OWNER OF FEED STORE RETIRES AFTER 35 YEARS
Come Jan. 1 George’s Feed & Pet Supply in Suisun City will still be standing, but with a new owner at the helm.
It’s a bittersweet milestone for George Burton Sr., who retires today after 35 years in business.
“I’m gonna miss being here every day,” he said this week at the Humphrey Drive business. “This is my home.”
He’s not joking, son George Jr. advised.
“He’s such an institution. My dad has been working that store seven days a week, 363 days a year, off Christmas and New Year’s,” he said. “He’s the hardest working person that you’ll ever meet. The kindest, biggesthearted man. It just amazes me, his generosity. I’m a very proud son.”
Seems the family has deep roots in Solano. Vacaville, to be exact, dating back to the 1870s. They own acreage along Fruitvale Road, where fruit and nut orchards once were rampant.
Back in the day, George Sr. went into business with a friend. He later bought out the friend and changed the name of the business, Western Ranch Suisun, to George’s Feed & Pet Supply.
He poured his love of people and agriculture into the business, working it, nurturing it, tweaking it. Despite the change from 90% large animal feed to 90% feed for dogs and cats, the store continues to thrive and has amassed a loyal fan base.
“It’s been a good deal for me. I’ve made a lot of friends,” he said.
That base, his son said, came about because his dad genuinely listens to his customers and takes note of their needs. That explains all the special blends of feed, for various birds and other animals.
He also knows their families, all about their lives and doles out advice.
All of that, plus his gruffness and dry wit, seem to keep people coming in, including repeat customers from Idaho, Fresno, Oakland, Bakersfield, Nevada and other far flung locales.
“People would come in there for a chat as much as for what they were going to buy,” his son said. “He tells it like it is. It comes from a place of such good fun and good humor.”
George Jr. remembers
growing up at the store, which moved locations once over the years.
“It was always such a neat place. I’d jump all over the feed bags, get to see all the chickens and the pigs. To a 6 or 7 year old, it was magical,” he said.
He’d ride the forklift with
his dad, watch him plant a vegetable garden in front of the store and give all the produce away for free, see him working hard.
“Just watching my dad lift 100-pound bags on his shoulders,” he recalled. “Dad was a superhero like that.”
He was also heavily involved in the community, buying 4-H and Future Farmers of America animals from kids at the Solano County Fair and
Dixon May Fair. The kids’ pictures line the walls near the checkout counter.
Some of them include several generations of the same family, George Sr. pointed out.
It’s been a great ride, the 70-year- old said, but it’s time for a change. He has some health issues and hopes to move to Mexico and open a hotdog stand.
“He’s been saying that for years,” his son said.
More than likely, the family will plant more trees and keep George Sr. busy with a fruit and nut stand near the family’s homestead. And his 4-year- old granddaughter will also occupy much of “Papa’s” time.
“I’m very happy for him to get to spend time with his granddaughter and get to know what it’s like to stay home for a couple of weeks straight and we are all very proud of him,” George Jr.
said. “He should be very proud of what he’s accomplished.”
Filiberto Elias, who’s worked at the store for at least 20 years, is the new owner.
“This is the end of something really big,” George Jr. shared. “My dad did something pretty damn impressive.”