STORE WATCH

Bob Volks and Louise Beckinsale Owners, Gilligallou Bird Inc.

• We opened the first store in Almonte in 2011, then the second on Preston Street last year. If I was crazy enough to open the first store in my 50s, I thought, why not a second store in my 60s!

• I’m a bird, rocks, and trees kind of guy — I’ve always been interested in birds and nature in general. We are part of the natural process, which is why we have to educate ourselves and others.

• We test our bird feeders and nesting boxes in our yard. If you go on our website, you’ll see that I post regularly on YouTube and write a blog with all kinds of information — from how to keep squirrels away from your feeders to how to install bird boxes.

• If you stock fresh, good-quality seed, the birds will come. Once they find your food source, they’ll keep returning and your yard will become an oasis.

• Last summer, I planted 1,000 square feet of my garden with a mix of native flowers and shrubs. It was amazing how quickly the wildlife moved in! I want to encourage urban gardeners to do this on a smaller scale in their backyards.

• One of the lesser-known products we sell is bird-friendly coffee. It’s shade-grown in South America, so the forests aren’t being destroyed to support coffee production. The birds eat the bugs on the plants, so the growers don’t need to use pesticides.

• We have a responsibility to make our gardens more bird- and bee-friendly. We have done so much to alter their environment that it’s time for us to give back and help. The Gilligallou Bird stores are located at 14 Mill St. in Almonte and at 160 Preston St. in Little Italy.