Fortunately the walls were made of poured concrete and were still standing. The ceiling fell in pieces and also spared some important items including the seed cabinets that had been in use at the store since 1912. Despite the September fire, the company was back in business by late December 1964. The company now sells seeds and lawn and garden supplies through its retail business as well as seeds through a wholesale business. Jim said the company will often buy crops of alfalfa and then clean out the seeds.
Farmers can also have crops custom cleaned for the seeds.
Customers can browse through the yearly seed catalog published every year since 1910. Jim said he believes the longevity is directly related to the flexibility in the business. We all want that kind of a place. A lot of our customers are third generation. A lot of the younger farmers - I knew their fathers and grandfathers.