April 2nd marked the end of a long era in which Diess Feed held court on Highway 126. Since the mid-1950’s, the red barn-like building stood as a beacon of sorts to travelers to and from Eugene and many who saw the ever-changing farm-themed jokes and puns displayed on the large sign out in front in recent years no doubt groaned or even had to laugh. Now, the doors, which were always wide open, are shut and the building is darkened with the opening of the new Wilco just down the road at the corner of W. 11th and Willow Creek Road. The end for Diess didn’t come right away. Its swan song began when long-time owners Mike and Allison Lengele, who ran the store since 2002, decided to retire. It had been their intention to sell, but then came the news that Wilco was going to open up a store nearby and the Lengele’s were not comfortable with the idea of their store likely failing in light of this development and so opted to allow Wilco to take the reins until the new store was ready to open as it seemed the better alternative than allowing someone else to assume ownership and the business fail. Now, the doors of the new Wilco have opened for business, and a page has turned to a new chapter. A farmer owned co-op, Wilco has roots that harken back to the early 1930’s when farmers united to aid in the purchase of supplies through local co-op branches at inexpensive prices. Five of these co-ops eventually joined forces in 1967 and created Wilco or Willamette Consolidated. Wilco stores are located in Oregon, California, and Washington, with the closest stores before the Eugene store was built being in Springfield and Corvallis. It was decided to locate a store in Eugene after it was noticed that many customers at the Springfield store were from the Eugene and West Lane area. Those who were employed at Diess will continue to be employed at the new store and Wilco looks forward to getting to know their customers, as well as becoming an active part of the community. Involvement in the community is important to Wilco and to that end they provide many donations and offer support to such things as dog parks, community gardens, and sports fields. Wilco has already raised more than $2 million through its FFA Forever program and is active in youth livestock auctions where they bid on over 1,000 animals. Wilco offers military and senior discounts and youth accounts for 4-H and FFA among others and also offers discounted pet food to canine police offers. A recent tour of the new Eugene store led by Vice President of Marketing Jake Wilson covered all five departments that include a selection of products by True Value Hardware and Stihl power tools. One portion of the large and brightly lit store is devoted to western and work clothing and shoes while the livestock and pet department boasts a large selection of pet food, vaccines, feed, and supplies. There is also a two-portion pet wash area – one a self-serve for the do it yourselfer and the other a professional grooming shop. The garden department displays a mixture of fruit trees, vegie starts, and flowers/shrubs along with décor of a farm nature. While the veggie starts, which Wilco is known for, are currently limited, this should change in the next two months with the assortment increasing as they become available. A kiosk stands in the center of the store and one can use it to locate desired merchandise and shoppers can also order online and arrange for curb-side pickup. While a ribbon cutting was held on April 1st, a grand opening celebration will be held at the end of the month. Encompassing four days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), the festivities will include participation by the local 4-H and FFA chapters, prizes, giveaways, drawings, and entertainers. Friday will be known as “Free Hat Friday” and as might be expected, customers will receive a free cap as long as supplies last. Wilco is enthusiastic about joining the community and they hope that they will be warmly embraced by customers they hope to get to know as one era comes to a quiet end and another begins. The staff and management alike are friendly and welcoming and anyone who ventures through the large electric doors should have no trouble finding what they seek. Meanwhile, the old Diess building will sit empty but certainly not forgotten. Possibly, if one were to pull into the small gravel lot, they could hear the voices of the past as happy conversations were held, laughter was shared, and greetings/goodbyes were exchanged over 60 years. Maybe, just maybe, if they were to glance into a window and look really hard, they might even see ghostly figures milling about in styles representative of days gone by. One just never knows. Goodbye Diess. Hello Wilco.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
July 2024
Categories |