#tri-county

NOT YOUR ORDINARY FEED STORE

I will never forget my first visit to Tri-County. It was love at first sight! I left that day with my 1st pair of Dubarry boots (an addiction that continues to this day), the TOMS my 11 year old had been craving for months, and a cozy bed for my 4-legged baby (a spoiled Rottweiler, named Razzie). Everything, carefully loaded in recyclable shopping bags! I was TRI-COUNTY-hooked!

The truth is, the feed store has been expanding its product offerings for years all in an effort to serve we locals better. I sat down with owners Bill & Jeri Jackson to get the full scoop on our favorite..."so-much-more-than-a feed store."

1. Walk us through the early days. What was Tri-County like when it first opened in 1978?

"In the beginning, Bill said, I only sold livestock bedding. I would visit farms in the morning, and deliver what they needed at night. Soon my customer's asked if I could deliver feed. So, I did. That is how every new product expansion has come to be at Tri-County. We listen to our customers and strive to meet their needs. It started with a desire to help people take care of their animals. We are still very dedicated to that principle today. After all, if you can find everything you need in one place - you have more time to spend with your horse - or do the things that you love."

(Here's Bill in front of the 1st Tri-County with two satisfied customers. circa 1978).

"IT STARTED WITH A DESIRE TO HELP PEOPLE TAKE CARE OF THEIR ANIMALS. WE ARE STILL VERY DEDICATED TO THAT PRINCIPLE TODAY. AFTER ALL, IF YOU CAN FIND EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN ONE PLACE - YOU HAVE MORE TIME TO SPEND WITH YOUR HORSE..."                                       BILL JACKSON, OWNER, TRI-COUNTY

2. How did Tri-County grow to be the 12,000 square foot experience it is today?

Bill's reply, "We ran out of space! Our customers were loyal and coming back regularly to buy their fed, hay, bedding and supplements at our old location on Frost Street. But, they had to go elsewhere for equestrian apparel, footwear, tack and other things. We wanted to have everything they needed - and offer it in a place that was easy, comfortable and fun."

AND OH WHAT FUN IT IS! Pics above are just a few of my favorite things spotted today...this adorable Patagonia shift, vest from Goody Rider, and his and her wool sweaters. LOVE!

3. The new store just celebrated its 7th anniversary. What will Tri-County look like seven years from now?

Jeri tell us, "We are always thinking of ways to enhance our "shop local" experience. On the feed side, we will continue to improve efficiency and variety of offerings. On the retail side, we'll continue to bring on new lines we know our customers want. We just recently added Purdey and Beretta to great reviews and we will be adding Barbour and Filson in 2015. (and, for those traveling a bit to get to us...there may be a Tri-County Cafe' in our future)."

"WE ARE ALWAYS THINKING OF WAYS TO ENHANCE OUR "SHOP LOCAL" EXPERIENCE."                                                                                    -JERI JACKSON, OWNER, TRICOUNTY

4. What is the one thing in your shop every two-legged customer should own? And, what's the must-have for those of the four-legged variety?

"Four-legged varieties, Jeri says they ALL deserve high quality nutrition, tasty treats, and a warm blanket or coat. For our two-legged customers we'll always have quality apparel and footwear, original gifts for their loved ones, and chocolate!"

5. When you are not at Tri-County, where are you?

Jeri said, "Our favorite past time is a quiet walk through Rectortown - there's nothing like home. We also love to travel and often find ourselves researching new product lines for the store from abroad. We love bringing great finds from our travels home to hunt country."

So many reasons to love this local treasure! If you have never visited Tri-County, plan a trip soon. Be prepared...you too will be leaving with several (environmentally-friendly, recyclable shopping bags) - all loaded with great finds from the Feed Store!

Be sure to tell them...SCOUT sent you.

TRI-COUNTY: Feeds. Fashions. Finds.

7408 John Marshall Highway

Marshall, Virginia

Proudly celebrating TSG Hunt Country, Vol. 3, the 78th volume in the famously, gorgeous TSG collection (now with 100 volumes in print)!

Being an Editor for The Scout Guide seemed a perfect fit for me. My own family's legacy is one of entrepreneurship, so it’s only natural that I would embrace a project that celebrates the independent business owner. More than 60 years ago, my grandfather opened the doors of a small hospital supply company that grew to serve hospitals and physician offices across North and South Carolina. While my grandfather is no longer with us, my 97 year old grandmother still sits as Chairman of the Board.

I suppose that’s why I have always LOVED local. I know the dedication and passion that is required to own your own business. It is not a job, it’s someone’s dream. A dream that each of us can support and help fulfill - just by making a choice to LIVE local.

Over the last three years, I have been able to meet so many amazing people, each with a strong passion and love for what they do. Elizabeth Locke who just happens to be one of the most recognized names in fine jewelry, hails from Boyce, Virginia and chose this precious little town as home for her "World Headquarters" - The Other Elizabeth.

Jim and son Will Eicher of J.D Eicher Builders who carry on a long family tradition of building cherished places and fine homes throughout our area.

Bill and Jeri Jackson of Tri-County Feeds, Fashions and Finds who’ve grown from a small feed store to a 12,000 sq foot, 3-story shopper’s paradise with one of the most coveted inventories in Hunt Country.

And, Derek and Amanda Luhowiak owners, The Whole Ox, who in just the three short year’s we’ve known them, have gone from a single butcher counter at the IGA to becoming our area’s "go-to" artisan butcher, now residing in an (always crowded) shop of their own in The Plains.

These are the stories we live for and celebrate!! Every page of TSG Hunt Country  is a great story and a fabulous local find. Today and the rest of the week we’ll be celebrating our Vol. #3 - stay tuned for a few behind the scene's stories you'll be sure to get a kick out of...

In further tribute to #78, we will be showing you how we local today as we join TSG in it’s #HOWILOCAL campaign. 

Blue Agave

11711 Princeton Pike Cincinnati, OH 45246

The Blue Agave is a place in Tri-County, it is across from the mall in a shopping center that is on the decline. It’s a place that once housed a Borders and an Old Navy and all that sort of thing and now mostly houses Halloween Express and the like. It is next to a LaRosa’s and on the inside looks suspiciously similar in layout, I do not know if this is due to LaRosa’s initially wanting that spot and then moving over one storefront of it’s just that all the things that would be restaurants here have to have the same set up due to zoning. I couldn’t really care less but it is something that grazed my mind. This is another in a line of cozy Mexican restaurants, well appointed with decanters of cacti and banners of their home country, a very fun place to eat and drink in with a humongous menu that, as Jim Gaffigan would say, is essentially the same couple of ingredients in a tortilla, but that is not a bad thing as everyone likes variety and should be allowed to have what they like!

The thing I’ve always noticed about Blue Agave is that whether it’s the afternoon lunch shift or the night time happy hour everyone there just seems like they like being there. There is a lot about a place that can be improved by a friendly and helpful staff, luckily here that kind of service is icing on a delicious cake made of meats and cheeses. As usual I get the three taco plate, this time with two beef and one chicken, everything is just about perfect, not too greasy, the shells are crunchy, the beef is flavorful, the cheese is a mix of a couple of different things and is nice and melty and salty and good and the tomatoes are delicious. The chicken is quite good, it’s chunks of chicken breast seasoned and cooked to order, not just sitting in a pan all day long. It is a simple and great meal that speaks volumes for the tradition of this type of cooking and cuisine and I couldn’t be happier to be telling you about it.