A Good Old Fashioned Party at Edwards’ Feed Store in West Brome
On Friday, September 7th, friends, customers current and past, and the curious came out to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the Edwards’ Feed Store in West Brome. Fred Edwards started the business on this site in 1928 when he was only 22 years old and he ran the store for the next fifty-seven years. He retired at age 84 and lived until he was 90. The store was known as West Brome’s “Tranquil Oasis,” and it is an institution in the Townships.
Talking to Milde and David Weiss, they remembered when they were first living in the area, that they used to go to the post office at the top of the street and then come to Edwards’ to get gas and to buy some of their weekly groceries including great meat. Nowadays, the store is mainly an outlet for feed and farm supplies. Allen Edwards, Fred’s grandson, is the current owner. It started out that there were only twenty different kinds of feed, but today they carry close to 200 different types of feed. Allen had a booth near the horse barns at Brome Fair. The Edwards’ family members have been part of the fair for many years.
Some customers come through the front door of Edwards’ Feed Store, but most of the farmers pull up their vehicles to the back. The size of the store is deceiving. It looks pretty small from the main road but there have been four long extensions added on to the back.
At the back of the property on Friday, a barbeque was set up and hot dogs and drinks, souvenirs of the store, and feed samples, were given to the well-wishers who came to drop by in the late morning and afternoon. Stephanie, Allen’s wife, and other family members and staff greeted everyone. Over 500 hot dogs were served to about 225 guests throughout the afternoon. Although the party was going on, customers came in steady to have their feed orders filled and placed in their vehicles.
It was a special day for a special family and institution in the small town of West Brome! Employees and family members wanted to make the anniversary a special day for everyone. There was a time when the store sold gas and groceries as well as supplies for the local farmers.