When Si Eldred of Laurel Farm & Western Supply tells you that his herd of five buffalo is something they keep "just for fun," don't be fooled. That's how the family began their store in 1995, in a 16 x 18 foot Model T garage built by the homesteading family they bought their 80-acre farm from in 1983. "The store was always more fun than dairy," Eldred says, "and the return on the work was better." They sold out of dairy completely three years ago.
In a little over seven years their retail business has grown into a 6,000 square foot retail store backed up by a 7,000 square foot warehouse, serving customers from Alaska to Colorado, not to mention being home to a wide variety of animals. As the people and animal-friendly business grows, the building just keeps getting bigger. If the same thing happens with his buffalo, Western Washington and the B.C. lower mainland may have to get used to seeing a large, dark herd roaming the foothills, like an old western movie.
"Well, this one was in the movies," Si says, pointing out a cow named Lil, "as a calf in 'Dances With Wolves'," as he tosses her an apple. And are they really Bison? Turns out that either name is OK, since the name Buffalo comes from "les boeufs," French for "beef," which is what the very early French explorers both called them and used them for in the 1600's.
"He's right, it is fun, especially now," said Judy Eldred, Si's wife of nearly 43 years and mother of Wesley, 36, and Weylin, 33. "I've always said that the perfect tack and feed store should have a garden center in it somewhere," she laughs, putting together trays of bedding plants in a 30 by 65 foot greenhouse they added last year. They've also just added to the indoor retail space devoted to lawn and garden care and a second greenhouse of the same size as the first for more bedding plants and perennials.
Laurel Farm & Western Supply is like an old-fashioned general store with something for just about anybody, except that nothing seems to stick around long enough to gather much dust, including the Eldreds themselves. The key to the growth and regional popularity of their business comes directly from who these hard-working people are and how they live.
This becomes apparent when you first go to their store, since it's also their farm. It's in farm country, not a mall, and you're treated and served like a guest. They've been locals for six generations, and like a lot of pioneer families (Si's grandfather was local tugboat captain "Cap" Briscoe), there's not a lot of sitting still nor idle chatter. Riding instructor Barb Hento, owner of nearby B.B. Stables and a customer since the beginning, says "You know them by what they do, for you, for the community and for their animals. In fact, I think some of their animals talk more than they do,"Hento said with a chuckle, referring to the popular talking macaw named Homer that lives in the back of the store." I was really impressed when Si added horse tack to the store because he also took classes on properly fitting both the rider and the horse, and that's really important for the horse. He knows enough to know what not to sell to someone who's new to horses."
Si and Judy Eldred met in the 1950's on a school bus. He grew up on Washington's Lummi Island where his grandparents settled in the 30's, first attending the island grade school and afterward the same mainland school the comely young Judy Grout did in Ferndale, Washington. In 1960 her great uncle, The Reverend John Grout of Loomis, Washington, visited the tiny Lummi Island Congregational Church to perform their wedding. They raised both Wesley and Weylin there until leaving the island in 1983.
Si had a commercial contracting business, 'Eldred and Essex'. When the boys were not working for their dad, they were heavily involved with animals. Weylin earned 'Regional Star Farmer of America' for thier FFA region, which covers 11 western states. Wes got involved with mules beginning in 1989 when he got Alec, for "Alexander the Great," from Quesnel, B.C. Judy and Si also got two pack mules from Oregon.
While still on Lummi Island the boys raised replacement heifers as part of their 4-H program, "and I didn't want to give them away," says Weylin. Si had always had a goal of retiring from commercial contracting at the age of 50, so in November of 1983 they moved to the former Eckert Farm and added 20 more cows to the nine they brought with them, eventually running a double four milking parlor as their herd grew.
Selling their hay wholesale lead to a glitch one season, leaving them with a lot of unsold bales on their hands and the realization that they could sell it themselves just as well, which lead to opening the store. "We began with a few things, our mixed rolled corn and barley feed for cows, and then it just took off," said Si. The Eldreds still harvest about 175 acres a year themselves.
"Yeah, retail's a lot easier than milking cows," Weylin Eldred said with a grin, "because instead of getting up at four and going to bed at 10:30, I get to sleep in until 6."
The work actually is just as hard because that's how hard-working people live. But Si and Judy still find time for their grandchildren, Weylin and Amy's Tyler (6) and Lindsay (4) and Wes and Karen's Elizabeth (9, and shown on the cover). They are also dedicated to their community.
They were missed on Lummi Island, where Si had helped start the fire department and served for many years as a volunteer firefighter and EMT as well as on the board. He helped start FFA booster (fund-raising) clubs for both the Ferndale chapter and the Meridian chapter near where they now life. The family also hosts a lot of gatherings geared to farm families, like a spring Appreciation and Fun Day that includes a free lunch. They've also hosted a Senior Horse Seminar for the last few years, sponsored by Nutrena Feeds and Kulshan Veterinary Hospital, starring their 35-year-old half-Arab mare Brandy.
Laurel Farm & Western Supply, 325 West Laurel Road, Bellingham, WA 98226; (360) 398-1216
