‘AN OLD-FASHIONED PLACE’
The Store at Moyer Indoor/Outdoor continues local business tradition
“We are taking product from Souderton, and we’re shipping it all over the country and beyond at this point.” — Rick Dentner, manager, The Store at Moyer Indoor/Outdoor
The Store at Moyer Indoor/Outdoor Manager Rick Dentner keeps the description of the store simple.
“I call it a feed and seed store,” he said. “We sell all kinds of animal feeds and all kinds of lawn and garden products.”
Other products sold there include ice melt, he said.
“It’s an old-fashioned place,” Dentner said. “There’s nothing high-tech about the place, but I think that’s part of the charm.”
Part of the work done by the employees in the store is to serve as the face of Moyer Indoor/Outdoor’s other departments, he said.
The work also includes providing advice and product knowledge, he said.
“We try to be as helpful as we can to the folks who come in,” Dentner said. “We really try to provide some great service, and, I think for the most part, we do.”
The business is relatively new, he joked at Souderton
Borough Council’s June 5 meeting, at which The Store was the business spotlight.
“We were founded in 1869 by a couple of Moyers and I’m happy to say that we’re still owned by a couple Moyers,” Dentner said.
When it started, the business sold animal feed and coal, he said.
“We don’t sell a lot of coal these days, but we’re certainly involved in a much larger business,” Dentner said.
Moyer Indoor/Outdoor now includes heating oil, plumbing, lawn care, pest
control, pool services, animal feed and a fueling center, he said. About 200 people work for the company, including six in The Store, he said.
“In addition to being the face of the company, we are the local outlet for our manufacturing division. We still manufacture in America,” Dentner said.
Animal and bird feed made by Moyer Indoor/ Outdoor is sold by dealers throughout the part of the United States east of the Mississippi River, as well as in Puerto Rico and Bermuda, he said.
Since February, the company has also been selling its products through Amazon, he said.
“In those four months, it’s become a significant part of our weekly business,” Dentner said.
“We are taking product from Souderton,” he said, “and we’re shipping it all over the country and beyond at this point.”
The Amazon sales include ones in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, as well as to overseas U.S. military bases, he said.
Critics say Amazon’s online sales hurts local retail businesses, but Dentner said that’s not his experience.
“My attitude is, if they’re going to take over the world, take me with you,” he said. “It’s been good for us.”
The Store now has customers ranging from local people coming in for things such as solar salt to people in the western United States buying rabbit food and bedding, he said.
The amount of walkin business is decreasing, though, he said.
“The business has really changed in the last three to five years,” Dentner said.
That’s partially because of new competition from chains such as Tractor Supply moving into the area and partially because of the increase in online purchasing, with its accompanying convenience, he said.
“It’s easier if the dog food just shows up on my front porch. I don’t have to
run out and get it,” Dentner said.
This year’s 23rd annual Moyer 5K, which takes place on Souderton streets, will be 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 12. Proceeds from the run, which brings in more than 500 runners, goes to support scholarships for Souderton Area High School cross country team members.
This year’s pigeon show will be Sept. 16, Dentner said.
The Store is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, he said.
“When are you going to genetically engineer a bird food that cannot be eaten by squirrels?” council President
Brian Goshow asked at the June 5 meeting, bringing laughter from those in attendance.
That’s not happening, Dentner said, but said there are some kinds of bird food that are less tasty to squirrels.
Council member Richard Godshall thanked the company for its contributions to the borough pool.
Community support is important to the Moyers, Dentner said, and includes support of art and youth programs, along with the pool.
Moyer Indoor/Outdoor is located at Reliance Road and Railroad Avenue in Souderton. Its website is emoyer.com.