years ago.

“We get a lot of gentlemen in our store who say their wives are out in our town antique shopping, but our store looked more appealing to them.” She offers fish fryers, gumbo and jambalaya pots, and a wide variety of galvanized tubs and buckets that folks use for the usual purposes, as well as for wine or beer ice-downs with a rural flair. She knows how to merchandise. This lady wasn’t born yesterday!

The store sells baby chicks, ducks and guineas throughout most of the year, but primarily features pullets. Pullets, my city slicker friends, are young hens, and have always been my personal flock favorites by virtue of their relative silence. Roosters, you know, make noise. And at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning of a full moon, I don’t wanna’ hear that bad boy’s macho proclamation of his territorial imperative. Nor do my neighbors, I’ll bet. And if you just want egg production, you don’t need a cock-a-doodle-doo, anyway. The hens lay just fine without Foghorn Leghorn bellowing in the barnyard, thank you.

After all, we all came here for a little peace and quiet, n’est ce pas?

Copyright 2004, M&L Publishing, all rights reserved.